The Philadelphia Flyers are off to a rollicking start this season, and they’ll look to keep their momentum going when they visit the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena on Wednesday night.
John Tortorella’s troops have won each of their first three games, including a 3-2 decision over the Lightning on Tuesday night. The Panthers came out of the gate 2-0-0 before dropping an affair against the Bruins on Monday, 5-3.
Will the Flyers reward the faith of underdog bettors once more and spoil Florida’s home opener? Find out in our free NHL picks and predictions for Flyers vs. Panthers on Wednesday, October 19.
Flyers vs Panthers best odds
Flyers vs Panthers picks and predictions
The Panthers' moneyline looks like a solid addition to any NHL parlay tonight, but -330 odds aren’t very appealing for a straight wager. Even the much riskier play on the -1.5 puck line is yielding only -140 odds. So, we’re going hunting in the player prop markets to find our best bet in this one.
Florida will likely try to live in the Flyers’ defensive zone as much as they can due to a potential shortage of healthy defensemen. The status of Aaron Ekblad, who left Monday’s game with the Bruins in the second period, is up in the air as of this writing, and the same can be said for Brandon Montour. Fortunately, the Panthers have a host of dangerous centers and wingers they can rely on to help them win games.
Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart are Florida’s most recognizable trio of forwards, and as a result, their odds to tally a goal or a point (or in Barkov’s case at most sites, two points) in this one are somewhat depressed. But the underrated Sam Bennett is being dangled at generous odds to find the back of the net on Wednesday night.
Bennett had a career-high 28 goals and 21 assists in his first full season in the Sunshine State last year. He started out the 2022-23 campaign by going scoreless through two games but came alive on Monday night with a goal and an assist. Now he’ll play in his first home game of the new season, and based on last year’s splits, the Ontario native will be tough for the Philly defenders to contain.
Bennett scored 21 of his 28 goals at home last season, taking 154 shots in 36 tilts, compared to only 87 shots in 35 road affairs. His shooting percentage at FLA Live Arena was 13.6 percent, but a modest eight percent everywhere else.
My best bet: Sam Bennett Over 0.5 goals (+184)
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Flyers vs Panthers moneyline analysis
It’s difficult to recommend a play on the overachieving Flyers on Wednesday night, even at a juicy price. They will be playing the second game of a back-to-back in this spot and will likely turn to second-string netminder Felix Sandstrom. He was 0-4-1 with a 3.23 GAA and a .910 save percentage in his first go-around in the NHL last season at age 24.
The Panthers don’t have a back-to-back until Nov. 5 and 6, so head coach Paul Maurice has a lot more flexibility when it comes to choosing who he wants to send out between the pipes this month. Sergei Bobrovsky, who has played Games 1 and 3 of the new year, should get the call over Spencer Knight in this spot, especially if Florida’s blueline unit is at less than full strength.
Bobrovsky has a 2.61 GAA and a .924 save percentage two games into the new campaign, in line with his 2.67 GAA and .913 save percentage from last season.
Trend bettors should note that the Panthers are 48-13 in their last 61 home games and have beaten the Flyers in six of their last seven meetings at FLA Live Arena. Philadelphia is 15-40 in its last 55 overall, and 5-22 in its last 27 games against Atlantic Division foes.
Flyers vs Panthers Over/Under analysis
It would not be surprising if this contest turned into the type in which the last goal wins.
Florida is dealing with injuries on defense, and the Flyers are off to a strong start on offense in the Tortorella era. Travis Konecny has a team-high three goals and is involved in a four-way tie for the lead in points with four. Philly would be wise to try and avoid spending much time in its own zone if its backup goalie is in net, as expected.
Florida’s terrific tandem of Barkov, Tkachuk, and Reinhart could amp up the aggression in this situation, which may lead to odd-man rushes for both sides. It’s also a possibility that Colin White, who’s tied with Tkachuk for the team lead in points with four, despite averaging less than 12 minutes of ice time, can keep his fine start to the year going.
The trends support an Over play, as the Panthers have exceeded the total in 14 of their last 20 games against Metropolitan Division opponents, while the Over is 10-2-2 in the Flyers’ last 14 games against Atlantic Division squads.
Flyers vs Panthers betting trend to know
The home team is 16-5 in the last 21 meetings between these two teams. Find more NHL betting trends for Flyers vs Panthers.
Flyers vs Panthers game info
| Location: | FLA Live Arena, Sunrise, FL |
| Date: | Wednesday, October 19, 2022 |
| Puck drop: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
