Avalanche vs. Flyers Prediction and Odds: Bet the Over in a Game Full of Bad Goalies

The Colorado Avalance slides into the City of Brotherly love Monday night to take on the Philadelphia Flyers. This game almost feels like a matchup between Goliath and David. The Flyers have lost eight games in a row and while the Avs aren’t an amazing team, they do have an amazing offense.

Colorado entered this season as favorites to win the Cup but, after a 12-7-2 start to the season, are 5th in the Central Division at the moment. But, they are a much better team than this. One of their biggest issues thus far has been their goaltending. Their group of keepers was already struggling but things got way worse last week when Darcy Kuemper hurt himself in practice and has no date to return. That means tonight the Flyers will rely on Honas Johansson,  Justus Annune, and perhaps the local Zamboni driver to hold it down between the pipers.

While this is far from ideal, the Avs are so strong on offense the odds are still in their favor. Here are the odds for tonight’s matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Avalanche vs. Flyers Odds and Total

Moneyline:

• Avalanche: -160
• Flyers: +145

Puck line:

• Avalanche: -1.5 (+145)
• Flyers: +1.5 (-165)

Total:

• 6.0 (Over -130/Under +110)

Avalanche vs. Flyers Prediction and Pick

To get an idea as to how bad the Avs goaltending situation is right now, let’s look back over Johansson's performance on Saturday. In nearly two periods of play, Johansson gave up four goals on 15 total shots. That is a save percentage of .733. The coaching staff saw enough and pulled Johansson in the second period for Annenun who made his NHL debut. Annunen was an upgrade, stopping 17-of-18 shots with the lone exception being a game-winning OT goal. As of now, we don’t know who will be starting in goal for the Avalanche tonight. AHL Colorado goalie Pavel Francouz is also in the mix but is dealing with an ankle injury. No matter who makes the start for Colorado, it won’t be an ideal situation. 

Between this and their offensive prowess, I think we could be in for a high-scoring affair. The Flyers are not good on offense, but with Johansson in the net things change. Additionally, the Avs have three defenders listed as questionable in Bowen Byran, Cale Maker, and Ryan Murray. The Flyers goalie Martin Jones is not a great option either and has given up four goals in three of his last four games as a starter. Take the over and watch these two goalies implode. 

Pick: Avalanche & Flyers OVER 6 -130