The 2017 NHL Stadium Series moves to Heinz Field this Saturday night for a Metro Division clash between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Game time from Pittsburgh is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and this in-state rivalry will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh Game Overview
The Flyers are five points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 63 total points in a very crowded wild card race. They have not done themselves any favors down the stretch with just two wins in their last eight games. With Wednesday’s 4-1 loss to Washington as +144 home underdogs, the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in eight of their last nine games.
One of the biggest issues during this current slide has been the Flyers inability to score goals. Going back over their last eight games they have been held to one goal or completely shutout five times. Brayden Schenn was the lone goal scorer in Wednesday’s loss and Michal Neuvirth gave up four goals on the 29 shots he faced in goal. Wayne Simmons is Philadelphia’s leading goal scorer this season with 25 and he continues to do his job with three scores in his last five games.
Pittsburgh is cruising towards the playoffs with 82 total points, which is second only to Washington (87). It has gone 6-1-3 in its last 10 games following a 3-1 road win against Carolina this past Tuesday as a -143 favorite. The total stayed UNDER 5.5 goals in that game and it has stayed UNDER in six of the Penguins last nine games. They have won 11 of their last 14 home games as part of an overall record of 24-4-3 on their home ice.
Behind an offense that is the highest scoring unit in the NHL with 3.5 goals per game, it is safe to assume that Pittsburgh has every intention of successfully defending last season’s Stanley Cup title. Defensively it falls to 16th in the NHL in average goals allowed (2.8) with both Marc-Andre Fleury and Matt Murray splitting time in goal. Murray has been getting the majority of the starts lately and his current goals against average stands at 2.27.
Philadelphia at Pittsburgh Game Betting Trends
- The Flyers are 3-12 in their last 15 road games and just 2-8 in their last 10 division games. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in seven of their last eight games against the Metro Division.
- The Penguins are 16-7 in their last 23 games following a win and they have won six of their last eight games coming off three or more days rest. The total has gone OVER in six of their last eight Saturday games.
- Head-to-head in this Metro Division rivalry, Pittsburgh has won four of the last five meetings and the total has gone OVER in five of the last six meetings on its home ice.
