Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers meet at the Wells Fargo Center in an Eastern Conference matchup. This one gets underway at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 2 and it can be caught live on Sportsnet.
Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Philadelphia comes into the game as the favorite with a moneyline of -120. The line for Boston sits at +100, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Boston is 11-12 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 23 regular season contests, 12 of its games have gone under the total, while 11 have gone over and none have pushed. The Bruins are 4-6 SU as a road team in 2017-18.
Boston has converted on 18.7 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 83.3 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Bruins have been called for penalties 4.1 times per game this season, and 3.5 per game over its past ten matchups. The team’s had to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .899 save percentage and 24.8 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (4-10-2) has been the best option in goal for Boston this year. If it decides to give him a rest, however, the team might go with Anton Khudobin (7-3-2), who has a .932 save percentage and 2.22 goals against average this year.
David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Bruins. Pastrnak (21 points) is up to 12 goals and nine assists, and has recorded multiple points in six different games. Marchand has eight goals and nine assists to his name (and has logged a point in 10 games).
On the other side of the rink, Philadelphia is 8-17 straight up (SU) and has already lost 11.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 25 regular season matches, 13 of its games have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 4-9 SU at home this year.
The Flyers have converted on just 18.8 percent of their power play chances 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 75.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philadelphia players have been sent to the penalty box 4.2 times per game in total this season, 4.6 per game over their past five contests total, and 4.4 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to kill penalties 8.8 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Brian Elliott (27.6 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Flyers. Elliott has six wins, 12 losses, and six OT losses to his credit and has maintained a poor .905 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average this year.
The Flyers offense will be led by Jakub Voracek (seven goals, 23 assists).
Boston Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Flyers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The majority (75.0 percent) of Philadelphia’s wins have been by two or more goals, and the team is 6-6 overall in games decided by at least two scores. 4 of Boston’s 11 wins (36.4 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
Extra-man opportunities could be even more critical than usual in the outcome of this matchup. The Bruins are 4-6 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 5-7 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Flyers are 1-5 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 4-6 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Boston is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Philadelphia is 0-2 in shootouts.
Boston could hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 7-5 in games decided by one goal, while Philadelphia is only 2-11 in such games.
The over has hit in four of Philadelphia’s last five outings.
Philadelphia has scored just 2.2 goals per game (while giving up 3.8) over its nine-game losing streak.
Philadelphia skaters have averaged 12.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 10.0 giveaways per game (ranked 19th overall).
Boston skaters have averaged 11.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.3 giveaways per game (ranked 14th).
Boston skaters have accounted for the fourth-most hits in the league (25.2 per game).
