In their third head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers clash at the Wells Fargo Center for a Metro Division showdown. NBC Sports Philadelphia will showcase the matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 22.
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Philadelphia (-215) is currently favored over New York (+180) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Losing -3.8 units for moneyline bettors, the Flyers are 37-37 straight up (SU) overall in the 2017-18 season. That early-season winning percentage hasn’t moved much from what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (39-43). Of the team’s 74 games this season, 39 have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just two have pushed. This season, the team’s 18-19 SU at home.
Philadelphia has converted on 20.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.8 percent of all penalties.
Philadelphia, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.2 per game over its past five outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays for just 7.0 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 26.3 saves per game with a .908 save percentage, Brian Elliott (22-19-7) has been the best goalkeeper for the Flyers this season. If head coach Dave Hakstol chooses to give him the evening off, however, the team might turn to Petr Mrazek (13-21-21 record, .901 save percentage, 3.03 goals against average).
Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek will each lead the way for the Flyers. Giroux (87 points) has produced 26 goals and 61 assists and has recorded two or more points in 23 different games this year. Voracek has 18 goals and 60 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 47 contests.
On the other side of the rink, New York is 32-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 73 regular season outings, 40 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just two have pushed. As the away team, New York is 12-23 SU.
New York has scored on 21.9 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked seventh overall and it’s successfully defended 82.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York’s players have been penalized 3.5 times per game in total this season, 3.0 per game over their last five match ups total, and 3.4 per game over their last five games as the visiting team. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.2 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Henrik Lundqvist (.915 save percentage and 2.94 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for New York. Lundqvist is averaging 29.1 saves per game and owns a 25-34-6 record.
For the visiting Rangers, the offense will be facilitated by Mats Zuccarello (15 goals, 34 assists) and Vladislav Namestnikov (22 goals, 25 assists).
New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers Betting Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Rangers, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in four of Philadelphia’s last five games.
- Philadelphia’s attempted 31.8 shots per game overall this season (ranked 17th in the NHL), and 34.2 across their last 10 games.
- The Rangers are 11-15 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-24 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total.
- Two of Philadelphia’s last ten games have ended in a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 2-7 overall in shootouts this season.
- Philadelphia is ranked 27th overall this season with 5.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as it has forced 6.5 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.4 takeaways over its last five.
- New York skaters have created 8.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 8.8 takeaways per game (ranked fourth).
