Take The Dog In Flyers Vs. Predators

Flyers vs. Predators, 8:07 ET

Sports betting is a results-driven business. When you win, you're occasionally thanked. When you lose, you feel the entire wrath of the cesspool of Twitter or X or whatever Elon wants to call it. I've learned over the years that you just need to move on. People root for you to lose and I'm not quite sure why. If I'm giving out winners, they can make a ton of money at no cost. If I give out losers, you can fade me and still make a ton of money. The worst is being in the middle, and sadly that's where I'm at with hockey this season. I look to climb out of the middle and start a nice streak on the ice as we play a game between the Flyers and Predators.

The Flyers are having a decent enough campaign through about a quarter of the season with a 15-10-2 record. That probably isn't going to cut it for the playoffs if they keep that trend, but it is respectable enough. To this point, they've been solid on the road with a 9-4-1 record and look to push that to an even more positive result tonight. Recently, they've played very strong winning their past four contests. After winning in a shootout, and then in overtime, they were able to put some convincing wins together on the road against the Coyotes and the Avalanche. On the season, the Flyers have been productive on both sides of the ice. The team is averaging three goals per game, and allowing just 2.70 against them. They do a great job of shutting down Power Plays, but that should be a test tonight against a team that is scoring on about 20% of their attempts. The Flyers do struggle when they have the advantage, scoring on just 12% of their Power Plays this year, but the Predators have allowed opponents to score almost a quarter of the time.

MONTREAL, QC - NOVEMBER 20: A detailed view of the Nashville Predators logo during the second period against the Montreal Canadiens at Centre Bell on November 20, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Nashville Predators 6-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Nashville is off to a similar start in the 2023-2024 campaign. They have 30 points on the season with a 15-13-0 record. They are three games above .500 at home, but I wouldn't call it something that has been overly impressive. Like the Flyers, they've won four of their past five contests. However, they haven't won four in a row as a loss to the Maple Leafs broke up their streak. This is the third game in four nights for the Predators and that could mean some tired legs. On the season, they are scoring 3.07 goals per game, and matching that exactly with goals allowed. For the most part, their defense looks pretty fine-tuned right now. They've allowed one goal in three of the past five games. Their loss saw them allow four, and they allowed three against the Blackhawks. This will be the second time this season that the Predators have had to do a third game in four nights. The first time was against the Blackhawks and they won that game in a shootout, 4-3.

These teams match up pretty well against each other and it should be a tight game. Most hockey lines are put out at 6.5 but this one has a six hung on it, so it indicates it is likely to be lower scoring and a tight contest. I like the Flyers to win it though. They've been playing great hockey and have the rest advantage. Sure, Nashville is at home, and they've been winning lately. The issue I have is they aren't playing consistently enough in those wins. I'll back Philadelphia at +114.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024