Philadelphia Flyers (5-4 SU, 5-4 PL, 5-4-0 O/U) vs Ottawa Senators (4-5 SU, 5-4 PL, 5-4-0 O/U)
When: 7:35 PM EDT, Thursday, October 26, 2017
Where: Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario
Lines: Ottawa -119/ Philadelphia +108
Total: 5.5
Thursday evening NHL hockey action and the Metro Division will square off with the Atlantic Division as the Philadelphia Flyers grapple with the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. The Flyers come in off a rough 6-2 home loss to Anaheim, while the Senators are off a 3-2 home loss to the Kings in OT. Goalie Probables: The Flyers will send out Michal Neuvirth and the Sens will counter with Craig Anderson.
Flyers Get Routed At Home By The Ducks
The Philadelphia Flyers have had a decent start out the gate, but they do come in off a rather bad 6-2 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks. They had allowed just five total goals in their previous four games. But they struggled at that end of the ice in this one. Brian Elliott got the start in the game and he allowed all six goals on 25 shot attempts. He is now 4-2 with a 3.33 GAA on the year. The Flyers are expected to turn to Michal Neuvirth in this one and he has gone 1-2 with a 1.36 GAA on the year. In his lone road start, he lost to the Kings by a score of 2-0. In his career, he has gone 40-61 with a 2.86 GAA on the road and 15-13 with a 2.62 GAA during the month of October, while against the Atlantic Division he has gone 28-30 with a 2.59 GAA and he has gone 4-2 with a 1.85 GAA against the Sens in his career. The offense has been improved over last year, but they struggled to get much going against the Ducks and they have now scored just four total goals in their last three games. Scoring in the loss to the Ducks was Sean Couturier, who scored both of their goals and now has six on the year, which ties him for the team lead with Wayne Simmonds. Jakub Voracek leads the team in points with 12.
The Flyers check in at 9th in the league in scoring at 3.33 gpg, while also ranking 11th in shots taken (32.6 spg) and 11th in power play conversions, converting on 20.5% of their chances. At the defensive end of the ice, they have been very good as they come in ranked 11th in goals allowed, giving up just 2.67 gpg, while also ranking 1st in shots allowed (28.1 spg) and 19th in penalty kill, allowing teams to convert on 21.2% of their chances.
Sens Get Crowned By The Kings
The Los Angeles Kings have been one of the best teams in the league in the early going and the Senators found that out in their last game as they fell at home to Los Angeles by a score of 3-2 in a shootout. The Sens have now lost three of their last four games as their mediocre start to the season continues. This is a very solid team and they will make waves in the Atlantic Division this year, especially once they find their footing. Scoring in the loss to the Kings was Dion Phaneuf, which was his 2nd of the year and Nate Thompson, which was his 2nd of the year as well. Derick Brassard leads the team in scoring so far with six goals and he leads them in points with 10, while 2nd is Mark Stone with five goals. Mike Condon got the start in the game and he stopped 41 of the 43 shots that he faced, but it just wasn’t enough. Condon is now 1-1 with a 1.44 GAA on the year. Craig Anderson will be back in the crease for this one and he has gone 3-4 with a 2.48 GAA on the year, including 1-4 with a 3.10 GAA here at home. In his career, he has gone 121-113 with a 2.62 GAA in his home games and 38-32 with a 2.80 GAA during the month of October, while against the Metro Division he has gone 24-25 with a 2.25 GAA and he is 10-8 with a 2.56 GAA against the Flyers.
Ottawa has been very good at the offensive end of the ice so far as they come in ranked 6th in the league in scoring at 3.44 gpg, while also ranking 9th in shots taken (33.4 spg) and 15th in power play conversions, converting on 17.5% of their chances. At the defensive end of the ice, they have been very strong so far as they rank 2nd in goals allowed, giving up just 2.33 gpg, while also ranking 17th in shots allowed (32.3 spg) and 1st in penalty kill, allowing teams to convert on just 8.0% of their chances.
Trends
Philadelphia is:
- The Under is 10-2-2 in their last 14 when their opponent scores two goals or less in their previous game
- The Under is 31-15-6 in their last 52 games playing on one day’s rest
Ottawa is:
- The Under is 18-6-3 in their last 27 Thursday games
- The Under is 34-16-3 in their last 53 home games
The Philadelphia Flyers are slumping a bit right now, while the Sens have been very inconsistent to start the year. The Flyers have scored just four goals in their last three games and will be Taking on Craig Anderson, who has been decent for much of the early part of the season so far. Michal Neuvirth has been very solid in his three games played with a 1.36 GAA in those games and he has a 1.85 GAA against the Sens in his career. The Sens have been very good on offense in the early going, but I see the Flyers being able to shut them down here, while the Philadelphia offense will continue to struggle. Take the Under in this one, especially since the Under is 3-0-1 the last four games in this series