In their first head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers face off at the Wells Fargo Center in an Eastern Conference showdown. The first puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 20, and it is being televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers Odds
,Detroit (+170) is entering this one as the underdog to Philadelphia (-200) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Philadelphia is 14-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a slide from what the team recorded during last years regular season (39-43). Through 33 regular season contests, 16 of the teams games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just two have pushed. The teams 7-11 SU at home this season.
The Flyers have converted on 19.3 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.6 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Flyers have been penalized 3.7 times per game overall this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five outings at home. The teams had to kill penalties for just 5.9 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .913 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Brian Elliott (12-14-6) has been the best option in goal for the Flyers this year. If the Flyers, however, choose to give him a breather, Philadelphia may roll with Michal Neuvirth (2-6-6 record, .915 save percentage, 2.66 goals against average).
The Flyers will continue relying on leadership out of Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. Voracek (41 points) has put up eight goals and 33 assists and has recorded multiple points in 14 different games this year. Giroux has 13 goals and 23 assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in 22 games.
On the other side of the rink, Detroit is 13-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 16 of its games have gone over the total, while another 16 have gone under and none have pushed. The Red Wings are 7-8 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Red Wings have scored on 21.4 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for seventh-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 15th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.6 percent of all penalties.
Detroit’s skaters have been whistled for penalties 4.2 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five on the road. The teams had to defend opponent power plays 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jimmy Howard (25.3 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Detroit. Howard owns a 10-17-6 record, while registering a .908 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average this year.
Dylan Larkin (five goals, 22 assists) has been one of the top playmaking threats for the visiting Red Wings.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers Betting Predictions
,Predictions: SU Winner – Flyers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- etroit is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Philadelphia is 0-2 in shootouts.
- he total has gone under in three of Philadelphia’s last five games.
