Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, will be the site for NHL action on Saturday night as the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on NBC. This Stadium Series game could be affected by the weather but it won’t be snow and cold that is the problem, but rain. The Northeast has been unseasonably warm lately and rain is possible for Saturday night. This is just the second meeting of the season between these two rivals, as it was the Penguins winning 5-4 in Philadelphia in October.
Don't miss the ice action from Heinz Field at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 25, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBC.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Saturday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Flyers have had two days off to get ready for this game as they hosted the Capitals on Wednesday night. Philadelphia is 11-18 on the road this season with 14 games going over the total, 13 going under with 2 pushes.
The Flyers are in a big battle just to make the playoffs and every game is critical but they don’t look to be a team that has enough talent to make a playoff push and they have continually struggled on the road.
The Penguins have had three days off as they last played in Carolina where they won 3-1 on Tuesday. The Penguins are 24-7 at home this season with 20 games going over the total, 8 going under with 3 pushes.
Most people have already given the Metropolitan Division to the Capitals but the Penguins are still very much in the race as they are just five points out of first place and Pittsburgh has been an outstanding team at home this season.
Weather
We definitely don’t talk about weather as a factor in NHL games except on very rare occasions but we have to mention it for this game on Saturday night. The warm temperatures are not a huge concern as the NHL has dealt with warm temperatures in the past but the rain is a major issue. The NHL delayed the Winter Classic at Heinz Field in 2011 due to rain.
The forecast for Saturday is for rain in the afternoon. If that rain lingers into the evening it could cause a delay and if there is rain of any substance during the game it is a major problem because of the puddles that form on the ice.
The ice conditions are definitely worth monitoring, as they could impact the total. If the ice is bad it could turn into a messy contest where both teams have trouble moving the puck effectively and that could mean a low scoring game.
Special Teams
The Flyers have been decent on the power play at 21.3%, which is 9th in the league, but they are just 20th in goals per game at 2.5 per contest. They are 16th in the NHL in penalty killing, and they allow 3 goals per game which is 25th in the league.
The Penguins are 6th in the league on the power play at 21.7% and they lead the league in goals per game at 3.5 per contest. They are 22nd in penalty killing at 80.3% and they are 16th in the league in goals allowed at 2.8 per contest.
Free NHL Picks
The Flyers had been on a good streak in this series until last year when Pittsburgh took three of four. The Flyers had also won five straight in Pittsburgh until last season when they were swept, losing 5-3 and 6-2. Five of the last six in Pittsburgh have gone over the total.
The Penguins are the superior team playing at home so I will lay the price and take Pittsburgh in this contest.
NHL Odds: Penguins 4, Flyers 1
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