After a strange few days, change has finally come to the City of Brotherly Love, as Dave Hakstol’s time with the Philadelphia Flyers came to an end on Monday. With interim head coach Scott Gordon in tow, the sputtering Flyers will look to begin their climb out of the cellar of the Eastern Conference when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Sportsbooks opened the Flyers as -170 home favorites with a total of 6.5.
- The Red Wings are 1-13 SU in their last 14 games on the road vs the Flyers.
- The total has gone OVER in five of the Red Wings’ last six games on the road vs the Flyers.
- The total has gone OVER in the Red Wings’ last four games on the road (avg. combined score: 7.5).
Red Wings vs Flyers Game Center
It’s Hart time in Philadelphia
Philly was outscored 22-8 en route to dropping the final four tilts of its recent five-game road trip, which was the final nail in the coffin for Hakstol. Reports came out on Sunday that the front office was replacing him with ex-Chicago Blackhawks bench boss Joel Quenneville, yet they proved to be false. Captain Claude Giroux has been doing his part, however, as the Canadian has 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in his last eight games.
Amid the coaching confusion in Philadelphia, the Flyers made another big announcement Monday morning when the club decided to call up prized goaltending prospect Carter Hart from its American Hockey League team. The 20-year-old, who is widely considered the Flyers’ netminder of the future, is officially going to make his first NHL start tonight after posting a 9-5-2 SU mark with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Fellow goalie Anthony Stolarz (lower body) was placed on the injured reserve and is expected to be out two to four weeks.
The Red Wings dropped their third straight game with Saturday’s 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Islanders in the opener of their three-game road trip. Center Dylan Larkin carries a seven-game point streak (four goals, six assists) into tonight’s contest, with the Michigan native’s five goals and 11 points in December only one shy of his October numbers. Despite failing to reach the scoreboard in nine straight, Andreas Athanasiou is second on the team with 11 goals.
Red Wings have been a terrible bet at Wells Fargo Center
How poorly have the Red Wings done when traveling to Philadelphia in recent years? Detroit is a pitiful 1-13 SU in its past 14 trips to Wells Fargo Center. The Wings have been a much better puckline wager against the Flyers, however, going 7-1 on the puckline in their previous eight vs Philly.
When it comes to the total, bettors will want to pay close attention to the OVER in this one. Five of the past six meetings between the Red Wings and Flyers have gone OVER the closing total, while Detroit has eclipsed the closing total in each of its past four away from home with an average combined score of 7.5 goals.
