The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers meet Wednesday in NHL action at the United Center. Here’s a Flyers vs. Penguins Prediction. This article will include a Flyers vs. Penguins Pick.
Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview
The Penguins are coming off a first-round exit and are still looking for their first playoff series victory since the 2017-18 season. Dan Muse enters his second season as coach.
The Penguins still have their veteran core intact that includes Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang, but all of those guys are old as dirt. Obviously they’ve all accomplished a lot in the league and provide leadership, but the youth has to step up and provide a spark if the Penguins are going to make one last push. I’m looking at players like Rutger McGroarty, Ben Kindel, and Ville Koivunen. It also wouldn’t hurt to see a breakout season from highly touted goalie Sergei Murashov. We know the faces on the Penguins roster, but others need to come along if this season will be different than the last.
Philadelphia Flyers Betting Preview
The Flyers are coming off a 98-point season, and their first playoff series win since the 2019-20 season. The Flyers now look to make the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
The Flyers brought back the core that made last year’s run happen, while adding goalie Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit. There’s excitement around Porter Martone and his first full season, while Matvei Michkov seems to be in better shape and poised for a bounce-back season. Trevor Zegras is coming off arguably his best season yet, and a healthy season for Tyson Foerster would be an upgrade. There’s a lot of intriguing young pieces on this Flyers roster, and if things completely come together, they’re a group that can make another run. The Flyers shouldn’t be out of the playoffs for five straight seasons like they were the last time they clinched.
Why the Philadelphia Flyers will win
- The favorites have won each of the Flyers’ last six games.
- The Penguins have lost four of their last five road games.
- The Flyers have covered the puck line in each of their last four season openers.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last nine games.
- The Penguins have lost the third period in each of their last six games when trailing after the second period.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Penguins have won each of their last four road openers as underdogs.
- The Flyers have lost each of their last four games.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in each of their last four road openers as underdogs.
- The Flyers have failed to cover the puck line in 18 of their last 21 games as home favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Penguins have won the third period in 14 of their last 15 games at Xfinity Mobile Arena when leading after the second period.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Flyers’ last six games has gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Twelve of the last 14 games between two teams from the Metropolitan Division have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Eleven of the Penguins’ last 14 road games have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in 13 of the Penguins’ last 14 night games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2’ market has hit in eight of the last nine games between the Penguins and Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers Player Prop Facts
- Trevor Zegras has recorded an assist in five of his last six home appearances against the Penguins.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Sidney Crosby has recorded at least one assist in seven of his last nine road appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Justin Brazeau has scored a goal in three of his four previous road appearances against the Flyers.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Philadelphia Flyers ranked 32nd in the league in power play percentage last season (15.74%).
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recorded the longest road winning streak (8 games) in the NHL last season.
- The Pittsburgh Penguins ranked 3rd in the league for goals per game last season (3.54).
- The Pittsburgh Penguins ranked 6th in the league in penalty kill percentage last season (81.43%).
Flyers vs Penguins Injury Report
The Flyers will be without Denver Barkey and Helge Grans. Nikita Grebenkin is listed as day-to-day.
The Penguins have a laundry list of injuries including Blake Lizotte, Tristan Broz, Andrei Kuzmenko, Bryan Rust, and Justin Brazeau.
Flyers vs Penguins Prediction
I like my dogs in rivalry games, but the Penguins enter this season with an injury report you have to scroll down to read. The Penguins are also an older team that’s likely going to struggle against these youthful squads that have above-average speed and skating. The Flyers fall into that category. The Flyers are also healthier, and they’ve won 5 of the last 7 games against the Penguins. This just feels like a spot for the Flyers to get off to a good start and build on the success of last year. I’ll lay the reasonable price.