In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers meet at the Wells Fargo Center in a Metro Division tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 1, and you can see the game live on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Philadelphia (-165) is currently the favorite over Carolina (+145) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
The Flyers are 34-29 straight up (SU) and have earned moneyline bettors 2.4 units this season. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Metropolitan Division so far in this young season, is a welcome improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (39-43). Of its 63 games this season, 33 have gone over the total, while 28 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team’s 16-15 SU at home this year.
Philadelphia’s connected on 21.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 28th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.4 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Philadelphia has been penalized just 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.6 per game over its past ten contests. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 6.4 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
Boasting a .908 save percentage and 26.3 saves per game, Brian Elliott (22-19-7) has been the best option in goal for the Flyers this year. If the Flyers decide to rest him, however, head coach Dave Hakstol could roll with Petr Mrazek (11-14-14 record, .914 save percentage, 2.68 goals against average).
The Flyers will continue relying on offensive production via Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Giroux (74 points) has tallied 22 goals and 52 assists and has recorded two or more points in 22 different games this year. Voracek has 13 goals and 55 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 40 games.
On the other side of the rink, Carolina is 27-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 63 regular season contests, 34 of its games have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just two have pushed. Carolina’s 12-19 SU as an away team this season.
Carolina has converted on 19.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 20th overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.3 percent of all penalties.
Carolina’s players have been called for penalties only 2.8 times per game in total this season, 2.8 per game over their last five match ups total, and 3.0 per game over their last five on the road. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 7.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Scott Darling (23.9 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Carolina. Darling owns a 10-24-7 record, while registering a .889 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Hurricanes, the offense will run through Teuvo Teravainen (16 goals, 33 assists) and Sebastian Aho (22 goals, 26 assists).
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Hurricanes, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The total has gone under in three of Philadelphia’s last five games.
- Power plays and penalty kills could have a critical role in this one. The Hurricanes are 16-20 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-29 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Flyers are 17-12 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 26-13 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Carolina is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Philadelphia is 2-5 in shootouts.
- Philadelphia is ranked 27th with 5.8 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended down, however, as it has created 5.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 4.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Carolina has scored 2.7 goals per game overall this season, but is down to 1.5 goals per contest over its six-game losing streak.
- One of the league’s best when it comes to disrupting opposing puckhandlers, Carolina is ranked second in the NHL with 11.3 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as it’s managed 14.5 takeaways over its last 10 games and 13.2 takeaways over its last five.
