In their first head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the Minnesota Wild and the Philadelphia Flyers meet at the Wells Fargo Center for an East-West showdown. NSP+ and FSN will broadcast the game, and the action gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 11.
Minnesota Wild at Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Philadelphia (-120) is currently favored over Minnesota (+100) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Producing 1.1 units for moneyline bettors, Philadelphia is 8-8 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That early-season winning percentage is right in line with the 39-43 record the team managed during the 2016-17 season campaign. Through 16 regular season matches, eight of the team’s games have gone over the total, while seven have gone under and just one has pushed. The team is 4-4 SU at home this year.
The Flyers have converted on 19.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 78.9 percent of all penalties.
The Flyers, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.1 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over their past five outings total, and 4.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to defend opposition power plays for 9.4 minutes per contest over their last five home games.
Sporting a .903 save percentage and 26.9 saves per game, Brian Elliott (six wins, four losses, and one OT loss) has been the top option in goal for the Flyers this year. If Philadelphia chooses to give him the evening off, however, the team could turn to Michal Neuvirth (2-4-4 record, .928 save percentage, 2.17 goals against average).
The Flyers will continue seeking offensive production out of Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. Voracek (21 points) has tallied four goals and 17 assists and has recorded multiple points seven times this year. Giroux has nine goals and 11 assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in 11 games.
Over on the other bench, Minnesota is 6-9 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 15 regular season outings, eight of its games have gone over the total, while five have gone under and just two have pushed. As an away team, the Wild are 3-5 SU so far.
The Wild have converted on 16.7 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked sixth overall and it’s successfully defended 83.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Minnesota’s skaters have been penalized 3.9 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 3.4, which was the fifth-best mark in the league. After serving an average of 8.1 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to kill penalties for 8.4 minutes per matchup this season.
Devan Dubnyk (28.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Minnesota. Dubnyk has five wins, seven losses, and one OT loss to his credit, and has registered a .914 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average this year.
Jason Zucker (eight goals, five assists) and Eric Staal (five goals, seven assists) have been standout playmakers for Minnesota and will pace the offensive counter for the visiting Wild.
Minnesota Wild at Philadelphia Flyers Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Flyers, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The Flyers are 4-3 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Wild are 3-5 SU when they serve more minutes than the opposition.
- The total has gone under in three of Philadelphia’s last five outings.
- Philadelphia has averaged 9.8 giveaways over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 9.6 giveaways per game (ranked 17th in the NHL).
