In their fourth and final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers take the ice at the Wells Fargo Center for a divisional tilt. NBC Sports Philadelphia will showcase the matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 5.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Philadelphia enters the contest as the substantial favorite with a moneyline of -185. The line for Carolina sits at +160 and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
The Flyers are 40-40 straight up (SU) and have lost 4.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is right in line with the 39-43 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Of its 80 games this season, 43 have gone over the total, while 35 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 20-19 SU at home this season.
Philadelphia has converted on 20.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.7 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Philadelphia has been whistled for penalties 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.8 per game over its last five home outings. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for just 6.3 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, in total.
Boasting a .908 save percentage and 26.3 saves per game, Brian Elliott (22-19-7) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Flyers this season. If they decide to give him a rest, however, the team could turn to Petr Mrazek (15-24-24 record, .902 save percentage, 3.03 goals against average).
Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek will each spearhead the attack for the Flyers. Giroux (97 points) has tallied 30 goals and 67 assists and has recorded multiple points in 26 different games this year. Voracek has 19 goals and 64 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 50 games.
Over on the other bench, Carolina is 35-45 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through 80 regular season contests, 42 of its games have gone under the total, while 36 have gone over and just two have pushed. As an away team, Carolina is 17-23 SU.
Carolina has converted on just 18.6 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places it in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully defended 77.4 percent of all penalties.
Carolina’s skaters have been penalized only 2.8 times per game in total this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to defend opponent power plays just 6.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Ward (2.75 goals against average and .905 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Carolina. Ward is averaging 24.8 saves per game and owns a 22-20-4 record.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Hurricanes will be Sebastian Aho (28 goals, 36 assists) and Teuvo Teravainen (23 goals, 39 assists).
Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers Free Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Hurricanes, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in three of Philadelphia’s last five outings.
The Hurricanes are 16-26 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 29-37 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Carolina is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Philadelphia is 2-7 in shootouts.
Philadelphia skaters have managed 4.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 5.8 takeaways per game (ranked 28th overall).
One of the best at creating pressure on opposing teams, Carolina is ranked second with 10.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as the team has averaged 8.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.2 takeaways over its last five.
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