NHL: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Ottawa Senators odds, pick & prediction

The Ottawa Senators stumbled out of the gates in their season-opener on Wednesday night but losing to the Carolina Hurricanes on the road is no reason for concern. The Hurricanes are the Stanley Cup favorites for a reason and they were able to wrestle control of the contest away from the Sens and make Ottawa pay for one too many mistakes.

But now the Senators head home as big favorites for their home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that will likely be in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

A loss to Carolina on the road is one thing, but if the Sens fail to pick up two points against the Flyers on Saturday we will see the pressure get turned up a notch on a team that has high expectations this season and can’t afford another slow start.

Flyers vs. Senators prediction: Analysis

Philadelphia’s season got off to a quality start with a 4-2 win in Columbus on Thursday night. The Flyers played a strong, structured game and held the Blue Jackets to just five high-danger scoring chances and 1.7 expected goals at 5-on-5. In other words it was the type of win that John Tortorella teams are known for.

It goes without saying that playing pragmatic, defensive hockey gives the Flyers the best chance to win on a nightly basis. Philadelphia may be a bit better than people think if Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson return to form after long layoffs, but there’s not enough scoring depth or game-breaking talent for the Flyers to get sucked into playing back-and-forth games.

Ottawa certainly has the playmaking talent to contend with teams in high-scoring tilts, but they’re currently missing their No. 2 center Josh Norris and No. 3 center Shane Pinto, which takes some of the bite out of the lineup. And Ottawa’s defense, which was a weakness in previous seasons, looks like a poised unit that could end up with top-10 numbers by season’s end.

With the Flyers expected to keep things close to the vest and the Senators missing some scoring bite, this game has all the right ingredients for a play on the under.

Flyers vs. Senators prediction: Pick

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