In their third head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Carolina Hurricanes collide at PNC Arena. NBC Sports Philadelphia will showcase this divisional matchup, and the puck drops at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 30.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Carolina Hurricanes Odds
Carolina (-200) is the favorite over Philadelphia (+170), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -125 over, +105 under.
The Hurricanes are 42-35 straight up (SU) and have spited moneyline bettors to the tune of -5.7 units so far. That early-season winning percentage is a welcomed improvement compared to what the team did during the 2017-18 season (36-46). Out of its 77 regular season outings, 43 of them have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just two have pushed. Thus far, the team is 22-17 SU at home.
Carolina’s converted on just 16.4 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Carolina has been penalized 3.5 times per game overall this season, and 2.9 per game over its past ten contests. The team’s had to defend opposition power plays for just 6.3 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .910 save percentage and 24.9 saves per game, Petr Mrazek (20-17-3) has been the top goalkeeper for the Hurricanes this year. If they choose to give him a rest, however, the team might roll with Curtis McElhinney (19-12-12 record, .913 save percentage, 2.55 goals against average).
Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen will both spearhead the attack for the Hurricanes. Aho (81 points) has tallied 30 goals and 51 assists and has recorded multiple points in 20 different games this year. Teravainen has 19 goals and 51 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 40 contests.
In the other locker room, Philadelphia is 37-40 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 41 of its contests have gone over the total, while 35 have gone under the total and just one has pushed. Philadelphia’s 18-20 SU as the road team this season.
Philadelphia has converted on just 17.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places it in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 20th overall and it’s successfully defended 79.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philadelphia’s skaters have been called for penalties 3.7 times per game this season, and 2.2 per game over their past five games. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 6.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot (25.4 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Philadelphia. Talbot owns an 11-22-3 record, and has registered a .894 save percentage and 3.32 goals against average this year.
Claude Giroux (20 goals, 60 assists) has been one of the top playmakers on offense for the visiting Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Hurricanes, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- For both of these clubs, the under has hit in three of their past five matchups.
- The Flyers are 16-14 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 26-22 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Philadelphia is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Carolina is 2-2 in shootouts.
- Carolina has forced 12.6 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 10.9 takeaways per game (ranked 2nd).
- Philadelphia has averaged 6.8 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 5.8 takeaways per game (ranked 29th).
