Tag: Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s Philadelphia Flyers at Columbus Blue Jackets sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Columbus Blue Jackets (30-19-12) host the Philadelphia Flyers (33-20-7) Thursday at Nationwide Arena as the two Metropolitan Division rivals meet for the second half of their home-and-home. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Flyers-Blue Jackets sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Flyers at Blue Jackets: Projected starting goalies

Brian Elliott vs. Elvis Merzlikins

Elliott is 14-7-4 with a 2.90 goals against average (GAA), an .898 save percentage and two shutouts this season. He lost his last start, allowing four goals on 24 shots in a 5-3 loss at the New York Islanders Feb. 11. He’s 2-2 with a 2.69 GAA with an .881 SV% in four February starts.

Merzlikins is 0-3-2 across his last five games, and he gave up four goals on 12 shots in the meeting with the Flyers Tuesday. He is 12-9-6 on the season with a .924 SV% and 2.29 GAA.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Flyers at Blue Jackets: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 2:05 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Flyers 4, Blue Jackets 3

Moneyline (ML)

The FLYERS (+105) ran the Jackets (-125) out of town Tuesday with a 5-1 victory at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The win gave the Flyers a 3-0 edge in the head-to-head season series as the two sides head into their final meeting of 2019-20.

The Jackets are 18-11-3 at home for the season, while the Flyers are just 13-15-3 on the road, but Philly has climbed into a Metro Division playoff spot, and Columbus has dropped six straight to slip from the wild-card picture. Back the visitors with the added incentive of a plus-money return.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Flyers to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $10.50.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

PASS on the spread, as we like the visitors to win outright with far more profitable odds. The Flyers are getting odds of just -278 to cover a spread of +1.5 and either lose by just 1 goal or win outright. Philly is 35-25 against the spread overall but just 15-16 on the road, while Columbus is 33-28 ATS overall and 14-18 at home.

Two of the Flyers’ three victories over the Jackets this season came by multi-goal margins. The alternate puck line of Flyers -1.5 (+280) offers value, but I’ll stick with the ML play.

Over/Under (O/U)

Two of the three head-to-head meetings have topped Thursday’s goal projection of 5.5. Back the OVER 5.5 (-106). The Flyers likely won’t replicate the 5 goals they scored Tuesday, but I like the Blue Jackets offense to be a little more involved on home ice.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 242-231

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Philadelphia Flyers (32-20-7) host the Columbus Blue Jackets (30-18-12) Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. The two Metropolitan Division rivals are battling it out for Eastern Conference playoff position. We analyze the Blue Jackets-Flyers sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Blue Jackets at Flyers: Projected starting goalies

Elvis Merzlikins vs. Carter Hart

Merzlikins is 0-2-2 across his last four outings after winning eight straight games. He is 12-8-6 with a .928 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average through 26 starts and two relief appearances.

Hart took a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday while allowing four goals on 23 shots. The sophomore is 17-12-3 with a .906 SV% and 2.59 GAA through 32 starts and three relief appearances.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Blue Jackets at Flyers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated Tuesday at 9:25 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Flyers 2, Blue Jackets 1

Moneyline (ML)

The Blue Jackets (+125) have dropped five straight games but still hold a one-point edge over the FLYERS (-150) in the standings. Philly is 6-3-1 across its last 10 games and 19-5-4 on home ice for the season; Columbus is a lackluster 12-7-9 on the road. The Jackets took a 4-3 shootout loss against the Devils in New Jersey Sunday, while the Flyers lost 5-3 at the Lightning Saturday.

The Flyers lead the season series 2-0 with a 7-4 (Oct. 26) home win and 3-2 (Nov. 27) win on the road. The two sides play an ultra-important home-and-home Tuesday and Thursday. Back the better-rested home side, as Philly has been in the all-around better form of late.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Flyers to win would return a profit of $6.67.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Both teams have been strong against the spread and they’re both in the stronger half of their respective location split. The BLUE JACKETS (+1.5, -227) should be backed with 1 goal of insurance in the event of a loss. They’re 33-27 ATS overall and 19-9 on the road. The Flyers are also 19-9 ATS at home.

