Last year, in his first season as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, Alain Vigneault led them to a top four finish and the Eastern Conference's top seed. The Flyers went on to make the second round of the playoffs and were touted as a team of the future. However, that future has instead turned into something of a market correction. Vigneault and the Flyers have not met expectations for the 2020-21 season and are in danger of missing the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Philadelphia is in their worst stretch of the season as they prepare to face the resurgent New York Rangers on Wednesday night. New York was also touted as a team on the come after a surprising 2019-20 campaign. However, they have instead been wildly inconsistent.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers
When: Wednesday, March 17, 2021, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
TV: NBCSN
NHL Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Flyers at Rangers BookMaker Wagering Analysis
NHL betting action should split evenly between these two teams. Neither club is in particularly good form heading into Wednesday night's matchup. While the Flyers have a slightly better reputation, the Rangers are the home team. Sharps may gravitate to the Flyers in the expectation of getting a more favorable price on the road.
Free Fall Flyers
After spending most of this season in playoff position, the Flyers are now three points out after dropping four of their last five games. Philadelphia is 13-9-3 with 17-8 over the total. Overall, the Flyers NHL rankings are 9th for goal scoring, 21st for the power play, 26th for goals against, and 28th for penalty killing.
Last season coach Alain Vigneault got the Flyers to tighten up defensively, which sparked goaltender Carter Hart to have an impressive campaign. This year Philadelphia has been much looser on the back end, causing Hart to defend higher quality shots. This issue has caused him to lose the confidence that he built one year ago. Hart compiled a dominant .914 save percentage in 2019-20, but that has slipped to .887 this season. As a result, Brian Elliott has been getting more time between the pipes, and he has posted a .904 save percentage.
Left wing James van Riemsdyk leads the Flyers with 12 goals and 16 assists on the season.
New York Climbs Back into Race
The Rangers have won four of their last seven games and have only gone over the total in two of their previous eight. New York now stands at 11-12-3 with 8-16 under the total. The Rangers trail the 4th place Boston Bruins by seven points for that final East Division playoff spot. NHL Metrics show the Rangers 22nd for goal scoring, 26th for the power play, 12th for goals against, and 5th for the penalty kill.
Igor Shesterkin has emerged as a reliable goaltender for the Rangers. Shesterkin has a .921 save percentage so far in 2020-21. Artemi Panarin returned to the lineup for last Saturday's 4-0 win over Boston, posting an assist. Panarin remains the Rangers' most skilled player. He has five goals and 14 assists in 15 games.
Flyers at Rangers Betting Trends
Philadelphia is 6-4-1 on the road
The Rangers are 5-6-2 at Madison Square Garden
Philadelphia is 10-2 in their last 12 games with the Rangers
Only one of the last five games between these teams went under the total
The Flyers have won four games in a row at Madison Square Garden
The Rangers and Flyers are 1-2 under the total at New York
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers BookMaker Free Pick
With everything else even between these two teams, the impressive head-to-head numbers point towards the Flyers.
Flyers at Rangers Bookmaker Best Bet: Philadelphia Flyers
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