NHL: Lightning vs. Flyers odds, picks, prediction
The Philadelphia Flyers desperately need two points on Tuesday night.
Mired in a 1-3-1 slump after winning four on the spin after the all-star break, Philadelphia’s cushion in the playoff race is starting to shrink. The Flyers still are four points ahead of the Capitals and have five points on the Devils and Penguins, but all of those teams have games in hand on Philadelphia and the schedule is about to get pretty tough for John Tortorella’s side.
A win over Tampa on Tuesday would go a long way to settle the nerves in the City of Brotherly love.
It does seem like the Lightning have found some form at a crucial time. The Bolts picked up wins against the Islanders and Devils, two teams chasing them in the standings, over the weekend to earn themselves a bit of breathing room in the Wild Card race. Tampa is not home and cool, but the Lightning have a six-point lead on the Capitals and are seven ahead of the Isles and Devils, though the Bolts have played more games than every team in the Eastern Conference.
Tampa’s winning weekend was another example of how fast things can change in the NHL. Before the puck dropped on Long Island, there was speculation that the Bolts would punt on the season and look to sell at the Trade Deadline. Tampa Bay had just lost three games in a row by a combined score of 18-7 and looked like they could cough up their playoff spot to the chasing pack.
Some 48 hours later and the conversation has completely flipped to Tampa Bay looking to bolster their ranks at the Trade Deadline.
What Tampa’s two wins over the weekend didn’t change is that it is still a flawed team that is reliant on its star players, goaltender and power play to cover up for a lack of depth and a weak blueline. Nikita Kucherov is an MVP candidate and he’s got an elite supporting cast so this strategy can work, but it becomes trickier against a defensively sound team like the Flyers, who also boast one of the best penalty kills in the circuit.
Philadelphia plays a very different brand of hockey compared to Tampa Bay. The Flyers don’t have the starpower that the Lightning boast, so they have to play a clean game at 5-on-5 and rely on their attention to detail and sweltering defense to keep things low-event. They’ve done a terrific job at that for most of the season and the process has continued to look strong even during this recent 1-3-1 slide.
With strong defensive structure and a terrific penalty kill, the Flyers matchup pretty well with the Lightning in this spot. Had this game been played a week ago I think Philadelphia would be a -130 favorite but recent results are skewing the market a bit.
The Bet: Flyers -105 (DraftKings)
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