The Boston Bruins come into tonight’s game as the massive favorites over the Philadelphia Flyers with a potential NHL record on the line. The Bruins picked up their 62nd win of the season on Saturday and can set a league record for most victories in a campaign with a triumph over the Flyers.
Is tonight the night Boston makes NHL history? We’ll discuss that and more in our Bruins vs. Flyers NHL picks and predictions for Sunday, April 9.
Bruins vs Flyers best odds
Bruins vs Flyers picks and predictions
The Flyers suffered their sixth straight defeat on Saturday as they were blanked 4-0 by the Islanders. Philadelphia has been outscored 27-12 during this losing skid — or an average score of 4.5-2.
There’s really not a lot to like about the Flyers’ game this season as they sit 26th in points (71), 29th in GFPG (2.63) and 23rd in GAPG (3.34) — pretty much the complete antithesis of the Bruins.
Boston earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over New Jersey on Saturday night, giving the Bruins their fifth straight win decided by a single goal. Pavel Zacha scored both of the B’s goals while Linus Ullmark stopped 29 of 30 shots to continue his case for this year’s Vezina Trophy.
That’ll leave the net to Jeremy Swayman tonight, which shouldn’t be much of a drop off compared to Ullmark. Swayman posted an impressive .936 SV% and 1.85 GAA in March, following that up with a .929 SV% and 1.96 GAA through two starts in April. The Bruins' netminder has allowed two goals or fewer in four of his last six outings, with two of those being shutouts.
Swayman has made one start against the Flyers this season back on January 16 when he stopped all 29 shots he faced for one of his four shutouts this season.
Philadelphia has averaged just 1.25 GPG over its last four contests and I can’t see the Flyers scoring more than a couple against Swayman and the Bruins’ top-ranked defense. Look for Boston to keep Philly Under two goals tonight.
My best bet: Flyers team total Under 2 (+170 at bet365)
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Bruins vs Flyers moneyline analysis
The Bruins understandably come into this one as the huge favorites, opening at -300 on the moneyline. Most books dropped Boston down to around -250 by Saturday night, but it’s hard to go against the NHL’s top team no matter the odds.
The B’s have won four straight meetings vs the Flyers by a combined score of 18-5 and hold a record of 7-2-1 against Philadelphia over the last 10 matchups.
On top of their head-to-head edge, the Bruins are on the precipice of becoming quite literally the greatest regular season team in NHL history, while the Flyers are in a lottery spot for the upcoming draft.
If there is one factor that could convince you to side with the hosts, it’s that each of Boston’s last three losses were against non-playoff teams (Nashville, Chicago, Detroit). If the Bruins take this game for granted there’s a chance the Flyers surprise them, but I doubt Philadelphia snaps its six-game skid against the league leaders.
Bruins vs Flyers Over/Under analysis
The total for this matchup opened at 6.5 goals and I’m leaning towards the Under tonight, primarily because of Philadelphia’s lackluster attack.
While the Bruins own the second-best offense in the league at 3.62 GPG and could very well put up four or five against Philly. The Flyers were shut out in their last outing and haven’t scored more than two in any of their last four contests. Boston has also been stout defensively of late, giving up more than two goals in just three of its last 12 contests.
Coming up against the NHL’s top defense and one of the league’s hottest goaltenders, it’s hard to envision Philadelphia generating much offense tonight.
The Under is 2-0-1 in the last three meetings between the two clubs, while the Bruins and Flyers have combined for less than seven goals in seven of their last 10 matchups.
Barring an unforeseen defensive lapse from Boston, I think we’ll see another low-scoring effort from Philadelphia and six goals or fewer between the two teams.
Bruins vs Flyers betting trend to know
The Flyers have scored just 12 goals in their last six games. Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Flyers.
Bruins vs Flyers game info
| Location: | Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA |
| Date: | Sunday, April 9, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 6:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
