Philadelphia Flyers will host Vancouver Canucks in the NHL 2021/22 season on Friday evening. It is going to be the first match on the regular season for the home side, which aims for a successful start of the campaign. The visitors have already played their season opener, and they want to bounce back with a win in this one.
Philadelphia didn’t enjoy too much success in the preseason, as the hosts had a 2-3-1 record. They head to this game after a defeat against the Capitals and want to open the campaign with a win. On the other hand, Vancouver also celebrated only twice in prep matches while losing on five occasions. The away side played another game against the Oilers, this time in the regular-season opener, which they lost after the penalty shootout.
Philadelphia Flyers – Can they secure a post-season place?
The Flyers failed to secure a playoffs spot last time as they had a 25-23-8 record and finished sixth in the East Division. Although they have been doing pretty well in the offense, Philadelphia struggled in the back and conceded a total of 201 goals, which was the worst defensive record in the NHL last season. They haven’t shined in the preseason as well, as the Flyers managed to win only twice, and they head to the regular season after two straight losses in prep matches.
However, their latest defeat came against the Capitals, and Philadelphia managed to find the back of the net three times in that clash. Looking into the home side’s potential starting lineup, it’s very likely that Carter Hart takes place between the sticks. Despite allowing 3.67 goals per match, Hart had a decent campaign with a .877 save percentage. On the other hand, the Flyers look pretty good offensively, especially after James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux make their way back to the roster. Philadelphia hopes to secure a post-season spot in the Metropolitan Division, and if they succeed, it would be their fifth playoffs since the 2012/13 season.
Expected Line-Up: Carter Hart, Ivan Provorov, Ryan Ellis, Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny
with best odds
Vancouver Canucks – Will they improve after a poor season?
The Canucks want to forget the latest campaign, which they finished in the North Division basement. They didn’t have many hopes for a playoffs spot since Vancouver finished the regular season with a 23-29-4 record. The away side lost five of their seven prep matches, and they didn’t show too much improvement. Vancouver continued in the same fashion and lost their opening match against the Oilers on the road. However, it is the very start of the season, and the Canucks have a lot of time to improve.
Thatcher Demko was the first-choice goalie against Edmonton, and he saved 32 of the opponent’s 34 attempts. However, the Canucks lost the game after the penalty shootout. Vancouver should improve their power play as they scored only 20% in the first match. On the other hand, they killed half of the rival’s power-play opportunities in the previous game.
Expected Line-Up: Thatcher Demko, Madison Bowey, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Garland, Phillip Di Giuseppe, Justin Dowling
Expert Pick #1 – Philadelphia Flyers to win ML @-103
Although the Flyers lost their last match, it was against the Capitals. The Canucks don’t have that good group of players, and the home side has a solid chance to open the campaign with a victory. I believe they are going to deliver it, and I’ll take Philadelphia as my first pick.
Expert Pick #2 – Under 6 @-113
Four of their last five head-to-head clashes stayed under a 6 margin, and I expect a similar outcome in this one. The Under cashed in the previous six Canucks’ matches, while three of the last four Flyers’ games stayed under six goals. Therefore, I’m taking the Under as my second bet.
Expert Pick #3 – Flyers and Under 6 @+230
For the third pick, I’ll combine for more lucrative odds and take the above two selections. The Flyers to win, followed by up to six goals in the game, seems pretty likely, and I’ll go with this one as my third tip.