Columbus has gone to overtime or a shootout in three of its last four games and five of its last nine.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the UNDER 5.5 (-125) with the expectation of two previously hot goaltenders getting back to form following rough outings over the weekend. Hart has a GAA of just 1.65 on home ice, while Merzlikins leads the NHL with five shutouts.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 235-224

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Philadelphia Flyers at Tampa Bay Lightning sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Philadelphia Flyers (32-19-7) visit the Tampa Bay Lightning (38-15-5) Saturday for a 4 p.m. ET puck drop at Amalie Arena. We analyze the Flyers-Lightning sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Flyers at Lightning: Projected starting goalies

Carter Hart vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy

Hart is 2-0 since returning to the lineup Feb. 10. He stopped 56 of a total of 59 shots in a home-and-home sweep of the Florida Panthers. The 21-year-old is 17-11-3 on the season with a .908 save percentage and 2.54 goals against average.

Vasilevskiy has rifled off seven straight victories, and he hasn’t suffered a regulation loss since Dec. 14. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner is 31-9-3 on the year with a .921 SV% and 2.41 GAA.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Flyers at Lightning: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 10:30 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Flyers 2, Lightning 1

Moneyline (ML)

Hart got the road win his last time out, but he remains just 3-9-1 with a .857 SV% and 3.85 GAA through 16 road games. As a result, the FLYERS (+155) are just 13-14-3 on the road for the season. They’ll be our play Saturday with Hart back in top form as the Flyers push for a playoff spot.

The Lightning (-189) are on a nine-game winning streak but Steven Stamkos (lower body) and Nikita Kucherov (lower body) remain questionable for the matinee tilt. The odds weigh too heavily on Tampa Bay’s winning streak, and a good Flyers team is worth a shot. The Lightning earned a 1-0 win Jan. 11 in Philadelphia in the only head-to-head meeting of the year thus far.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Flyers to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $15.50.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The FLYERS (+1.5, -167) should also be backed with 1 goal of insurance in the event of a loss. Two of the Lightning’s last three games went to overtime and were decided by a score of 2-1. The Flyers are 34-24 against the spread overall and 15-15 on the road. The Lightning are 26-32 ATS overall and 13-15 at home.

Over/Under (O/U)

Play the alternate total line and bet UNDER 5.5 (+135) for a better return on your investment. The actual line of 6.5 pays out at just -154 for the Under.

The Lightning, led by Vasilevskiy, have played to the Over just once across their last 10 games. The Flyers are 5-5 against the projected total over their last 10 games.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 233-217

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Florida Panthers (30-20-6) host the Philadelphia Flyers (31-19-7) Thursday at BB&T Center for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Flyers-Panthers sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Flyers at Panthers: Projected starting goalies

Carter Hart vs. Sergei Bobrovsky

Hart stopped 30 of 31 shots in a win over these Panthers Monday in Philadelphia in his first start back from injury. The 21-year-old is 16-11-3 with a .908 save percentage and 2.55 goals against average on the season. He has been much better at home, however, as he’s just 2-9-1 on the road with a .850 SV% and 4.01 GAA this season.

Bobrovsky—in the first year of a seven-year, $70 million contract—has dropped three straight games in regulation. He allowed a total of 12 goals on 84 shots. He is 20-16-5 with a .898 SV% and 3.27 GAA for the season.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Flyers at Panthers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 10:05 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Flyers 3, Panthers 2

Moneyline (ML)

The FLYERS (+110) are the play at plus-money on the road. Philly is 6-3-1 across its last 10 games while Florida (-134) is 5-4-1 over the same span. Both teams are in competition for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs race. The Flyers are coming off a 5-3 road loss against the New York Islanders Tuesday. The Panthers beat the New Jersey Devils 5-3 Tuesday. Both teams had their backup goalies in net for those games.

