NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Flyers vs. Wild
Pictured: Carter Hart #79 of the Philadelphia Flyers. (Photo by China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images)
- The Minnesota Wild host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
- There typically isn't a ton of offense when these teams meet and our expert is expecting more of the same tonight.
- Tony Sartori offers up his best bet below.
Flyers vs. Wild Odds
| Flyers Odds | +190 |
| Wild Odds | -240 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-110/-110) |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via Barstool. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Central Division's Minnesota Wild host the Metropolitan Division's Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday evening. These clubs typically compete in lower-scoring games when they meet as there have been five or fewer goals scored in seven of the past 10 matchups.
Here's a look at the odds, as well as our pick and prediction for the Philadelphia Flyers vs. Minnesota Wild.
Philadelphia Flyers
It has been a troubling season for the Philadelphia Flyers in their first campaign under head coach John Tortorella. However, Carter Hart's play in net has been the one silver lining for Philadelphia this year.
Through 35 appearances this season, Hart boasts a .908 save percentage (SV%) and 2.97 goals against average (GAA). Based on his metrics, regression should not be an issue. The Canadian netminder ranks in the top half of starting goaltenders in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (GSAx/60) at 5-on-5.
However, as is typically the case when Hart starts, support may be difficult to come by. At 5-on-5, the Flyers rank just 26th in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60).
This offense, which lacks a lot of skill and creativity, may struggle in this matchup as the Minnesota Wild boast one of the league's best blue lines.
Minnesota Wild
At 5-on-5, Minnesota ranks third in the league in expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60). Backing up this elite blue line is goaltender Filip Gustavsson, who is slated to start between the pipes Thursday.
Through 19 appearances this season, Gustavsson is 11-7-1 with a .922 SV% and 2.26 GAA. He's also entering this game in particularly dominant form as he's 4-2 with a .936 SV% and 1.87 GAA over his past six starts.
Based on his metrics, regression should certainly not be an issue. If he qualified, Gustavsson would rank fifth among starting goaltenders in GSAx/60 at 5-on-5.
However, the Wild's biggest weakness is their lack of depth offensively. While superstar Kirill Kaprizov carries this team in terms of offensive production, the bottom six forwards struggle mightily to score.
At 5-on-5, Minnesota ranks just 25th in the league in xGF/60.
Flyers vs. Wild Pick
With Minnesota's elite defense, strong goaltending and below-average offense, low-scoring games are the norm. Recently, the Wild have been involved in many slow-starting contests and the first period under has cashed in each of their past six games and in nine of their past 10.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia's greatest strength is its goaltending. While the Flyers' defense is poor, their offense is even worse.
As long as Hart continues to impress between the pipes, the first period will likely end either 1-0 or 0-0.
Pick: 1P Under 1.5 (+110) | Play up to -110
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