The Battle of Pennsylvania takes place on Tuesday night as the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins renew hostilities in the heated Keystone State Rivalry.
Oddsmakers are finding it difficult to figure out who has an advantage in this matchup, installing the Pens as slim -115 home favorites.
We bring you our best free Flyers vs. Penguins picks and predictions for NHL betting action on Tuesday, March 2, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. ET.
Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins betting preview
Injuries
Flyers: Morgan Frost C (Out).
Penguins: Sidney Crosby C (Out), Mark Jankowski C (Out), Jason Zucker LW (Out), Brian Dumoulin D (Out), Evan Rodrigues LW (Out), Juuso Riikola D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Flyers are 5-1 in their last six road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Flyers vs. Penguins.
NHL sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonPhiladelphia opened a slim -115 favorite at PointsBet USA and by early this afternoon was up to -130, where the moneyline rests as of 4 p.m. ET. Ticket count is 2/1 on the Flyers, but money is 2/1 on the Penguins. The total opened at 6 flat (-110) and has seen a couple of minor price adjustments, first to Over -115, then to Under -115. However, ticket count is 2/1 and money 3/1 on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameMoneyline pick
Philadelphia is coming off back-to-back identical 3-0 wins on the road in Buffalo. The Flyers have dealt with plenty of injuries and medical protocol scratches throughout the year but have still gone 11-4-3 and are finally looking close to 100 percent.
Interestingly enough, they've gone 0-3-2 in five games against the Bruins so they've been very impressive against every other team in the East Division, posting a goal differential of plus-19 across 13 contests.
The Penguins are coming off a 2-0 loss to the Islanders and are 2-2 in their last four games with both victories coming in overtime. Pittsburgh has won seven of its eight games this season that have gone past regulation.
While winning in crunch time shows their mettle, it's not a great look that the Penguins consistently get outplayed during regulation.
The Pens will also be without superstar Sidney Crosby who was placed on the COVID-19 protocol list earlier today. Even with Crosby, the Pens have struggled offensively, ranking 19th in the league with 2.85 goals per game and ranking 26th on the powerplay. They've been even worse on the other end of the ice, ranking 27th in the NHL in goals per game allowed (3.25) while sitting 29th on the penalty kill.
The Flyers have also enjoyed the edge in this rivalry recently, winning five of the last seven games in the head-to-head, including both meetings this season by a combined score of 11-5. Back Philly.
PREDICTION: Philadelphia (-125)
Over/Under pick
These rivals easily went Over the number in their earlier two meetings this season while also combining for seven goals when they previously faced off last year.
Philadelphia goalie Carter Hart had a breakthrough season in 2020 but, despite coming off a shutout against the Sabres, has been shaky this year. The 22-year-old has a 3.35 GAA with a save percentage of .899 and the Flyers are 8-4 O/U in his 12 starts.
The Penguins are in a similar situation with their own young netminder Tristan Jarry taking a step back after being named an All-Star a year ago. Jarry has 3.14 GAA with a save percentage of .894 across 14 starts.
To be fair to Jarry, his teammates haven't been doing him any favors, with the Pens allowing the fifth-most high danger chances per 60 minutes in the league. That's bad news against a Flyers offense that ranks fourth in scoring with 3.39 goals per game.
With the Over going 18-6-3 in the last 27 meetings between these teams in Pittsburgh, take it again.
PREDICTION: Over 6 (-105)
Flyers vs Penguins betting card
- Philadelphia (-125)
- Over 6 (-105)
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