The Tampa Bay Lighting are coming off a deep playoff run that extended all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, but there won’t be any championship banners raised in Florida when the Bolts welcome the Philadelphia Flyers to town to open the 2015/16 NHL season Wednesday.
- Tampa Bay had the best home record in the NHL last year (32-8-1).
- Dave Hakstol will be making his NHL coaching debut for the Flyers.
- Philadelphia had the 2nd best Sportsbook in the league last year.
One of the youngest and most talented teams in the league, Tampa gave fans and bettors alike plenty of reasons to be optimistic for the future last season. The Bolts finished second in the Atlantic Division at 50-24-8 SU thanks largely in part to a high-octane offense that found the back of the net 262 times – tops in the NHL.
‘Underwhelming’ is probably the best word to sum up Philadelphia’s 2014/15 season. The Flyers were on the outside looking in towards the playoffs at 33-31-18 SU but still have plenty of talent, namely superstar forwards Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Philly has missed the postseason twice since 2012/13 after making playoff appearances in 16 out of its prior 17 seasons.
Ben Bishop and Steve Mason are the probable starters for the Lightning and Flyers, respectively. Bishop posted a 40-13-5 record with a .916 save percentage and 2.32 GAA, while Mason finished 18-18-11 with a .928 save percentage and 2.25 GAA.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
NHL Hockey odds makers at Sportsbook had the Tampa Bay Lightning as -193 moneyline favorites in this betting matchup. Those over under betting saw the line open at 5.5 at Sportsbook.
A 2.7-2.4 result in favor of the Lightning is the prediction by the Odds Shark handicapping pick engine. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.
Philadelphia Flyers vs Tampa Bay Lightning Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Tampa Bay Lightning sport a record of 0-0-0 heading into this matchup, while the Philadelphia Flyers sit at 0-0-0 on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 53-52-3 for the Lightning and 33-45-4 for the Flyers. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Tampa Bay vs Philadelphia injuries news.
The Odds Shark NHL Power Rankings have the Tampa Bay Lightning at No. 2 and the Philadelphia Flyers at No. 18 heading into this contest.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Philadelphia was a 3-1 loser in its last match at home against the Senators. They lost as +145 underdogs, while the total score of 4 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors.
Last time out for Tampa Bay, they were a 2-0 loser as they battled the Blackhawks on the road. Moneyline bettors who got the Blackhawks at -154 were rewarded, while the 2 combined goals moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
- Philadelphia is 5-12 SU in its last 17 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Philadelphia's last 7 games
- Philadelphia is 1-10 SU in its last 11 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 7 games on the road
- Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 7 games
- Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay's last 8 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Philadelphia at Florida, Saturday, October 10th
Tampa Bay at Buffalo, Saturday, October 10th
