Flyers vs. Devils Odds
| Flyers Odds | +140 |
| Devils Odds | -170 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 +104 / -128 |
Here's everything you need to know about Flyers vs Devils on Tuesday, Dec. 19 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
The Flyers head to Jersey in the midst of a 7-1-2 tear, which has propelled them up to second in the Metropolitan standings, four points ahead of their opponent tonight.
John Tortorella's Flyers side is playing a highly organized team game with a professional work-rate, which has allowed them to maximize the potential of an underrated roster. That's something the Devils are seeking, as their stacked roster has underperformed to this point.
Both teams should be up for this one, and that makes me see value with a particular betting angle.
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia is paced to soar past its preseason betting total of 75.5 points, and will likely be the league's greatest overachiever.
Tortorella has effectively turned the Flyers into a defensive juggernaut, which on a night-in and night-out basis must be rated among the toughest defenses in the league. Even while receiving quite average goaltending, the Flyers have allowed only 2.63 GA/GP, which is the seventh-best mark in the league.
Over the last 10 games, they have allowed 3.19 xGA/60, and 2.00 actual goals against per game.
It was thought that the return of Rasmus Ristolainen would be a net-loss that started to tank the Flyers surprisingly great start, but that hasn't been the case at all. Ristolainen's greatly improved play is another testament to the quality job Tortorella has done this season.
Since being assembled last month, Sean Couturier, Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny have formed one of the best shutdown lines in the league. They have allowed only 1.71 xGA/60 in 151 minutes of even-strength play and will be asked to play tough minutes against Jack Hughes as much as possible in tonight's matchup.
Carter Hart will likely get the start for the Flyers in net. Hart has played to a +2.3 GSAx and .919 save % across 17 games played.
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New Jersey Devils
The Devils will look to bounce back with a sharper defensive game, after an ugly performance in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Ducks. They are a team which loves to get on the front foot and play aggressively off of the rush, but finding the right balance has proven far tougher than a season ago.
The underlying results still show the Devils are an average defensive side, especially of late recently. They have allowed a 3.33 xGA/60 over the last 10 games but continue to be tortured by modest results from their goaltenders.
The buy-in toward sharper puck management in front of goal and a desire to own the tough areas of the ice will continue to be prominent subjects moving forward for the Devils. Those have been clear reasons for their underachievement this season, and were areas that Carolina exposed badly last spring when the Hurricanes knocked New Jersey out of the playoffs in the second round.
Vitek Vanecek, who has played to a -5.5 GSAx and .883 save % in 18 appearances this season, is likely to start for the Devils in net.
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Flyers vs. Devils
Betting Pick & Prediction
A road game versus a high-powered Devils team offers a chance for the Flyers to show how far their defensive game has come since last season. Tortorella will look to line match the Couturier unit on Hughes as much as possible, and preach to avoid any kind of needless penalties. They will likely look at this matchup knowing a slower, tight-checking game is in their best interests.
The Devils have defended more effectively recently, which has at times been masked by their subpar goaltending. Over the last month, they have allowed a league average amount of goals against, which is a quiet improvement. They should be able to hold the Flyers to a low total of high-danger chances, and will just need to count on a livable goaltending performance.
This important divisional showdown could be more closely contested than a high total of 6.5 suggests. Playing the under in a Devils game is a little unpleasant, as their goaltenders have shown a knack for creating awful "under" game scripts. There is enough strong logic that supports the play though, and I would bet under 6.5 at anything better than -130.
Pick: Under 6.5 -128 (Play to -130)
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