Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Free Preview 1/13/20

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The Wells Fargo Center will play host to an intriguing showdown as the Boston Bruins visit the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Flyers. The match gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, January 13, and fans at home can witness this Eastern Conference matchup live on New England Sports Network.

Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Odds

Boston enters the game as the favorite with a moneyline of -135. The line for Philadelphia is standing at +115 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 6 goals (-120 to bet the over, +100 for the under).

Though the team is 27-19 straight up (SU) this season, Boston has actually lost 4.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 23 of its games have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Bruins are 12-8 SU as the road team in 2019-20.

Boston currently touts the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s scored on 27.7 percent of its extra-man chances this year. On the other hand, it has the third-best penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 83.9 percent of all penalties.

Boston, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.6 times per game during the 2019-20 season, 3.2 per game over its past five games total, and 4.0 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Sporting a .925 save percentage and 28.4 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (17-10-6) has been the best option in goal for Boston this year. If head coach Bruce Cassidy chooses to rest him, however, Boston may roll with Jaroslav Halak (10-9-5), who has a .923 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average this year.

The visiting Bruins have relied on David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand this season. Pastrnak has 65 points on 35 goals and 30 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 19 different games. Marchand has 20 goals and 42 assists to his credit (and has registered a point in 34 games).

Philadelphia is 23-22 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 0.2 units this season. 23 of its outings have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 14-7 SU as the home team this season.

Philadelphia has converted on 18.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.5 percent of all opponent power plays.

The Flyers have been penalized 3.3 times per game this season, and 4.4 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Carter Hart has denied 22.0 shots per game as the primary option in goal for Philadelphia. Hart has 14 wins, 17 losses, and three OT losses and has registered a poor .908 save percentage and 2.53 goals against average this year.

Travis Konecny (14 goals, 24 assists) will pace the attack for Philly.

Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Betting Picks

Pick: SU Winner – Flyers, O/U – Under

Betting Notes

  • For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their past five matchups.
  • The Flyers are 10-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 15-18 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
  • Philadelphia is 4-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while Boston is 0-6 in shootouts.
  • Philadelphia is ranked 27th in the league this season with 6.4 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower lately, however, as it has managed 5.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 4.8 takeaways over its last five.
  • Boston has averaged 3.3 goals per game overall this season, but has raised it up to 4.7 per match up over their three-game winning streak.
  • Boston has averaged 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 11th).
  • Philadelphia may hold the upper hand if it’s a close one late. The team’s 12-9 in games decided by one goal, while Boston is 10-14 in such games.