In their third and final head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Detroit Red Wings meet at Little Caesars Arena for an Eastern Conference tilt. This one will get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 20 and it is being televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Philadelphia Flyers at Detroit Red Wings Odds
Philadelphia heads into the game as the noticeable favorite with a -145 moneyline. The line for Detroit sits at +125, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-120 under, +100 over). After they originally opened at -105 over and -115 under, those lines have shifted.
Philadelphia is 37-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 38 of its matches have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just two have pushed. The Flyers are 19-17 SU as the away team in 2017-18.
Philadelphia has converted on 19.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 27th in the league, and it’s successfully killed off only 75.7 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Philadelphia has been penalized 3.5 times per game this season, and 2.8 per game over its past five outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 26.3 saves per game with a .908 save percentage, Brian Elliott (22-19-7) has been the top option in goal for Philadelphia this year. If head coach Dave Hakstol chooses to rest him, however, Philadelphia might roll with Petr Mrazek (13-20-5 record, .903 save percentage, 2.98 goals against average).
Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Flyers. Giroux has 84 points on 26 goals and 58 assists, and has recorded multiple points 23 times. Voracek has 18 goals and 59 assists to his credit, and has logged a point in 46 games.
On the other side of the ice, Detroit is 26-46 straight up (SU) and has lost 17.4 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 42 of its games have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just two have pushed. The team is 13-22 SU at home this season.
Detroit has converted on just 17.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s ranked 23rd in the NHL. Its penalty kill is also ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.3 percent of all penalties.
Detroit skaters have been penalized 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 5.6 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Jimmy Howard (26.7 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for Detroit. Howard has 18 wins, 35 losses, and eight OT losses to his credit and has maintained a pedestrian 2.87 goals against average and a fairly-weak .909 save percentage this season.
Dylan Larkin (nine goals, 41 assists) will lead the attack for the Red Wings.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Red Wings, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone over in three of Philadelphia’s last five games.
The Red Wings are 9-15 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 18-30 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Philadelphia is 2-6 in games decided by a shootout this season while Detroit is 4-1 in shootouts.
Detroit is ranked 24th overall this season with 6.3 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended down recently, however, as it has created 4.5 takeaways over its last 10 games and 3.2 takeaways over its last five.
Philadelphia is ranked 25th overall with 6.0 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as it has averaged 6.9 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.4 takeaways over its last five.
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