The Penguins open a six-game road trip in Philadelphia after posting an impressive 5-3 comeback victory over St. Louis on Wednesday. Conversely, the Flyers return home riding a three-game losing streak after falling 4-1 in Anaheim on Tuesday, but enjoy a modest two-game home win streak.

Backed by 71% of sports bettors, the Penguins rapidly gained momentum after opening as -207 favourites, and currently sit as lofty -220 chalk. Accordingly, the Flyers have tumbled to lengthy +183 home underdogs. The total has held steady at 6.0, but the OVER looks to be attracting sports bettor attention early game day wagering, and is pegged as a -115 bet.

Penguins vs. Flyers NHL Betting Odds

Thursday night’s matchup at Wells Fargo Center marks the second of three regular season meetings between these Metropolitan Division rivals. The Penguins eked out a 3-2 overtime win when these teams met in Pittsburgh on November 4, and now enjoy a two-game head-to-head win streak.

The Flyers hold an historical edge when facing Pittsburgh on home ice, posting wins in five of six while holding the Pens to three or fewer goals on five occasions. However, they were outclassed in a 7-3 defeat when the Penguins last visited in early May. The Flyers have also struggled to produce consistent results on home ice this season. Their current 2-0-0 run snaps a brutal five-game slide and lifts their home record to a middling 6-6-2.

Conversely, the Penguins have emerged as road warriors since opening the campaign with one win in five away dates. Pittsburgh has surrendered just 14 totals goals while winning eight of 10 road games since, a run that features three shutout victories.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins’ current surge has coincided with the steady return to form of Sidney Crosby. The legendary captain tallied just one goal and one assist in his first seven outings after seeing his season debut delayed by both a wrist injury and COVID-19. However, Crosby has since emerged as a force. No. 87 has racked up four goals and 16 assists over his past 20 appearances, with 15 of those points coming at even strength. While Crosby’s resurgence has captured the spotlight, the performance of Jake Guentzel cannot be overlooked. Guentzel contributed two assists in Wednesday’s win, and has now potted six goals and five helpers over his past four outings.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have failed to maintain the momentum gained from the 4-0-1 run they took into the Christmas break, losing three of four since while scoring just two goals per game. Their recent three-game swing through California was marred by slow starts. The club surrendered four total first-period goals over their past two contests, and have scored just four total goals through 40 minutes over their past four contests. Injuries haven’t helped matters. In addition to the absence of Sean Couturier and Ryan Ellis due to injury, the club is also missing four players due to COVID-19, including Claude Giroux, Ivan Provorov, and Travis Konecny.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Penguins vs. Flyers?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Penguins Team Leaders

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 84
+ / -	Brian Dumoulin 24
Shots	Jake Guentzel 264
Penalty Mins	Kris Letang 49
Wins	Tristan Jarry 34
GAA	Louis Domingue 2.02

PHI

Points	Travis Konecny 52
+ / -	Travis Sanheim 9
Shots	Travis Konecny 220
Penalty Mins	Zack MacEwen 110
Wins	Carter Hart 13
GAA	Carter Hart 3.16

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 10
+ / -	Kasperi Kapanen 4
Shots	Jake Guentzel 39
Penalty Mins	Mike Matheson 6
Wins	Louis Domingue 3
GAA	Casey DeSmith 2.02

PHI

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Flyers Team Leaders

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 84
+ / -	Brian Dumoulin 24
Shots	Jake Guentzel 264
Penalty Mins	Kris Letang 49
Wins	Tristan Jarry 34
GAA	Louis Domingue 2.02

PHI

Points	Travis Konecny 52
+ / -	Travis Sanheim 9
Shots	Travis Konecny 220
Penalty Mins	Zack MacEwen 110
Wins	Carter Hart 13
GAA	Carter Hart 3.16

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 10
+ / -	Kasperi Kapanen 4
Shots	Jake Guentzel 39
Penalty Mins	Mike Matheson 6
Wins	Louis Domingue 3
GAA	Casey DeSmith 2.02

PHI

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

Injuries

Pittsburgh

Brian Boyle (C)

Out indefinitely Leg - 13 / 05 / 22

Sidney Crosby (C)

Ques Sun Head - 11 / 05 / 22

Brian Dumoulin (D)

day-to-day Lower Body - 05 / 05 / 22

Casey DeSmith (G)

out for season Abdominal - 04 / 05 / 22

Rickard Rakell (RW)

Ques Sun Head - 03 / 05 / 22

Jason Zucker (LW)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22

Jason Zucker (LW)

Ques Sat Illness - 22 / 04 / 22

Jeff Carter (C)

Prob Sat Lower Body - 21 / 04 / 22

Evan Rodrigues (C)

