NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Flyers vs. Rangers Pick, Best Bet (November 1)

Flyers vs. Rangers Odds

The New York Rangers have been very inconsistent at the start of the season, but they are coming off two huge back-to-back road wins, and they would love to keep the good vibes going as they kick off a four-game home stand.

The Philadelphia Flyers have been a present surprise early on, and maybe that has a lot to do with John Tortorella, who will have his team geared up for a big divisional matchup with a familiar foe.

It's always fun when these two rivals meet, and this will be their first matchup of the season. The Rangers won three out of the four contests last season, and they come in as the heavy favorite tonight; can they get their first win on home ice since October 17th?

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have been off to a relatively strong start, as they are skating to a record of 5-2-1. A huge factor in why the Flyers have been successful has been the play of their goaltender, Carter Hart.

Hart is 5-0-1 so far this season and is making a very early case for himself to be in the discussion for the Vezina Trophy. Hart has a .938 SV% with a 2.31 GAA and the league's second-best +9.0 GSAx. This is by far the best start he has had in his career. As a team, the Flyers are only allowing 2.63 goals against per game, which is crazy because they allow the third most shots on goal in the NHL, surrendering 35.9 per game.

The Flyers don't necessarily have the best underlying numbers, so I am certain that they will not be able to sustain how much they've been winning. Their only hope is that Carter Hart continues to play at his current level. The Flyers aren't doing a great job generating offense, as they only generate 27.4 shots on goal and 9.19 chances each contest. That puts them in the bottom five in the league in both of those categories. Not only are they in the bottom five in both of those aspects, but they also have the third worst expected goals percentage (currently 41.14%) and a -5.79 expected goal differential.

Based on these numbers, it is only a matter of time before the Flyers fall apart.

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers have been a very interesting team early on, and I'm starting to wonder if the high expectations and standards for this season are affecting them. The Rangers got off to a very hot start, then they had a little bit of a hiccup, but they have won their previous two games, both coming on the road. New York was fantastic on home ice last season, but right now they are 2-1-2 at Madison Square Garden and have lost their last three games in a row at home.

The Rangers got back on the right track this past weekend, but it is unknown who will be starting in goal. Igor Shesterkin got back-to-back starts, but the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, who is 5-0-2 on the season, might need some rest tonight. Jaroslav Halak has gotten off to a horrendous start for the Rangers, but he is more than capable of picking up his game. Halak is 0-3-0 with a .867 SV% and a 3.69 GAA.

No matter who starts in goal for the Rangers, they will be focused on tightening things up on the defensive end as they have been a bit sloppy as of late.

The Rangers found their scoring touch in the previous two games as they scored a combined nine goals, so they are coming home feeling as confident as ever offensively. Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck are heating up, and the Rangers power play is clicking. This should be a fun game for New York.

Flyers vs. Rangers Pick

Even though the Rangers have been a tad sloppy defensively, the Flyers don't necessarily pose much of a threat.

The Flyers haven't really been as good as their record might show, Carter Hart has been an absolute beast in the crease which has disguised all of the issues in Philadelphia. The Rangers have had success against Carter Hart in the past, he has started four times at Madison Square Garden and he has a 3.92 GAA along with a .849 SV% in the world's most famous arena.

The Rangers should be able to build off of their last two games and show the home crowd a strong performance. I like the Rangers to cover the puck line tonight against a Flyers team that is due for a disaster.

Pick: New York Rangers -1.5 (+110)