NHL

Flyers vs. Bruins Predictions, Odds, Preview

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

6 minute read

Jan. 23, 2021

By Jonathan Willis

VegasInsider.com

'Under' bettors were shaking their heads after the game between Philadelphia and Boston on Thursday night.

There were no goals in this game for the first 26 minutes, and the Flyers led 2-0 at the end of the second period.

The Bruins exploded in the third period with four goals though to help push the game well 'over' the total.

They ended up going to a shootout that Boston won 5-4 in by far the Bruins’ highest scoring game of the young 2020-21 season.

Flyers vs. Bruins Betting Resources

Matchup: East Division
Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
Venue: TD Garden
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Date: Saturday Jan. 23, 2021
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: NHL Network
Bet: BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | PointsBet | All

Betting Odds - Flyers vs. Bruins

Line Movements

Subject to Change

Money-Line: Boston -155, Philadelphia +135
Puck-Line: Bruins -1.5 (+180), Flyers +1.5 (-225)
Total: 5.5 Over (-110) Under (-110)

Tuukka Rask and the Bruins are coming off their first home win of the season against the Flyers. (AP)

Flyers vs. Bruins Current Form-Last Game

The Flyers’ offense looked fantastic against the rival Penguins in their first two games. Philadelphia found the back of the net 11 times in consecutive three-goal wins over Pittsburgh.

Six different Flyers scored in their 6-3 victory in the opener with Joel Farabee and Erik Gustafsson leading the way. Farabee was the first star with one goal and three assists, while Gustafsson picked up assists on the team’s first two power play goals. Travis Konecny stole the show in the second game, notching a hat trick in a 5-2 win.

Philly’s offense didn’t look as strong against Buffalo in its next two games. Nicolas Aube-Kubel scored in the final two minutes of play to keep the Flyers from getting shut out in a 6-1 loss to the Sabres on Monday.

They were able to bounce back and pick up a 3-0 win the following night, but neither Philly nor Buffalo was able to score for the first 37 minutes of that game until Konecny broke the deadlock just before the end of the second period.

Brian Elliott was lights out in his first start with 40 saves to keep Buffalo at bay in the shutout.

Boston had a difficult time scoring through its first three games of the season. The Bruins were only able to score three times, and all three of those goals were on special teams.

Brad Marchand was the difference maker in the Bruins’ season-opening win over the New Jersey Devils with a goal and an assist on the power play, and he was the only player to score in the shootout of a 3-2 win.

Marchand set up Patrice Bergeron for Boston’s lone goal in the second game against New Jersey. The Bruins stood tall on defense in that game, grabbing a point from the Devils, but they allowed a goal with two seconds left in overtime to miss out on another potential shootout win.

They failed to score at all against the New York Islanders on Monday, and the Isles picked up a 1-0 win thanks to a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal with just over four minutes remaining.

James van Riemsdyk found the back of the net twice for the Flyers in the first game between these two teams on Thursday, but it wasn’t enough as the Bruins offense finally came alive in the third period.

David Krejci and Nick Ritchie each had a goal and an assist, and Jake DeBrusk was the hero with the lone shootout goal.

Flyers vs. Bruins Head-to-Head

Jan. 21, 2021 - Bruins 5 vs. Flyers 4 (SO), Boston -145, Over 5.5
Aug. 2, 2020 - Flyers 4 at Bruins 1, Philadelphia +115, Under 5.5 (NHL Bubble)
Mar. 10, 2020 - Bruins 2 at Flyers 0, Boston -110, Under 5.5
Jan. 13, 2020 - Flyers 6 vs. Bruins 5, Philadelphia +110, Over 5.5
Nov. 10, 2019 - Flyers 3 at Bruins 2, Philadelphia +170, Under 6

(SU-Straight Up, OU - Over-Under)

Philadelphia Flyers Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 3-1-1 SU, 4-1 O/U
Road: 0-0-1 SU, 1-0 O/U

Scoring goals has not been an issue for Philadelphia. The Flyers have the second-most goals in the NHL with 19 tallies through five games, and only Montreal has lit the lamp more times.

Kevin Hayes has been superb to this point. Hayes has two goals and five assists to lead the Flyers with seven points. He had two assists against the Bruins on Thursday, and he already has three multi-point games this year.

His strong start is particularly great considering the injuries to fellow centers Sean Couturier and Morgan Frost.

Konecny leads the team with four goals, and the wing play has been strong throughout all three lines. Konecny and Jakub Voracek each have six points to their credit this season, while van Riemsdyk is not that far behind with five points.

Shayne Gostisbehere tested positive for COVID at the tail end of training camp, so Philly has been without one of its top defenders for its first five games. He was finally removed from the COVID protocol list on Thursday, but he is unlikely to feature on Saturday as he gets back into playing shape.

Young goaltender Carter Hart is not off to a good start despite a 2-1-1 record with a 3.67 GAA and a .901 save percentage. We could see veteran Brian Elliott start instead on Saturday given how he played against Buffalo earlier this week.

Boston Bruins Betting Outlook

Inside the Stats (2020-2021)

Overall: 2-2 SU, 1-3 O/U
Home: 1-0 SU, 1-0 O/U

Defense has been the key for Boston under head coach Bruce Cassidy. Veteran Tuukka Rask has been an elite goaltender for the last 14 seasons with the Bruins. That has led to this team focusing on the back end and limiting opponents’ scoring chances, helping Rask post solid numbers each season.

Rask led the NHL with a 2.12 GAA last year on his way to being a Vezina Trophy finalist, and he also had a .929 save percentage. He is allowing 2.23 GAA, but his .892 save percentage isn’t great. Rask has yet to allow a goal in six shootout attempts though.

This offense had not looked great without David Pastrnak until the third period of Thursday night’s game. Marchand and Bergeron had played well in trying to create chances, but the only other player that was performing at a high level was Krejci.

The Bruins are hoping that Ritchie or DeBrusk can turn it on along the wing until Pastrnak returns from injury. Ritchie is the only player on the Bruins with multiple goals after his tally on Thursday, but DeBrusk has yet to record a point despite averaging over 16 minutes of ice time a night.