Philadelphia Flyers vs. Vancouver Canucks Prediction, NHL Odds
Vancouver is looking to extend their point streak to a season-high 10 games.
The Flyers have lost back-to-back games before their holiday break and will be looking to get back in the win column as the Metropolitan divisions playoff race continues to tighten up.
The puck will drop at 10:00 PM EST at Rogers Arena. Keep updated on our moneyline, puckline and Over/Under for Thursday’s matchup on our NHL odds.
Flyers vs. Canucks NHL Betting Odds
This will be the second and final meeting of the season between the Flyers and Canucks after Philly shutout Vancouver 2-0 in the first week of the regular season. Flyers goalie stopped all 26 shots in the game to seal the victory, after Egor Zamula and Sean Couturier scored in the first period. Philly is the only team this season to shut out the high-powered Canucks offence.
The matchup was the eighth of their past 10 to play to the UNDER and the third win for Philadelphia in their past four head-to-heads.
No team in playoff position is scoring less than Philadelphia this season, at just 2.97 per game. Their ability to close out tight low-scoring contests is what has put them in third place in the Metropolitan Division. They are solid defensively as well ranking in the top 10 in goals against helping them to a 12-19-2 record on the OVER/UNDER. The Flyers are better than most expected so far this season pushing their record against the spread to 23-10. They have the second-highest number of covers in the entire NHL.
The only other team that has covered in more games than the Flyers this season is their opponent on Thursday with the Canucks sitting at 25-10 ATS. They have been the highest-scoring team all season averaging 3.86 goals per game and have put four or more in the back of the net in six of their past 10 games. Vancouver is 21-12-2 on the OVER/UNDER after playing the OVER in each of the past four games.
Philadelphia Flyers
After losing the night before 4-2 at home versus Nashville, the Flyers travelled to Detroit and allowed five goals in the first period versus the Red Wings on the 22nd. The game looked out of reach but the Flyers showed resilience and battled back with two goals in the second, cutting the lead to 5-3, before scoring three more in the third to go ahead 6-5. The Wings rallied late to send the game to extra time and they would eventually win the game 7-6 in a shootout, handing Philly back-to-back losses for the first time all month.
The Flyers are headed on a West Coast road trip starting Thursday and rolling into the new year. This stretch has been tough on Eastern Conference teams this season and could turn into a key point in the season for Philadelphia. There are currently only three points separating the second-placed team from the sixth-placed team in the Metro.
Vancouver Canucks
The Canucks bounced back from an overtime loss and put up seven goals against the San Jose Sharks on December 23rd in a 7-4 win. Head Coach Rick Tocchet put Andrei Kuzmenko back on the top line and was rewarded immediately with a pair of goals in the first period, both assisted by captain Elias Petterson. Six different players found the back of the net for Vancouver in the win, while six players also had multi-point games. Thatcher Demko stopped 21 of 25, giving four goals in back-to-back games.
There is currently no hotter player in the NHL than the Canucks’ Teddy Blueger who has a six-game point streak with eight points (2G 6A) over the stretch. In his first year with the team, the 29-year-old Latvian is centring the club’s third line.
Vancouver is looking as dangerous as ever right now with all four lines clicking. Not only do they have three of the league’s top 10 scorers, but the whole team is chipping in and they play in front of one of the best goalies in the world.