The head-to-head season series is split 1-1; the Panthers won 5-2 at home Nov. 19 and the Flyers responded with the 4-1 home win Monday. Look for some correction to Hart’s lopsided location splits down the stretch run.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Flyers (+1.5, -228) can be played on the spread, but with a $10 bet returning a profit of just $4.40 should they lose by a single goal, I’m going to PASS on the puck line and stick with the outright win for the road dogs.

Philly is 33-24 against the spread overall but 14-15 on the road. Florida is 29-27 ATS overall but just 12-16 at home.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the UNDER 6.5 (-139) to align with our moneyline pick of the Flyers. The goaltending matchup has this line propped up from the standard 5.5 total goals, but we’re looking for improved play on the road from Hart. The Flyers are 4-6 against the Over/Under across their last 10 games. The Panthers have a 5-5 O/U record in their last 10 outings.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 227-209

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Philadelphia Flyers at New York Islanders sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The New York Islanders (32-16-6) host the Philadelphia Flyers (31-18-7) Tuesday at Barclays Center for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Flyers-Islanders sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Flyers at Islanders: Projected starting goalies

Brian Elliott vs. Semyon Varlamov

Elliott will return to the net Tuesday after giving way for the return of starter Carter Hart in Monday’s 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Elliott is 14-6-4 with a .901 save percentage and 2.86 goals against average for the season.

Varlamov is 16-9-4 with a .915 SV% and 2.58 GAA in his first season with the Islanders. He stopped 27 of 29 shots in a hard-luck loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Flyers at Islanders: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 9:10 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Flyers 4, Islanders 3

Moneyline (ML)

Both teams played Monday, with the Isles besting the Washington Capitals 5-3 on the road and the Flyers topping the Panthers at home. New York’s home-ice advantage is slightly negated as they had to travel back from the nation’s capital.

As such, I’m backing the FLYERS (+105) as slight road dogs. Elliott has been in the better form of the two goaltenders of late. The Isles lead the series 2-0, earning a 5-3 home win Oct. 27, and a 4-3 shootout victory in Philly Nov. 16, but the Flyers enter Tuesday at 7-2-1 across their last 10 games, while the Islanders went 5-3-2 over the same span.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

There’s no value in backing the Flyers (+1.5, -278) with a goal of insurance in the event of a loss. We’ll PASS on the spread and stick with the moneyline bet for the road dogs.

The Isles are just 25-29 ATS overall and a dismal 11-17 on home ice, while the Flyers are 33-23 overall and an adequate 14-14 on the road.

Over/Under (O/U)

Back the OVER 5.5 (-133) with both teams starting the lesser of their two goaltenders. Philly is 4-6 against the Over/Under across its last 10 games, while New York is 6-3-1 over the same span.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 219-206

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Florida Panthers at Philadelphia Flyers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Monday’s Florida Panthers at Philadelphia Flyers sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Florida Panthers (29-19-6) pay a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers (30-18-7) Monday for a 7 p.m. ET contest at Wells Fargo Center.  We analyze the Panthers-Flyers odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips around this matchup.

Panthers at Flyers: Projected starting goalies

Sergei Bobrovsky vs. Carter Hart

Bobrovsky has started each of the Panthers’ last eight games and on the season owns a 3.27 goals against average and .898 save percentage. His last couple starts have been dodgy, and he has scuffled away from home this season (.886 SV%). Monday’s game will be the 500th of Bobrovsky’s career.

Hart returns from injury (abdomen) to make his first start since Jan. 13. The 21-year-old has posted a 15-11-3 record on a 2.61 GAA and .905 SV%. Hart has one of the widest home-road splits of any regular goaltender in the league. He has registered a 13-2-2 record with a 1.69 GAA and .940 SV% on home ice.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Panthers at Flyers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated 12:30 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Philadelphia 5, Florida 3

Moneyline (ML)

The Flyers are 8-3-1 over the last month. Wins in that stretch have come against the Washington Capitals (twice), Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, and Colorado Avalanche — an impressive who’s-who in the league standings. Florida is 2-5 in road games on the heels of multiple games at home. That’s the situation here, and the Flyers have had much better puck-possession figures of late.

