The St. Louis Blues (6-9-5) and Philadelphia Flyers (9-6-3) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Flyers are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (-110o / -110u). The Flyers are a -125 favorite to win outright, while the Blues are +105 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Blues vs. Flyers predictions and NHL picks.
Blues vs. Flyers Odds, Pick
| Blues Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -245 | 5.5 -110o / -110u | +105 |
| Flyers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +205 | 5.5 -110o / -110u | -125 |
- Blues vs. Flyers Spread: Flyers -1.5 (+205 ), Blues +1.5 (-245)
- Blues vs. Flyers Over/Under: 5.5 (-110o / -110u)
- Blues vs. Flyers Moneyline: Blues +105, Flyers -125
Blues vs. Flyers Preview
St. Louis Blues
The Blues are fresh off a 3-2 overtime loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and even though they stayed alive in that bout, they are not a very good team right now.
Jordan Kyrou has seemed like he’s been in the doghouse since last season and now the three-time 30-goal scorer has become the center of trade discussions.
And if that time ever comes with Kyrou getting shipped out, St. Louis would build around star playmaker Robert Thomas, who’s one of the few Blues having a stellar season.
But this team has been getting destroyed in nearly every aspect of the game. They may have a solid power play – which is hardly a surprise – but they continue to get clobbered 5-on-5, with a bottom-six expected goals since November 1, and a bottom-six penalty kill.
While St. Louis successfully converting on just 72.5% of its penalty kills is bad enough, what’s worse is that it’s one of the better teams at staying out of the penalty box.
The Blues have only amassed 140 penalty minutes, which is fifth-best in the league, but can you imagine if they weren’t so disciplined? That PK would be even worse.
A lot of it has to do with the terrible goaltending they’ve gotten. Both Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer are playing to a dreadful .870 SV% or worse, with Binnington playing to a league-worst -8.4 GSAx.
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia enjoyed a nice and relaxing four-day break, so now it’s back on the saddle for Rick Tocchet’s squad.
I think there’s a lot of potential for this Flyers roster with a nice blend of talent, but it’s starting to get to the point where it’s “sink or swim” for this core.
Matvei Michkov apparently showed up to camp in poor shape and is already ruffling feathers in the locker room. It’s starting to make you wonder if teams were right to pass on him in his draft year.
November hasn’t been a great month for this squad, as they’ve gone 3-3-2 so far, most recently a 5-1 loss in Dallas. But it’s not just on the scoresheet that they’ve struggled; they’ve been poor at 5-on-5 play since the first of the month with a 43.28 xGF% and a 2.81 xGA/60.
At least Philadelphia’s special teams have been performing at a semi-decent level, though. Its power play may only be converting 19.6% of the time, but the penalty kill is ranked third in the NHL, converting 87.5% of the time.
Goaltender Dan Vladar has been a pleasant surprise as well, playing to a .909 SV% and a 6.1 GSAx. I’ll be interested to see if he can continue this trend since he’s spent all of his career as a backup. But for now, it seems like it’s his net.
Blues vs. Flyers Prediction
The last time these two squads faced off was last week in St. Louis, where the Flyers walked out of the Gateway City with a 6-5 shootout win.
I have my pessimism reserved for both of these rosters, but I feel more bullish toward Philly – not by a lot, though, might I add.
If the Flyers are good at one thing, though, it’s winning at home. They currently hold a 6-3-2 record in front of the Flyer faithful, while the Blues have proven to be a terrible team on the road, losing five out of their last six games in enemy territory.
Odds may be a little favorable towards the home team, but it’s still not terribly drastic either. I don’t mind backing the Flyers one bit here, and I anticipate a Philly victory.
Pick: Flyers ML
