In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Florida Panthers face off at the BB&T Center in an Eastern Conference showdown. The action gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 28, and it will be televised live on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Florida Panthers Odds
With a moneyline of -120, Florida enters the matchup as the favorite. The line for Philadelphia sits at +100 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -110 for the over and -110 on the under.
The Panthers are 15-21 straight up (SU) and have recorded -6.4 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season winning percentage hasn’t moved much from what the team posted during last years regular season (35-47). Through 36 regular season matches, 18 of the teams games have gone over the total, while another 18 have gone under and none have pushed. The teams 8-9 SU at home this season.
Florida’s converted on just 16.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.7 percent of all penalties.
Florida, as a collective unit, has been whistled for penalties 4.4 times per game overall this season, 4.2 per game over its past five matchups total, and 4.4 per game over its last five home outings. The teams had to stave off opponent power plays for 9.4 minutes per contest over its last five home games.
Boasting a .908 save percentage and 28.2 saves per game, James Reimer (nine wins, 14 losses, and four OT losses) has been the best goalkeeper for the Panthers this season. If they, however, choose to give him the night off, head coach Bob Boughner might turn to Roberto Luongo (6-9-9 record, .928 save percentage, 2.62 goals against average).
Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck will each lead the way for the Panthers. Huberdeau (35 points) has tallied 12 goals and 23 assists and has recorded multiple points in nine different games this year. Trocheck has 14 goals and 21 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 26 games.
On the other side of the ice, Philadelphia is 15-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just two have pushed. Philadelphia’s 7-10 SU as the visiting team this season.
Philadelphia has converted on 19.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 30th overall and it’s successfully killed off 76.5 percent of all penalties.
Philadelphia’s skaters have been whistled for penalties 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five road outings. The teams been forced to kill penalties just 4.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Brian Elliott (.916 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Philadelphia. Elliott is averaging 27.7 saves per game and has 13 wins, 16 losses, and seven overtime losses to his credit.
Jakub Voracek (eight goals, 36 assists) has been one of the most vital playmakers on offense for the visiting Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Florida Panthers Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Flyers, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The under has hit in three of Florida’s last five games.
- Philadelphia has managed 29.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Florida is averaging 38.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- The Panthers are 4-11 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 6-13 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total.
- Philadelphia is 0-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 2-2 in shootouts.
- Florida skaters have averaged 10.6 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.9 takeaways per game (ranked 6th in the league).
- Philadelphia has created 5.3 takeaways per game (ranked 30th in the NHL).
