NHL Odds: Flyers-Wild prediction, pick, how to watch
The Philadelphia Flyers will look to rebound in a big way on Thursday as they travel to Minnesota to take on a solid Wild squad. Join us for our NHL odds series, where our Flyers-Wild prediction and pick will be revealed.
In an attempt to battle their way back to the .500 mark, the Flyers have gone down in defeat in back-to-back games against the Jets and Kings and now must get their act together as soon as possible before their losing ways follow them on the road to Minnesota. Nevertheless, Philadelphia has won nine of their previous 14 games and are still trending upwards in making a last-gasp playoff run before the regular season concludes in the coming months.
As for the Wild, Minnesota enters play with a 25-17-4 record but are also in the midst of a losing stretch in which they have dropped three consecutive games. Even though the Wild are not playing their best brand of hockey at the moment, Minnesota is still right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture with 56 total points accumulated through 46 games played.
Here are the Flyers-Wild NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Flyers-Wild Odds
Philadelphia Flyers: +1.5 (-142)
Minnesota Wild: -1.5 (+116)
Over: 6 (-106)
Under: 6 (-114)
How To Watch Flyers vs. Wild
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Flyers Could Cover The Spread
After a recent stretch of improved play by a Flyers squad hoping to dig themselves out of a massive hole that they fell into at the start of the season, Philly is reverting back to their old ways of late with some undisciplined play out on the ice. In the devastating loss in overtime against the Kings at home, the Flyers failed to stay out of the penalty box as being shorthanded eventually cost Philadelphia in a big way.
Without a doubt, being sloppy when it comes to committing penalties won’t get the job done versus a Wild squad that oftentimes makes the opposition pay with a gritty power-play attack, the first order of business for the Flyers is to find a way to stay out of the penalty box. Fortunately for Philly, Los Angeles was only able to go 1-for-5 on their extra-man opportunities on Tuesday, but being shorthanded greatly affected the Flyers’ time to do some damage on the offensive side of the ice. When LA was able to pot home the game-winning score in OT, the Flyers were left with only 31 shots on goal. In addition, Philadelphia only won 33% of their face-offs as well.
Clearly, a much-improved effort in these departments would do wonders for a reeling Flyers squad, but no difference-maker is as important in this one than goalie Carter Hart. After the team has surrendered nine goals over the past two games played, it will be up to Hart to put a stop to the madness and rebound after giving up four goals in the recent loss. If he returns to his solid play, then the Flyers will most likely be able to cover the spread.
Why The Wild Could Cover The Spread
Although the Wild may be in better shape at this moment in time compared to the Flyers, Minnesota fans cannot be too pleased on how this team is trending as we approach the All-Star Break. At first glance, the Wild’s biggest priority for Thursday night’s clash will be to clean things up exponentially in the penalty department. Similar to the Flyers who are coming off a matchup in which all they could do was commit a rash of penalties throughout the night, tightening the screws defensively could be just what the doctor ordered.
Alas, while staying out of the penalty box may help this team somewhat, it won’t be enough to fully ensure a spread-covering victory later tonight. In fact, the one area of play that Minnesota needs to take advantage of will come in the form of their defense that on average only allows 2.87 goals per game.
Since this offensive attack has often times been inconsistent most of the season, the Wild will need to translate a swarming defense and turn that into a winning brand of hockey. Of course, if the Wild cannot stop committing penalties, then all of this will be for not. However, if there is one glimmer of hope for this team, it is that they have already recorded eight short-handed goals this season and has figured out ways to score even with a lesser-man disadvantage.
Final Flyers-Wild Prediction & Pick
Despite Philadelphia’s record not being anything special, the Flyers have not lost back-to-back games in over a month and will possess just enough firepower to take care of business on the road.
Final Flyers-Wild Prediction & Pick: Flyers +1.5 (-142)
