Avalanche vs Flyers Picks and Predictions: Colorado Taking High-Scoring Game in Philly

The Philadelphia Flyers will try to snap an eight-game losing streak as they welcome the Colorado Avalanche to Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Oddsmakers aren't expecting them to get it tonight under new interim coach Mike Yeo, with NHL betting lines opening with the Avs as -151 road favorites with the Over/Under at 6.

Here are our best free NHL betting picks and predictions for Avalanche vs. Flyers on Monday, December 6, with the puck dropping at 7 p.m. ET. 

Avalanche vs Flyers odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The line opened with the Avs installed as -151 favorites with the Over/Under at 6. Early money has come in on Colorado, moving their line to -155. When these teams previously faced off in February, Philadelphia won 6-3 as a +127 home underdog. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.

Avalanche vs Flyers predictions

• Prediction: Avalanche ML (-155)
• Prediction: Over 6 (-120)
• Best bet: Avalanche team total Over 3.5 (+105)

Predictions made on 12/6/2021 at 10 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Avalanche vs Flyers game info

• Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Date: Monday, December 6, 2021
• Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet

Avalanche vs Flyers betting preview

Injuries

Avalanche: Darcy Kuemper G (Questionable), Bowen Byram D (Questionable), Cale Makar D (Questionable), Nazem Kadri C (Questionable), Ryan Murray D (Out), J.T. Compher LW (Out).
Flyers: Derrick Brassard C (Out), Joel Farabee LW (Out), Ryan Ellis D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.

Avalanche vs Flyers head-to-head record since 2017-18

Avalanche: 4-2, 21 goals for.
Flyers: 2-4, 16 goals for.

Betting trend to know

The Over is 20-8-2 in Colorado's last 30 games overall. Find more NHL betting trends for Avalanche vs. Flyers.

Avalanche vs Flyers picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Moneyline/Puck line analysis

Colorado is coming off a 6-5 overtime loss to the Senators and has lost three of its last five games. The Avalanche came into this season as the Stanley Cup favorites but despite a 12-7-2 start to the year, it's going to be tough to win the cup with their situation in net. The Avs lead the NHL in scoring with 4.0 goals per game, but they also surrender 3.35 goals per game, the sixth-worst mark in the league. 

Their goaltending went from bad to worse last Wednesday when starter Darcy Kuemper was injured in practice with no timeline available for his return. With Pavel Francouz still working on his conditioning in the AHL, the job now belongs to 26-year-old Jonas Johansson. 

Johansson leaked four goals on 15 shots against the Sens on Saturday and has a 3.91 goals-against average with an .879 save percentage in eight games this year. The Flyers will be hoping that Johansson acts like a sieve again tonight because they have really struggled to put the puck in the net. The Flyers are 28th in the league with 2.32 goals per game and they rank 30th on the powerplay. 

After starting the season with an impressive 8-4-2 record, the Flyers have lost eight in a row, being outscored 37-13 during that span. That slump resulted in the firing of head coach Alain Vigneault and assistant coach Michel Therrien this morning. As bad as the Flyers have been on the offensive end of the ice they haven't been much better defensively. Philly allows the most high-danger chances per 60 minutes in 5v5 and ranks among the Bottom 10 teams in goals allowed per game. 

The Avs have question marks in the crease, but they can still fill up the net. Meanwhile, the Flyers have major issues on both offense and defense and there's no way I can put money on them in their current form. 

Prediction: Avalanche ML (-155)

Over/Under analysis

With their high-powered offense and suspect goaltending, you would probably assume that the Avalanche are a reliable Over bet, and you would be right with Colorado going 20-8-2 O/U in its last 30 games and 9-2-1 O/U in its last 12 games as a favorite.

Although the Flyers have been brutal on offense, they should have an easier time with Johansson between the pipes and three key defensemen (Bowen Byram, Cale Makar, and Ryan Murray) listed as questionable. 

Martin Jones is expected to get the start in net for Philly, and he has surrendered at least four goals in three of his last four starts. He also gave up two goals on 12 shots in relief during Sunday's 7-1 shelling at the hands of the Lightning, the fourth consecutive game at Wells Fargo to cash the Over. 

Prediction: Over 6 (-120)

Best bet

While we don't necessarily feel comfortable enough in Johannson to put our bankroll on the Avs moneyline, we are more confident in backing this talented group of Colorado forwards. While leading scorer Nazem Kadri is listed as questionable, the Avs still have Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen, who are all averaging more than a point per game. 

Colorado has scored at least four goals in 12 of its last 15 games, averaging an incredible 4.6 goals per game over that span. With Philly giving up plenty of chances in its own end, and Jones struggling in net, back the Over 3.5 on the Avs team total. 

Pick: Avalanche team total Over 3.5 (+105)

Pages related to this topic