The Boston Bruins will look to sweep the two-game set against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers Saturday after winning a 5-4 shootout on Thursday.
Boston will start back up Jaroslav Halak in net while the Flyers – playing their fourth game in five nights – will counter with goalie Carter Hart.
NHL betting odds have the home team as a -156 favorite with the total opening at 5.5 and shaded to the Under.
Here are our free picks and predictions for Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins on Saturday, January 23 (7:00 pm ET).
Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins Betting Preview
Injuries
Flyers: Sean Couturier F (Out), Morgan Frost F (Out), Phillipe Myers D (Out).
Bruins: David Pastrnak F (Out), Ondrej Kase F (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Under is 4-1 in the Bruins’ last five as a favorite. Find more NHL betting trends for Flyers vs. Bruins.
NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonPointsBet USA opened Boston -160 and dipped to -150 Friday evening, and at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, the moneyline remains -150. Philadelphia, a +130 underdog, is attracting 60 percent of tickets and 65 percent of handle. The total is 5.5, with only the juice moving around a bit, opening at Under -115, reaching Under -120, then flipping to Over -115, and the total is now 5.5 flat. The Over is getting 72 percent of tickets/77 percent of money for this 7 p.m. ET puck drop.
Check out the full line movement for this gameMoneyline Pick
Through four games, the Boston Bruins have yet to win a game in regulation. They have taken three games into extra time and have come away with two shootout wins. The Bruins have become very dependent on their top line and are struggling to create any type of offense when any other line jumps over the boards.
However, the Bruins are coming off a come-from-behind shootout win over the Flyers on Thursday that saw them erase a 3-1 third-period deficit in what was their home opener. Boston heavily outshot its East Division opponent 43-26 and managed 70 shot attempts at goalie Carter Hart.
Speaking of Hart, the Philly goalie will get the nod again for Saturday’s game. He has allowed four goals in back-to-back games and is sporting a 3.67 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage through four starts this year. The young netminder might be asked to carry a Flyers team that will be on its fourth game in five nights—that is a lot of hockey in a short amount of time.
Boston will go with steady backup Jaroslav Halak, who is more than capable of holding things down while the B's look to grab their first regulation win. Metrics point to Philly being rather lucky to start the year, with the league’s fourth-worst expected goals for percentage (xGF%) and ranking third-worst in high-danger chances against.
We hate Boston with a passion but like the Bruins’ spot on Saturday and are grabbing them to win in regulation.
PREDICTION: Boston 3-way ML (+110)
Over/Under Pick
Thursday’s meeting produced eight total goals, which were as many as Boston saw in its previous three games combined. The Bruins have been stingy on D this year and have struggled to get things going on the offensive side of things. That has led to them going 1-3 O/U to begin the year after finishing last season 26-41-3 O/U.
A lot of that has to do with the lack of offense they allow their opponents to generate, as they are giving up just 24 shots a game—the second-best mark in the league this season.
Philadelphia is 4-1 O/U to begin the year but two of those Overs were against Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry, who allowed nine goals on 31 shots. That isn’t going to happen against an experienced Bruins roster.
The Flyers have also had success on 5x5 to begin the year but with Boston having given up just six even-strength goals and pacing the league last year in the fewest 5x5 goals against, Philly might not find it as easy Saturday night.
This should be another tightly contested game with both coaches not wanting to see 5-4 on the scoreboard. Unders are hitting at 50 percent over the last week, which is up from nearly 45 percent over the opening week.
PREDICTION: Under 5.5 (-115)
Flyers vs Bruins Betting Card
- Boston 3-way ML (+110)
- Under 5.5 (-115)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NHL Flyers vs. Bruins picks, you could win $29.26 on a $10 bet?
Use our NHL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where Can I Bet on the NHL?
You can bet on NHL odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NHL moneylines, puck lines, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NHL prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on NHL odds in your area.
