by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Nov 29, 2022
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Where to watch: HULU, ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Islanders -180, Flyers +155
FanDuel: Islanders -194, Flyers +160
BetMGM: Islanders -175, Flyers +145
Caesars: Islanders -190, Flyers +158
Season record
Islanders: 15-8-0
Flyers: 7-10-5
What an electric start to the NHL season. So much parity, so many good teams through the first 10-plus games, you have every right to be excited! Of course the Vegas Golden Knights and Boston Bruins (and the New Jersey Devils?) are heading the fun charge here as the top two teams in the league, because of course they are. But never count out the Avalanche, you know they're always going to be hanging around and will be eating worlds once they get everyone healthy. But this is a good time to be playing these hockey games, as well. Look no further than our own Doc's Sports on a 14-7-0 run over the first 30 days of the NHL season. There's also ASA, Inc. posting a 12-5-1 mark through the first month. You know you can trust our champion handicappers to get you across the finish line with your NHL bets. Check out our Best Bets page at bigal.com to see what we're throwing down!
Islanders - Flyers preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Islanders: won 4 straight
Flyers: lost 10 straight
Remember when the Philadelphia Flyers got off to that really hot start and everyone thought that under John Tortorella they were going to be the team of destiny and that if they could just wear and tear teams down for 82 games that they could make the playoffs and all this other crap that makes no sense? Well yeah about that. Try 10 straight losses for the Philadelphia Flyers. And if there was ever a time to just laugh maniacally at this, and especially at the Flyers organization for not knowing anything about how to build a team from a coaching staff on down, this would be the time.
Remember when the Philadelphia Flyers got off to that really hot start and everyone thought that under John Tortorella they were going to be the team of destiny and that if they could just wear and tear teams down for 82 games that they could make the playoffs and all this other crap that makes no sense? Well yeah about that. Try 10 straight losses for the Philadelphia Flyers. And if there was ever a time to just laugh maniacally at this, and especially at the Flyers organization for not knowing anything about how to build a team from a coaching staff on down, this would be the time.
Just days after losing 5-2 to the New York Islanders, the home-and-home series will continue this time in Philadelphia with the red-hot Islanders looking to win their fifth straight game. The last time these two teams met up with each other it didn't really go well. Because not only are the Flyers just not that good, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, they were held to just two goals against a New York team that is so good in terms of playing defense and getting good goaltending. And when the Islanders got that from Semyon Varlamov on Saturday, that was really all they needed. Philadelphia might not make things easy in terms of how they outwork their competition sometimes, but you can only do so much when your goaltender is literally standing on his head, and your offense cannot put anything together for longer stretches of 15, 20 minutes.
When Zach Parise is scoring power play goals like it's nothing, then you know you might have a problem defensively. And has nothing to do with power-play goals in general. It has everything to do with how the Flyers just have no idea how to play defense on any given night. And I look at that game, and I look at the last 10 in general I just how bad Philadelphia has been. If you want, we can do some quick math and figure out how many goals they've scored in this stretch. Because there's a two spot there a one spot here, a couple of fours but All in all they have scored 21 goals in the last 10 games.
I don't even want to think about the math of how many they have given up because it's likely not going to look good. I already see a couple of fives in there and that tends to tell me that maybe their defense isn't that great. Again this is my shocked face. When you look at the Flyers, their best player in the last five games has been Kevin Hayes at a point per game, but man there is nobody right now that can save this group. Carter Hart has tried his best with a 6-5-4 record, a .915 save percentage and a 2.85 goals against average. Those numbers came back so hard after he was on a terrible lifetime that it's almost comical yet almost just ridiculous.
Prediction
you never want to be too loose when taking a team that's on a long losing streak, but even though that they played each other for the second time in as many days and the series now shifts to Philadelphia, you can't sit there and tell me that you've put in the effort to think that I'm going to take you in this game. New York all the way, let's ride Islanders nation. Islanders win 5-2
Betting trends
Islanders are 12-2 when playing a 4th game in 7 days this season.
Islanders are 171-189 on the road against division opponents since 1996.
Flyers are 0-10 off 2 straight division losses the last 2 seasons.
Projected lines
Islanders:
Simon Holmstrom -- Mathew Barzal -- Oliver Wahlstrom
Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Anthony Beauvillier
Zach Parise -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Josh Bailey
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho -- Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov -- Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Simon Holmstrom -- Mathew Barzal -- Oliver Wahlstrom
Anders Lee -- Brock Nelson -- Anthony Beauvillier
Zach Parise -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Josh Bailey
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Sebastian Aho -- Noah Dobson
Alexander Romanov -- Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
Flyers:
Noah Cates -- Kevin Hayes -- Owen Tippett
Kieffer Bellows -- Morgan Frost -- Zack MacEwen
Nicolas Deslauriers -- Tanner Laczynski -- Joel Farabee
Jackson Cates -- Lukas Sedlak -- Patrick Brown
Ivan Provorov -- Tony DeAngelo
Travis Sanheim -- Justin Braun
Nick Seeler -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Carter Hart
Noah Cates -- Kevin Hayes -- Owen Tippett
Kieffer Bellows -- Morgan Frost -- Zack MacEwen
Nicolas Deslauriers -- Tanner Laczynski -- Joel Farabee
Jackson Cates -- Lukas Sedlak -- Patrick Brown
Ivan Provorov -- Tony DeAngelo
Travis Sanheim -- Justin Braun
Nick Seeler -- Rasmus Ristolainen
Carter Hart
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
