The Philadelphia Flyers (24-18-9) and Columbus Blue Jackets (24-20-7) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. EST at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Blue Jackets are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (-100o / -120u). The Blue Jackets are a -140 favorite to win outright, while the Flyers are +118 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Flyers vs. Blue Jackets predictions and NHL picks.
Flyers vs. Blue Jackets Odds, Pick
| Flyers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -220 | 6.5 -100o / -120u | +118 |
| Blue Jackets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +180 | 6.5 -100o / -120u | -140 |
- Flyers vs. Blue Jackets Spread: Blue Jackets -1.5 (+180 ), Flyers +1.5 (-220)
- Flyers vs. Blue Jackets Over/Under: 6.5 (-100o / -120u)
- Flyers vs. Blue Jackets Moneyline: Flyers +118, Blue Jackets -140
Flyers vs. Blue Jackets Preview
Philadelphia Flyers
January hasn’t been very kind to the Flyers, and even when it seemed like they were getting on the right track with a 7-3 win in Colorado, reality came back to bite them with a 4-0 loss at home to the Islanders.
Rick Tocchet has always been a headsy coach with a solid outlook on the game – and it’s shown on the defensive end, where Philly is playing to a 13th-ranked defense over the past two weeks.
A major problem, though, has been in net. Samuel Ersson returned from injury against the Islanders, but he’s been one of the worst-performing netminders all season with a -15.1 GSAx and an .860 SV%.
We’ll see if Philly’s true #1, Dan Vladar, assumes the crease tonight, as he’s been on injured reserve for about two weeks, but all signs point to him returning soon. Whether it’s tonight or another night, the Flyers need Vladar and his 8.5 GSAx and .905 SV%.
Beyond that, Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny have been the biggest play drivers for this team, as well as Owen Tippett, who notched a hat trick two games ago against the Avalanche.
For me, there are just too many inconsistencies here, though. Philadelphia has solid depth with the three players I listed before, along with Christian Dvorak and Noah Cates.
But as of now, they’ll continue to be a middling franchise to me until further notice.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Rick Bowness era in Columbus has gotten off to a wonderful start, as the Blue Jackets have held a 5-1 record since the hockey-lifer came out of retirement to be their coach.
And for the time being, it’s been huge for center Charlie Coyle, who is playing some of his best hockey in a while.
Ironically, though, Evolving Hockey doesn’t seem to be a fan of the Jackets since Bowness’s arrival, placing them in the lower tier of 5-on-5 hockey, where they’re playing to a 48.11 xGF% and a ninth-worst 2.98 xGA/60.
Luckily, there’s been really solid goaltending for the Jackets with Jet Greaves overtaking the net from the grossly overpaid Elvis Merzlikins. Greaves has been a stone all season, but in the past 10 games, has played to a 5.1 GSAx and a .907 SV%.
Beyond that, the power play could be better. Along with Coyle, Columbus has some snipers in Dmitri Voronkov, Kirill Marchenko and PPQB Zach Werenski, so I’d expect them to be better than the 19.8% success rate.
Flyers vs. Blue Jackets Prediction
Neither of these teams truly stands out to me, which is why, like last night, I’m going to lean on a player prop.
Dvorak of the Flyers has been finding his way into the dirty areas quite a bit recently, and he’s officially on my radar.
In this 10-game stretch, Dvorak is ranking in the top-30 of all players in expected goals, high danger shot attempts and in the top-50 in high-danger expected goals.
He’s not a volume shooter, but he’s the kind of player who gets under the skin of his opponents rather easily. Not just that, Columbus is ranked in the bottom 10 in high danger chances allowed, which could pose an interesting opportunity for Dvorak.
We’ve been doing fairly well with anytime goal scorers so far, so why not strike while the iron is hot? Let’s ride with Dvorak to light the lamp.
Pick: Christian Dvorak Anytime Goal Scorer (+260)
