NHL Hockey Free Predictions: Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers
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Team Records:
Philadelphia: 40-34-6
New York: 37-33-10
Tonight, 7:05p.m. ET
Sportsbook odds: Flyers +125, Rangers -145, O/U 5.5
Flyers vs. Rangers
Well, a home and home series does not get much bigger than this. The NHL schedule makers must have been staring into a crystal ball when the put the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers against each other in their final two games of the 2009-2010 campaign. One of these teams is playing poorly at the moment while the other team is playing some of their best hockey of the season.
The Philadelphia Flyers have been acting like they do not want a playoff spot. They have won two straight games but have gone a disappointing 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. If Atlanta, Boston or Montreal played decently over the past two or so weeks, the Flyers would not be in seventh place in the Eastern Conference – they might not even be occupying a playoff position.
Jeff Carter is rumoured to be returning Friday night and his return could not come soon enough. Daniele Briere, Simone Gagne and Scott Hartnell have disappeared for the Flyers and have left the offense up to Ian LaPerriere and Claude Giroux. And you are wondering why the Flyers have struggled? Netminding has been OK for the Flyers but it is nowhere near the level it needs to be at this time of the season.
The New York Rangers have definitely made things interesting in the Eastern Conference. They appear to be on their ninth life and clinging to life. Urgency seems to suit these Rangers just fine. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and an impressive 6-1 in their last seven outings. The Rangers are hot right now and looking like the team that many envisioned when the season started.
The Rangers’ best players are a big reason why the Rangers are in the position they are in. Marian Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist have finally started to earn their pay checks. Gaborik has tallied eleven points in his last ten games while previous to a bad outing in his last game, Lundqvist had recorded a 5-0-1 record with a goals against average under two. Youngsters Brandon Dubinski and Ryan Calahan have responded well to the tongue lashing that Coach John Tortarella levied upon them and have been playing much better lately.
Friday night’s game is a matchup of one team playing badly and one team playing well. Jeff Carter might add a bit of life into the Philadelphia lineup but there is bound to be a rust factor too. The Flyers are a miserable 2-8 in their last 10 road games and don’t look anything like a playoff team. The rangers will make the Eastern Conference playoff picture a whole lot more interesting on Friday night and give their fans a reason to watch Sunday’s season finale.
NHL Betting Trends:
Philadelphia is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
NY Rangers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
NY Rangers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of the NY Rangers last 7 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia’s last 7 games when playing NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Philadelphia’s last 6 games when playing on the road against NY Rangers
Pick: New York Rangers
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