In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers collide at the Wells Fargo Center for a Metropolitan Division showdown. The action will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, January 2, and you can catch it live on NBC Sports Network.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Pittsburgh enters the matchup as the slight favorite with a moneyline of -115. The line for Philadelphia sits at -105, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -115 for the over and -105 for the under.
Pittsburgh is 19-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. 20 of its outings have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. As an away team this season, the Pens are 7-14 SU.
Pittsburgh currently touts the second-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s scored on 25.0 percent of its extra-man opportunities this season. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th in the league, and it has successfully killed off 81.0 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Pittsburgh has been called for penalties 4.3 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over its last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .902 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Matt Murray (15-13-1) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If head coach Mike Sullivan decides to rest him, however, Pittsburgh might turn to Tristan Jarry (5-7-2 record, .921 save percentage, 2.40 goals against average).
Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Penguins. Kessel (42 points) has tallied 16 goals and 26 assists, and has recorded multiple points nine times. Malkin has 14 goals and 22 assists to his credit (and has registered a point in 24 games).
Over on the other bench, Philadelphia is 16-22 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 19 of its contests have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 8-11 SU at home this year.
Philadelphia has converted on 19.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.0 percent of all penalties.
Philadelphia skaters have been called for penalties only 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 5.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Brian Elliott has stopped 27.5 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for Philadelphia. Elliott has 14 wins, 17 losses, and seven OT losses to his name and has maintained a mediocre 2.62 goals against average and a .914 save percentage this season.
The Flyers offense will be led by Claude Giroux (13 goals, 33 assists) and Jakub Voracek (eight goals, 38 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in three of Philadelphia’s last five games.
Pittsburgh’s attempted 34.9 shots per game overall this season (the most in the NHL), and 31.2 in its last five road games.
The Penguins are 7-10 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Flyers are 5-10 SU when they serve more minutes than their opponent.
Pittsburgh is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Philadelphia is 0-3 in shootouts.
Philadelphia skaters have forced 5.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 5.4 takeaways per game (ranked 29th in the NHL).
Pittsburgh skaters have created 5.8 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 6.2 takeaways per game (ranked 26th).
