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The Philadelphia Flyers will travel to Beantown to face the Boston Bruins on Saturday. It will be an Eastern Conference showdown as we share our NHL odds series and make a Flyers-Bruins prediction and pick.
The Bruins are 52-29 over the last 71 games against the Flyers, including six overtime wins. Recently, the Bruins blanked the Flyers 3-0 on November 2, 2024, in Philadelphia. Prior to that, the Flyers shut out the Bruins 2-0 on October 30, 2024, in Beantown.
Here are the Flyers-Bruins NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Flyers-Bruins Odds
Philadelphia Flyers: +1.5 (-192)
Moneyline: +138
Boston Bruins: -1.5 (+154)
Moneyline: -166
Over: 5.5 (-115)
Under: 5.5 (-105)
How To Watch Flyers vs Bruins
Time: 1 PM ET/10 AM PT
TV: ESPN +, NESN, and NBC Boston
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Flyers Could Cover the Spread/Win
Playing the Bruins twice this season has given the Flyers some raw experience on how to beat them. It has transitioned to other games. Yes, there have been some hiccups, but the Flyers are building something and look to be on their way up if they can continue the pace. It resonated in their last game when they scored four goals against the Florida Panthers.
Travis Konecny has been a major reason for the resurgence, as he comes in with 13 goals and 17 assists. Curiously, he was not part of the four-goal barrage against the Panthers, so look for him to try and bounce back. Rookie Matvei Michkov has been stellar, with nine goals and 13 assists. Amazingly, he had three helpers in his last game against the Panthers on Thursday. But he has yet to register a point against the Bruins this season. Travis Sanheim is another productive player, scoring five goals and 10 assists.
These three players need to do more to help the Flyers' offense, who are 22nd in goals and 16th in assists. Also, they are just 20th in shooting percentage. The Flyers have also had issues on the extra-man attack, ranking 26th in power-play percentage.
Samuel Ersson is currently injured. Therefore, the Flyers have been rotating goalies. Ivan Fedotov has taken the reigns and is 4-4-1 with a 3.48 goals-against average and save percentage of .877. Ultimately, he will play behind a defense that is 26th in goals against but 10th on the penalty kill.
The Flyers will cover the spread if they can get the scoring going early. Then, they must defend the crease and prevent the best shooters on the Bruins from getting hot.
Why the Bruins Could Cover the Spread/Win
Scoring has been a major issue for the Bruins this season, as they have been unable to consistently put pucks into the net. Consequently, this falls on the best players.
David Pastrnak is having a “slow start” with nine goals and 17 assists. However, there are signs he might pick it up, as he had two assists against the Chicago Blackhawks in his last game and has registered one goal and six assists over his past five games. Brad Marchand has 10 goals and 10 assists. Ultimately, he is looking for his scoring touch to return. Elias Lindholm has been the worst of them all. After starting the season with two goals and two assists over his first three games, Lindholm has netted just one goal and eight assists over 25 games.
These three lead a struggling offense that is just 24th in goals and 26th in assists. Additionally, they are only 31st on the powerplay, as they have not been able to replicate the magic from last season.
Since Joe Sacco took over, the defense and goaltending have improved. This has helped improve the game of Jeremy Swayman, who comes in with a mark of 8-9-2, a 3.03 goals-against average, and a save percentage of .893. If Swayman starts, he will play behind a defense that is currently 24th in goals against and 16th on the penalty kill.
The Bruins will cover the spread if Pastrnak, Marchand, and Lindholm can spread the ice and create some scoring chances. Then, Swayman must make the saves and the defense must protect the castle in front of him.
Final Flyers-Bruins Prediction & Pick
The Flyers are 13-13 against the spread, while the Bruins are 8-20 against the odds. Moreover, the Flyers are 8-4 against the spread on the road, while the Bruins are 4-12 against the odds at home. The Flyers are 13-13 against the over/under, while the Bruins are 12-15-1 against the over/under.
The Flyers covered the spread on the road against the Bruins, while the Bruins covered when the teams played in Philadelphia. I can see a similar scenario here, as the Flyers find a way to keep this a close game and be a pest. The Bruins have shown me no proof that they can handily win games consistently this season. Flyers will cover.
Final Flyers-Bruins Prediction & Pick: Flyers +1.5 (-192)
