NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Flyers vs. Canucks (Oct. 28)
Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Martin Jones.
- The Vancouver Canucks take on the Philadelphia Flyers in Thursday's NHL action.
- Both teams have seven points on the year and are looking to bounce back after a loss.
- Nicholas Martin dives deep into this affair below and delivers his top selection.
Flyers vs. Canucks Odds
| Flyers Odds | -115 |
| Canucks Odds | -105 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Philadelphia heads to Rogers Arena on Thursday to face Vancouver in the second leg of a Western Canadian back-to-back set. The Canucks were outplayed in a disappointing home opener against the Wild, suffering a 3-2 setback.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers enter with a smaller sample size, including a disappointing loss to these very Canucks, yet to my eye have looked more impressive in the early going this season.
Philadelphia's power play has looked outright deadly, recording a 36.4% success rate, which is certainly a higher mark than they'll be able to sustain, but should go as a big positive long term. Altogether, the Flyers hold a +6 goal differential having already played some stiff competition in Florida and Boston across two of their four contests.
The team's forward core has produced effectively and could shape up to be quite deep, with some encouraging play from a second line comprised of Joel Farabee, Cam Atkinson, and Derrick Brassard, who have amassed 16 points through four contests.
The main question for the Flyers will be if the goaltending duo of Carter Hart and Martin Jones is able to hold up, as league bottom goaltending a season ago ultimately dismantled them.
Martin Jones will most likely go against Vancouver, with the Flyers playing Carter Hart in Wednesday's game. Jones was solid in his debut, stopping 37 of 40 shots against Boston and collecting the win.
Goaltending can be hard to predict, but it remains to be seen if he can hold similar results long term. Even trending toward league average numbers would be a large bounce back for Jones compared to last season's campaign in which he posted an .896 save % and -18.9 goals saved about expected.
Vancouver Canucks
Monday night marked another disappointing result for the Canucks, who sit at just .500 even after receiving strong play from Thatcher Demko. Vancouver owns the league's second worst xGF% at 41.08., a number worsened by the fact that it has played a notably soft schedule.
The defensive core has been shaky altogether, and has me instantly me reevaluating my offseason prediction that this team can return to the postseason out of a soft Pacific Division.
Tyler Myers continues to be forced into playing big minutes for the club, and simply is not good playing top pairing NHL minutes, with a 43.8 xGF% appearing generous to my eye.
However you can't necessarily blame his coach Travis Green's usage, as options behind him in Tucker Poolman and Kyle Burroughs have been notably poor. Jack Rathbone continues to be a player I like, but isn't prepared for top four minutes in the NHL. And it appears the Canucks are set to struggle to ice a quality defensive lineup.
Flyers vs. Canucks Picks
This back-to-back sets up as a good spot for the Flyers to continue the Metropolitan Division's dominance when playing outside it. And I like Philadelphia's chances more than the odds suggest to claim some points from this western Canadian swing.
I am willing to try and buy low on the Flyers, and back these lines early with their Wednesday contest against Edmonton not completed. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Philadelphia post a big number on an Edmonton team, which has quietly not truly been tested this season. That said, I feel the Flyers are being undervalued in both legs of this back-to-back at their current prices.
I think that the total over 6 at -110 odds is most likely to see line movement, and will most likely be a worse price approaching game time. However, I also project Philadelphia will likely be Pick'em or worse come game time as well, and feel both plays hold value.
It's hard for me to see Philadelphia not creating a good amount of chances against a Vancouver defensive core that has looked shaky early, and I like the chances the Flyers can keep their offensive success going in this spot.
Jones was solid in his first start of the year against Boston. However, I'm still a little unsold about how much success he can have long term for Philadelphia, which should still only post average defensive results. Therefore, I feel Vancouver's talented top six can put together a reasonable offensive output in this contest as well.
Picks: Philadelphia ML (-105 — play to -120) | Total Over 6 (-110 — play to -125)
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