Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, and the Philadelphia Flyers will do battle against Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center for an East-West showdown. The opening face-off is at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 11, and fans at home can see it live on NBC Sports Network.
Philadelphia Flyers at Colorado Avalanche Odds
The Avalanche (-160) are being picked as the favorites over the Flyers (+140) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-115 over, -105 under).
Colorado is 19-11 straight-up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 8.5 units this season. That win percentage, the league’s fourth-best so far in this young season, is a welcomed improvement compared to what the team managed during the 2018-19 season (38-44). Among the team’s 30 games this season, 15 have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 8-5 SU at home this season.
The Avalanche have converted on 18.8 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 76.5 percent of all penalties.
With a .914 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Philipp Grubauer (11-7-2) has been the top goalkeeper for the Avs this season. If head coach Jared Bednar chooses to give him a breather, however, the team may go with Pavel Francouz (8-4-4 record, .923 save percentage, 2.50 goals against average).
Philadelphia has earned 3.8 units for moneyline bettors this season and is currently 17-13 straight up (SU). 15 of its games have gone over the total, while another 15 have gone under the total and none have pushed. The Flyers are 7-7 SU as the road team this season.
The Flyers have converted on 18.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked seventh overall and it’s successfully defended 84.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Carter Hart (21.6 saves per game) has been the main choice in goal for Philadelphia. Hart owns a 10-9-3 record, while registering a .909 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average this year.
Philadelphia Flyers at Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Over Colorado’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-1 in those games).
- The extra-man advantage could have a key role in tonight’s matchup. The Flyers are 6-9 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 11-12 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Avalanche are 11-5 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 13-5 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Philadelphia (3-5 in shootouts this season) has significantly more experience in games decided by shootout. Colorado has yet to participate in one this year.
- The total has gone over in four of Philadelphia’s last five games.
- Philadelphia has averaged 9.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 11.1 giveaways per game (ranked 24th).
- One of the top teams at taking care of the puck, Colorado is ranked 4th this season with just 8.3 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward, as the team’s averaged 9.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 10.0 giveaways over its last five.
