Philadelphia Flyers vs Carolina Hurricanes: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: PNC Arena – Raleigh, NC.

When: Saturday, March 30, 1:30PM EST

How (TV/Radio): NBC Sports Philadelphia, FSCR | WFAN

Philadelphia Flyers (Away)

Head Coach: Scott Gordon {All-Time 89-111-27 PHI, NYI}

The Philadelphia Flyers are hanging on for dear life. They currently sit ten points out of the final wildcard spot in the East. Their season record is 37-38-2 and have only been playing average hockey in their last ten games, going 5-5-0. They can’t afford to lose anymore games this season. A pretty tall task.

Any advantages the Flyers bring to the game are in the offensive category. They are 14th in goals scored, just above Carolina who are 18th. They are two spots above Carolina on the powerplay as well. Their shooting percentage is ranked much higher than Carolina which is useful because every shot needs to count as Carolina ranks first in the league in shots for. Philadelphia will have to heavily rely on their puck possession game, keeping it away from Carolina, and that will start in the faceoff circle where the Flyers rank first in the league for faceoffs won. The Hurricanes are 24th.

But they are going up against a strong defense. And their defense is nothing to brag about – especially going up against a team that takes 34-plus shots per game. The Flyers rank 20th or lower in every major defensive statistic this season. They are 25th in goals allowed, 22nd in shots allowed, they take the 20th most penalty minutes, and also rank 20th on the penalty kill.

It is expected that goaltender Carter Hart will get the start against the Carolina Hurricanes. Hart has gone 16-11-1 this season. He has a goals against average of 2.76 and a save percentage of .920. He has not registered any shutouts thus far this season.

Carolina Hurricanes (Home)

Head Coach: Rod Brind’Amour {All-Time 42-27-7 CAR}

It is a safe bet that you will see the Carolina Hurricanes in the playoffs this season. They are currently 42-27-7 on the season and have gone 6-4-0 in their last ten. But will we see them in the playoffs in a wildcard or perhaps a divisional spot?

As noted above, the Carolina Hurricanes rank first in the entire NHL when it comes to shots, averaging 34.7 per game to be exact. This lone advantage on offense should still be enough to take the victory.

And should one of those shots make it past Flyers goalie Carter Hart, the Hurricanes can essentially sit back and let their defense go to work. Carolina allows the eighth least amount of goals in the league and allows the third fewest shots against. They average less than eight minutes of penalties per game and their penalty kill ranks sixth overall.

Goaltender Petr Mrazek is expected to get the start. Mrazek is 20-14-3 on the season with a goals against average of 2.47 and a .910 save percentage. He has four shutout.

These two teams last met on January 3. The Carolina Hurricanes won the game with a final score of 5-3.

What’s At Stake?

Philadelphia is still mathematically in the playoff hunt but they can’t lose any games for the remainder of the season. And even then it’s not a guarantee. At 80 points, the Flyers are ten points back of the Montreal Canadiens for the final wildcard spot in the East with six games remaining.

Carolina comes into this matchup in a much better position than their opponents. The Canes currently already hold the first wildcard position in the East with 91 points – 11 points ahead of Philadelphia. However, they are only four points back of the third-place New York Islanders. A win here brings them closer to the third-place position in the Metropolitan division and thus closer to a more favourable first-round matchup in the first-round of the playoffs.

Questions to answer

Do the Flyers stand any chance of containing the high shooting Carolina Hurricanes?

Can the Flyers develop any type of strategy and find a way to beat the Carolina defense?

Can the Carolina Hurricanes pull off the win, collect two points, and sneak their way in to third place before the start of the playoffs?

Philadelphia Flyers Injury Report

G Michal Neuvirth – IR (lower-body)

Carolina Hurricanes Injury Report

No injuries to report.

Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes Predictions and Odds

Bettors who reside in New Jersey can wager on various props such as point spreads, over/unders, and player stats at the 888Sport sportsbook.

The moneyline odds on offer for this game are:

• Philadelphia Flyers: +150
• Carolina Hurricanes: -182