_preview-bm.jpeg "Red-Wings-at-Flyers-(NBCSN)_preview-bm")
The streakiest team in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers take on the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on NBCSN. The Red Wings are playing the second game of a four-game road trip and the second half of a back-to-back, as they were at the Islanders on Tuesday. The Flyers are completing a five-game homestand on Wednesday. The Flyers went 10 straight games without a win earlier this season but they went into this week on a seven-game winning streak.
At 8 p.m. ET, tune into NBCSN for live television coverage of this NHL game on Wednesday, December 20, 2017 at the Wells Fargo Center.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Red Wings have not been a good team this season, but despite their poor results, they have played better of late. They went into this week with some optimism after a 3-1 win over Toronto. “We're have three big games coming up and we just need to keep sticking with it," Justin Abdelkader said to the Detroit Free Press before Tuesday’s game at the Islanders. The Red Wings are going to split the starting goaltender duties on Tuesday and Wednesday with Petr Mrazek starting one game while Jimmy Howard will start the other. Detroit doesn’t have great goaltenders and their defense isn’t that good, so it usually doesn’t matter who is in goal. The Red Wings are 6-8 on the road with eight games going under and six going over. They are scoring 2.6 goals per game but giving up 3.2 per contest.
The Flyers went into Monday night’s game against the Kings with a chance to make NHL history. They could tie a record for the biggest in-season turnaround in history, as they went winless in 10 games earlier this season but a win over the Kings would give them seven straight wins. Head coach Dave Hakstol said to Philly.com that confidence is the big key. “It’s a combination of things,” Hakstol said, “I think confidence, swagger, whatever you want to attach to it, is a big part of this game. When you’re going good, “you have the mentality you’re not going to take less than finding a way to win,” he added. “I can tell you, when you’re on the other end of close losses, tight losses, it starts to wear on you.”
Brian Elliott has been in goal for the Philly winning streak. He started for the eighth straight time on Monday.
Special Teams
The Red Wings have actually been pretty good on special teams this season, as they are 9th on the power play at just over 20% and they are 10th in penalty killing at about 83%. The Flyers are 15th on the power play at just over 19%. They are poor in penalty killing at 29th in the league at about 79%.
Key Stat
The Flyers have won 7 of the last 10 in this series, with three of the last four going under the total. The Red Wings finally broke a long losing streak in Philadelphia last year, as they won 3-2 in November of 2016. Four of the last five in Philly have gone over the total.
Free NHL Picks
The Red Wings are playing a back-to-back on Wednesday, but they have actually been pretty good playing with no rest. They have won six of their last nine playing with no rest, including 2-1 this season. If the Flyers are still on their winning streak I won’t go against them, but if that streak is over I will take a shot with the Red Wings at plus money. Neither of these teams plays a lot of defense and recent matchups in Philadelphia have been going over, so I will take this game on Wednesday night over the total.
NHL Odds: Red Wings 4, Flyers 3
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