Take the FLYERS (-139) as insurance to the puck-line play below.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

Philadelphia’s margin of victory over its last five wins is 3.4 goals. Overall, the Flyers have outscored opponents 94-85 at home. Back the FLYERS (-1.5, +175) to win by at least 2 goals at home.

Over/Under (O/U)

The Over is 5-2 in the Panthers’ last seven games vs. teams with a winning record and 5-1 in the Flyers’ last six with the same condition. Florida has a 32-19 record against the Over/Under on the season overall.

TAKE THE OVER 6.5 (+110).

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Washington Capitals (36-13-5) host the Metropolitan Division-rival Philadelphia Flyers (29-18-7) Saturday at Capital One Arena for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Flyers-Capitals sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Flyers at Capitals: Projected starting goalies

Brian Elliott vs. Braden Holtby

Elliott will be looking to quickly move past an awful outing Thursday, against the New Jersey Devils, in which he allowed four goals on just 17 shots. The veteran had been a steady presence in the injury absence of starter Carter Hart. Elliott is 13-6-4 on the season with a .900 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average.

Holtby is 20-10-4 through 36 starts. He has relinquished his once-firm grip on the Capitals’ crease and has been sharing duties with youngster Ilya Samsonov. Holtby has a .897 SV% and 3.08 GAA.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Flyers at Capitals: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Flyers 3, Capitals 2

Moneyline (ML)

The Capitals (-175) remain atop the Metropolitan Division and are 6-4 across their last 10 games while coming off a 4-2 win over the lowly Los Angeles Kings Tuesday. The FLYERS (+145) are 6-3-1 across their last 10 contests, but coming off the ugly loss to the Devils Thursday. Still, I like Philly at plus-money with the odds showing a little too much recency bias.

Elliott has been strong this season, especially since seeing increased work in place of Hart. The Flyers are also 1-0-1 against the Caps this season, having won the last meeting 3-2 Jan. 8 in Philly.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Flyers to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $14.50.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

As a more conservative play, back the FLYERS (+1.5, -182) with a goal of insurance in the event of a loss. Their loss to the Caps Nov. 13 was by a 2-1 count in a shootout.

Philly is 31-23 against the spread overall and 13-14 on the road, while Washington is 29-15 ATS overall but just 10-17 at home.

Over/Under (O/U)

Take the UNDER 6.5 (-154). The two head-to-head games this season both fell well short of this total. The Flyers are 4-6 against the Over/Under across their last 10 games and the Capitals are 5-4-1 against the projected totals.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 209-202

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The New Jersey Devils (18-24-10) pay a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers (29-17-7) Thursday at Wells Fargo Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Devils-Flyers sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Devils at Flyers: Projected starting goalies

MacKenzie Blackwood vs. Brian Elliott

Blackwood enters Thursday 15-12-7 for the season with a .904 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average. He allowed five goals on 30 shots and took a shootout loss against the Nashville Predators in his last start, Jan. 30.

Elliott continues as the Flyers’ primary starter in place of the injured Carter Hart. The veteran is 4-0-1 across his last five games and is 13-5-4 on the season. He owns a .903 SV% and 2.81 GAA following a 16-save shutout against the Detroit Red Wings Monday.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Devils at Flyers: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 9:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Flyers 4, Devils 1

Moneyline (ML)

The FLYERS (-222) are chalky favorites Thursday, but we’ll take what we can get from the books for one of Thursday’s safest plays. Philly is 7-2-1 across its last 10 games and enters the day on a two-game winning streak while pushing for a playoff spot. The Devils (+180) are 3-4-3 over their last 10 games, on a three-game losing skid and buried in last place in the division.

The Flyers have won both head-to-head meetings this season, winning 4-0 at home Oct. 9 and 4-3 in a shootout on the road Nov. 1.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The Devils (+1.5, -149) have gone to overtime or a shootout in four straight games, but they managed to win just one of those contests. Their previous four losses had all been by a margin of at least three goals. Back the FLYERS (-1.5, +125) to win by at least 2 goals. Philly is 31-22 against the spread overall and 18-8 on home ice. New Jersey is just 24-28 ATS overall and 11-15 on the road.

