It is looking more like the Philadelphia Flyers lost season of 2020-21 was not an aberration. In fact, the true outlier was the 2019-20 season when the Flyers were a top playoff seed and final four team. Head coach Alain Vigneault has already been fired, and Mike Yeo hasn’t found any answers for a team with some of the worst NHL metrics in nearly all categories. The Boston Bruins are in solid wild card playoff position but have been unsatisfied with their team goaltending all year. Thus, Boston announced on Tuesday that Tuukka Rask was being brought back for the rest of this season.
On Thursday, January 13, 2022, the Boston Bruins will host the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Faceoff time is set for 7 p.m. ET with television coverage on ESPN.
NHL Betting at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The masses are running for the tall grass from the Philadelphia Flyers. Two years of red ink baths have soured the masses on Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins are playing some of their best hockey of the season and are taking profits to give gamblers a happy start to the New Year. Boston has always been one of the most popular teams on the NHL board, dating back to the early 1970s. The Big Bad Bruins of those years set the stage for a generational franchise.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers bring a record of 13-15-7 with 17-18 under the total. NHL metrics show the Flyers ranked 27th for goal scoring, 27th for power play efficiency, 23rd for goals against, and 18th for penalty killing. On the road, the Flyers are 7-8-4. Late on, Philadelphia has dropped six of their most recent eight games. Four of their most recent six games went under the total.
Philadelphia has the worst blueline in hockey. The Flyers rank dead last in the NHL for shots allowed, leaving their goaltenders hung out to dry.
Top goalie Carter Hart has improved from last season’s horrible performance with a .912 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average. He is simply seeing too much rubber every game. Backup Martin Jones has also been respectable with a .909 save percentage and 3.33 goals against average.
What has been even more alarming is how the Flyers' goal scoring has dried up. It was once the strength of the team.
Boston Bruins
Boston has gotten the cash in five of their most recent six games. Five of their last six games cleared the total. Now Boston brings a record of 19-11-2 with 16-16 over and under the total. NHL metrics show the Bruins ranked 17th for goal scoring, 10th for power play efficiency, 6th for goals against, and 11th for penalty killing. Boston has a home record of 9-6-1.
Brad Marchand leads the Bruins with 16 goals and 20 assists with a +3. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy has five goals, 15 assists, and a +8. As much as Boston fans complain about goalies Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, they are both over .915 for save percentages. Indeed, a lack of secondary scoring has been the real problem for the Bruins.
Boston’s lack of reliable goal scoring has prevented them from winning the Stanley Cup. It should be their top concern at the trade deadline.
Philadelphia at Boston Prediction
In sum, Boston is 7-3 vs. Philadelphia. The Bruins and Flyers are 7-3 over/under the total. And then at Boston, the Bruins are 3-1 against the Flyers. These teams are 3-1 over/under the total at Boston.
We get the Bruins playing their best hockey of the season in this situation. Compared to that is a Flyers team that is a complete mess and knows it. As mentioned earlier, the Bruins have a strong advantage in their series with the Flyers.
BookMaker Pick: Boston Bruins
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
