The Philadelphia Flyers head to Raleigh, NC to take on the Carolina Hurricanes in a Tuesday night NHL matchup. With the Hurricanes riding high on an insane 6-game winning streak, the Flyers are looking to disrupt their momentum after a series of low-scoring games that really highlighted their defensive dominance, but little offensive spark.
Can the Flyers surprise the Hurricanes, or will Carolina continue their strong season with another commanding win? We’ve got the best bet and prediction for all of the NHL action.
The Carolina Hurricanes come in as clear favorites. Here’s how the lines look from some of the biggest sportsbooks in the industry—
Moneyline: Hurricanes -310, Flyers +250
Puck Line: Hurricanes -1.5 (-118), Flyers +1.5 (-102)
Total: Over 6 (-120), Under 6 (+100)
The Hurricanes’ sizable -310 moneyline just goes to show their recent dominance. The puck line at -1.5 tells us that the bookmakers expect a strong Carolina performance.
Flyers backers may find a decent bet in the +1.5 line, but given recent trends and the disparity between these teams, Carolina covering seems like a good bet to us.
The Flyers are 4-7-1 and have been struggling as of late more so on offense.
Their recent games have leaned heavily towards the lower end of the totals, totaling just 8 goals over their last 3 outings which is not a good look heading into this game.
This defensive style isn’t necessarily intentional; we think it’s more a product of an underwhelming offense that hasn’t been able to make the most of their scoring opportunities. Players like Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny have shown they possess the skill to find the back of the net, but consistency has been a challenge.
Philadelphia’s penalty issues are also worth noting heading into their matchup against Carolina.
They’re giving up the second-most penalty minutes per game, which will likely play right into the hands of a Carolina team that boasts one of the best powerplay units in the NHL.
Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson is expected to start tonight and he brings in a 2.68 GAA and .901 save percentage. That’s not too bad and he appears to be the bright spot in this Philly lineup. While he’s had some strong outings, he’ll face constant pressure from the Hurricanes' high-shot and dominant offense.
The Hurricanes have been red-hot. No, they’re smoking hot. They’re coming off 6 straight wins and an 8-2 record over their last 10 games.
At home, they’re even better, with a 3-1-0 record.
Carolina’s offense has averaged nearly 36 shots on goal and landed 3.9 goals per game.
With Pyotr Kochetkov likely starting in the net tonight, the Hurricanes are aiming to continue their dominance on both ends of the ice.
Players like Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov are leading the charge offensively. Necas has a whopping 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists) through the season with Svechnikov not too far behind with 11.
The Hurricanes really excel in puck control, cycling the puck to keep pressure on opposing defenses and goalies, a tactic that will likely pay off against a Flyers team that has struggled to stay out of the penalty box.
BettorsInisder Prediction: Hurricanes on the 3-Way Line (-180)
Carolina has outclassed the Flyers in their past head-to-head meetings, winning 9 of their last 10 games. This trend is likely to continue given the Hurricanes' home advantage, insane offensive pressure, and recent streak. All of this is compounded by Philadelphia’s problems heading into tonight.
For bettors, the Hurricane's -1.5 puck line offers a good balance of risk and betting value at -118. Carolina has covered this line in 4 of their last 5 games, and with Philadelphia’s scoring issues, a 2 goal margin is not only achievable but expected.
The Flyers haven’t covered the +1.5 line in 6 of their last 10 road games which underscores their difficulty in staying competitive against top-tier teams like Carolina.
Best Bet: Hurricanes -1.5 Puck Line (-118)
Expect Carolina to keep the pressure on Philadelphia all game. They’ll force turnovers and capitalize on the Flyers’ high penalty rate. Given their recent success against Philadelphia and their current winning streak, the Hurricanes should win this game with a bit of cushion.