NHL Picks: Can the Philadelphia Flyers Keep Winning?

Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers

The Flyers forgot the memo last night. Most teams lose when they are down 2-0 to Tampa Bay after two Steven Stamkos goals. The John Tortorella-coached Flyers did not. Philadelphia roared back for three straight goals and held on for the road win. That boosted the Flyers’ record to 3-0. 

Now, the likely question is, who starts for Philadelphia tonight in Florida? It looks like Felix Sandstrom. Starting a young goaltender against a lethal offense is adventurous, but again this is the back end of a back-to-back. Rested home favorites playing a team that was on the ice the night before are a collective 10-3 this year. If a bettor just waged on the closing lines of these games, betting $100 would net $348. Now, that is what we call some profit. 

Could Philadelphia score a few goals on Sergei Bobrovsky? That is possible. Most pundits do not forget that Florida allowed an average of three goals a game last season. Also, the Panthers are without Aaron Ekblad tonight. Ekblad, Florida’s star defenseman, suffered a groin strain earlier in the week. He could be out for a significant amount of time. That has more long-term implications than tonight. 

The Panthers will attempt to patch things up against a tired team. Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Co. understand this is their home opener. They saw what happened in Tampa Bay last night. These players want to win.

Expect the game to be electric, and yes, this tilt is on TNT, so a few more eyes will be on the contest. Florida’s puckline (-135) and perhaps even the Over is in play. At 6.5 goals total (-115), this is much better than the feared 7.0. If the game total reaches seven, do not bet on this. Think modest and small on Wednesday night. 

St. Louis Blues at Seattle Kraken

The St. Louis Blues have only played one game. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken has taken to the ice four times already. One clear trend from last season is that the Kraken give up goals. So far, Seattle has yielded an average of four goals per game. On the bright side, the team from the Pacific Northwest is hitting at almost a three-goal-per-night clip. Goals could be the recipe in this late tilt as the Blues start a three-game road trip tonight. Since the Blues last played on Saturday, they are well-rested. 

Seattle figures to start Phillip Grubauer, while St. Louis will have Jordan Binnington in goal. Binnington stopped all but two shots in the Blues’ 5-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. St. Louis may give up some shots in this one. Seattle averaged a little over 31 shots a game at home last season. 

There are some enticing options to take little bites at tonight. One is that Over of 6.5 goals which is Even currently. If that tilts into the negative category too much, then pass. St. Louis, in regulation, at +115, is worth another little bet. Again, fractions of a unit on this small slate are safest. 

Some Picks And More To Chew On

• St. Louis and Seattle Over 6.5 goals - +100
• Blues to win by 1 - +700
• Panthers, Avalanche, and Blues to win - +210

Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will have a few more plays on social media as conditions warrant.

All odds today come from BetMGM Sportsbook.