NHL Betting Prediction |
The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Philadelphia Flyers face-off this Thursday night at the Wells Fargo Center in a battle of two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.
Toronto is 6-3-1 in its last 10 games but coming off a 2-1 loss to Winnipeg this past Tuesday as a 113 road underdog. It is now six points behind Boston in the Northeast Division with a total of 62 points and is 28-20-6 overall. The Maple Leafs are 12-12-2 on the road this season and a profitable 30-24 against the puck line.
The Leafs have done a good job at putting the puck in the net this season with a goals-per-game average of 3.06. The problem is their defense is ranked 21st in the league in goals allowed with a goals-against-average of 2.85.
Philadelphia’s 1-0 shootout loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night as a 163 home favorite was its third straight and fourth in its last five games. This kind of slump has been rare for a Flyers’ team that has been in the thick of the Atlantic Division race all season long. They are now 30-16-7 overall and four points behind the New York Rangers with a total of 67 points. Philadelphia has been one of the worst teams in the league against the puck line this season with a record of 18-35.
The Flyers are another team that can find the net with the second-best goals-per-game average in the league at 3.24, but have also struggled to keep their opponents from doing the same with a goals-against-average of 2.87.
Toronto is 8-3 in its last 11 games against the Atlantic Division, but just 2-6 in its last eight games on the road. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 10 of its last 13 games.
Philadelphia is 1-5 in its last six home games and 0-4 in its last five games in the conference. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of the last six games against the Northeast Division.
The home team in this series is 9-4 in the last 13 meetings and the total has stayed ‘under’ in six of the last eight games. The Maple Leafs are 1-6 in their last seven trips to Philadelphia and 1-6 in the last seven meetings overall. Stick with the recent trends between these two as the Flyers get back-on-track with a big win at home.
The Pick: Philadelphia 4 Toronto 2
