Flyers Visit Boston Hoping To End 5-Game Skid

The Boston Bruins (20-11-2) are again listed as large home favorites against the slumping Philadelphia Flyers (13-15-7) on Thursday despite playing the second game of a back-to-back situation. The Bruins posted an easy 5-1 win over Montreal on Wednesday as heavy -400 home chalk behind a hat trick from Brad Marchand, while the Flyers are back on the ice for the first time since Saturday after their home game Tuesday vs Carolina was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

These teams are obviously heading in opposite directions, with Philadelphia losing five games in a row and Boston winning three straight and six of seven following a stretch of five games that were postponed because of COVID-19 between December 18 and 27.

That time off appears to have benefited the Bruins while the Flyers were only forced to postpone one game with four players most recently impacted: forward Travis Konecny and defensemen Justin Braun, Ivan Provorov and Rasmus Ristolainen, who is the lone player remaining in the protocols. With Konecny, Braun and Provorov cleared to return, the question is how effective will they be? Philly in fact may be more tired than a Boston team playing on back-to-back nights, and any line movement could reflect that.

Philadelphia News & Notes

Provorov voiced his frustrations on the mandatory five-day quarantine that forced him to miss three games, and he is hopeful that something will change to allow players to return sooner.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux also missed the last three games, and their absence certainly hurt the team’s production during that stretch in which they went 0-2-1 and were outscored by a 13-5 margin.

The problem here, though, is that they are playing the hot Bruins, who finally seem like they are performing up to preseason expectations. Add to that the expected season debut of goaltender Tuukka Rask between the pipes for Boston, and whatever edge Philadelphia seemingly had with rest might not even matter.

Boston News & Notes

The Bruins appear to be running on all cylinders right now, and the highly anticipated return of Rask should have the B’s fans buzzing at TD Garden.

While Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy has said Rask will not be judged on one game, you can bet he is excited to see what the winningest goalie in team history has at this stage of his illustrious career.

The 34-year-old veteran famously opted out of the Stanley Cup playoffs a couple of years ago, and things have not been the same for him in Beantown since then. Fans typically like a good comeback story, and they should enjoy this one. However, whether that actually happens remains to be seen and his performance could play a considerable role in the outcome.

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