Over/Under (O/U)

Back the UNDER 5.5 (+120) with the Flyers handling the bulk of the scoring Thursday. Philly is 4-6 against the Over/Under across its last 10 games and New Jersey is 6-4 over the same sample. The Devils totaled just 5 regulation goals over their last three road games.

Esten’s NHL betting record: 205-192

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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WATCH: Philadelphia Flyers’ mascot Gritty cleared of assault allegations

Gritty, the googly-eyed mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, has been cleared of an assault allegation levied against him (err, it?) by a season-ticket holder.

Gritty, the googly-eyed mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, has been cleared of an assault allegation levied against him (err, it?) by a season-ticket holder.

The Philadelphia Police Department shared on Monday that its investigation into the mascot has closed and that “the actions of the individual portraying the Flyers’ mascot did not constitute physical assault as alleged.”

Chris Greenwell, a Flyers season-ticket holder, filed a police report in December claiming that his son’s interaction with Gritty at a meet-and-greet-event in November left him with a bruise on his back.

Greenwell said that his 13-year-old son “playfully patted” Gritty on the head and that the mascot responded by punching the boy “as hard as he could.”

The Flyers released a brief statement on Monday:

Midseason 2019-20 Stanley Cup future odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing the NHL future odds to win the 2019-20 Stanley Cup, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

Contenders have started to separate themselves from the pretenders as the NHL comes off its 2019-20 All-Star break and the regular season heads into the stretch run ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Below, we analyze the NHL futures odds and make our picks and best bets to be crowned Stanley Cup champions in mid-June.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated Monday at 1:20 p.m. ET.

2019-20 Stanley Cup favorites

Tampa Bay Lightning (+800)

Last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners are back to form after a poor start to their 2019-20 campaign. The Lightning have surged into second place in the Atlantic Division and fourth place in Eastern Conference through 52 games. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy has improved month-over-month and posted an other-worldly .948 save percentage and 1.58 goals against average over 10 games in January.

The Lightning lead the league in 5-on-5 scoring-chance percentage since Dec. 1 and rank third by Corsi For Percentage (total shot attempts). These odds aren’t great with this much time left in the season, but they’re likely to only go down from here.

Vegas Golden Knights (+1700)

The Golden Knights, who fired head coach Gerard Gallant Jan. 15, have the league’s best Corsi rating since Dec. 1. Puck luck has been a real issue for the NHL’s youngest franchise, as the Golden Knights rank 24th by PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) at 5-on-5 with a .989 mark.

Goalies Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban, Garret Sparks and Oscar Dansk have combined for a .903 SV%, but Fleury should take over down the stretch run in an attempt to pass the overachieving Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division.

Place a sports bet on the 2019-20 Stanley Cup winner or other NHL games at BetMGM.

2019-20 Stanley Cup longshots

Feb 1, 2020; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) clears the puck during the first period against Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. (Photo Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern – USA TODAY Sports)

Florida Panthers (+2500)

The Panthers will likely need to rely on a wild-card berth for a postseason spot, as it’s difficult to see them surpassing any of the Boston Bruins, Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. They rank second behind the Lightning, by PDO since Dec. 1, but are still just 17th on the season as a whole.

Highly paid G Sergei Bobrovsky was much better in December and January following an awful start to his tenure in Florida. If the two-time Vezina Trophy winner can return to true form, Florida’s fourth-ranked offense could become even more dangerous.

Philadelphia Flyers (+3500)

The Flyers offer a 35-1 return on your investment and that’s as high as bettors should be looking with a realistic chance of cashing this bet. The Flyers are tied for fifth in the Metropolitan Division with the Carolina Hurricanes, but the two teams are tied for ninth in the NHL (ahead of both the Golden Knights and Panthers) with 63 points through 52 games each. The Hurricanes are priced at +1650, making the Flyers an incredible value.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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