Ques Thurs Illness - 13 / 04 / 22

Bryan Rust (RW)

Ques Thurs Illness - 13 / 04 / 22

Philadelphia

Kevin Connauton (D)

out for season Leg - 20 / 04 / 22

Rasmus Ristolainen (D)

out for season Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 22

Nate Thompson (C)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 22

Cam York (D)

out for season Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 22

Patrick Brown (C)

out for season Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 22

Carter Hart (G)

out for season Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 22

Cam Atkinson (RW)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 22

Joel Farabee (LW)

Ques Tues Flu - 09 / 04 / 22

Zack MacEwen (C)

Prob Wed Head - 03 / 04 / 22

Travis Konecny (RW)

Out Sat Illness - 02 / 04 / 22

Injuries

Pittsburgh

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Brian Boyle (C)	Out indefinitely	Leg - 13 / 05 / 22	0-2	2-0	+ -
Boyle is sidelined by a leg injury, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Sidney Crosby (C)	Ques Sun	Head - 11 / 05 / 22	1-2	3-0	+ -
Crosby is managing a head injury, and it is up in the air if he will face the Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Brian Dumoulin (D)	day-to-day	Lower Body - 05 / 05 / 22	3-3	6-0	+ -
Dumoulin has a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will be active for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round versus the Hurricanes.
Casey DeSmith (G)	out for season	Abdominal - 04 / 05 / 22	3-3	6-0	+ -
DeSmith will sit out the remainder of the 2021-22 season after undergoing core muscle surgery.
Rickard Rakell (RW)	Ques Sun	Head - 03 / 05 / 22	4-3	7-0	+ -
Rakell is managing a head injury, and it has yet to be established if he will be available for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round versus the Rangers.
Jason Zucker (LW)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22	4-5	7-2	+ -
Zucker is dealing with a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will suit up against the Rangers for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Jason Zucker (LW)	Ques Sat	Illness - 22 / 04 / 22	6-5	8-3	+ -
Zucker is dealing with a non-COVID-19 illness, and it is undecided if he will be active for Saturday's tilt against the Red Wings.
Jeff Carter (C)	Prob Sat	Lower Body - 21 / 04 / 22	7-5	8-4	+ -
Carter exited the last contest due to a lower-body injury, but it is projected that he will suit up against the Red Wings on Saturday.
Evan Rodrigues (C)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 13 / 04 / 22	8-6	10-4	+ -
Rodrigues exited the previous matchup due to an illness, and it has yet to be established if he will be active for Thursday's tilt against the Islanders.
Bryan Rust (RW)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 13 / 04 / 22	8-6	10-4	+ -
Rust was removed from the last game due to an illness, and it is unclear if he will be in Thursday's lineup against the Islanders.

Philadelphia

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Kevin Connauton (D)	out for season	Leg - 20 / 04 / 22	2-3	1-3-1	+ -
Connauton is sidelined with a leg injury, and it is likely that he will miss the rest of the 2021-22 season.
Rasmus Ristolainen (D)	out for season	Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 22	3-6	4-4-1	+ -
Ristolainen is idle with an upper-body injury, and it is unlikely that he will be available for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Nate Thompson (C)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 22	3-6	4-4-1	+ -
Thompson sat out the last game due to a lower-body injury, and it is up in the air if he will be active against the Sabres on Saturday.
Cam York (D)	out for season	Lower Body - 13 / 04 / 22	3-6	4-4-1	+ -
York is sidelined with a lower-body injury, and it is projected that he will miss the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Patrick Brown (C)	out for season	Upper Body - 13 / 04 / 22	3-6	4-4-1	+ -
Brown is expected to miss the rest of the 2021-22 season with an upper-body injury.
Carter Hart (G)	out for season	Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 22	3-7	5-4-1	+ -
Hart suffered a lower-body issue, and it is unlikely that he will return for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Cam Atkinson (RW)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 12 / 04 / 22	3-7	5-4-1	+ -
Atkinson is idle due to a lower-body injury, and it is up in the air when he will return to the ice.
Joel Farabee (LW)	Ques Tues	Flu - 09 / 04 / 22	4-7	5-5-1	+ -
Farabee was held out of the previous game with the flu, and it is uncertain if he will be active for Tuesday's matchup with the Capitals.
Zack MacEwen (C)	Prob Wed	Head - 03 / 04 / 22	5-9	7-6-1	+ -
MacEwen has been out of the lineup with a head issue, but it is projected that he will suit up against the Rangers on Wednesday.
Travis Konecny (RW)	Out Sat	Illness - 02 / 04 / 22	5-10	7-7-1	+ -
Konecny is managing an illness, and he will not take on the Maple Leafs on Saturday.