Two teams meeting for the zeroth time this year, the Philadelphia Flyers and the St. Louis Blues collide at the Scottrade Center in an East-West matchup. NBC Sports Philadelphia will showcase the matchup, and the opening face-off is at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 2.
Philadelphia Flyers at St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis heads into the matchup as the substantial favorite with a moneyline of -175. The line for Philadelphia sits at +155, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -110 for the over and -110 on the under.
The Blues are 10-3 straight up (SU) and have earned 7.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked second in the league so far in the early season, is a solid improvement compared to what the team did during last year’s regular season (46-36). Of its 13 games this season, seven have gone over the total, while six have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 5-0 SU at home this year.
St. Louis has converted on 16.3 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 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.1 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, St. Louis has been whistled for penalties just 3.8 times per game this season, a number that is pretty close to the 3.9 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 8.9 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 8.8 minutes per outing this season.
With a .921 save percentage and 29.1 saves per game, Jake Allen (seven wins, three losses, and one OT loss) has been the top option in goal for the Blues this year. If head coach Mike Yeo decides to rest him, however, the team might go with the undefeated Carter Hutton (3-0 record, .950 save percentage, 1.67 goals against average).
Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko will each lead the way for the Blues. Schwartz (17 points) has tallied eight goals and nine assists and has recorded two or more points in four different games this year. Tarasenko has six goals and eight assists to his name and has notched a point in nine contests.
Over on the other bench, Philadelphia is 6-7 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. A total of seven of its contests have gone over the total, while four have gone under and just one has pushed. As the visiting team so far, Philadelphia is 3-4 SU.
Philadelphia has scored on 21.7 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 20th overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philadelphia’s players have been whistled for penalties 4.2 times per game this season, a number that is fairly close to the 4.0 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 10.3 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to kill penalties for 10.9 minutes per outing this year.
Brian Elliott (.892 save percentage and 3.11 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Philadelphia. Elliott is averaging 25.7 saves per game and has five wins, four losses, and one OT loss to his credit.
For the visiting Flyers, the offense will run through Jakub Voracek (two goals, 14 assists) and Sean Couturier (nine goals, six assists).
Philadelphia Flyers vs. St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- After going 2-2 in games decided by a shootout last year, St. Louis is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. Philadelphia was 7-5 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- The under has hit in three of St. Louis’ last five outings.
- St. Louis has scored 3.8 goals per game and allowed just 1.5 over its four-game win streak.
