Flyers Preview: Will Philadelphia Spoil(er) the Oilers?

Flyers' Gerry Mayhew
ELMONT, NY – JANUARY 25: Philadelphia Flyers Center Gerry Mayhew (20) controls the puck during the first period of the National Hockey League game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders on January 25, 2022, at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)

One win can be a catalyst to something greater. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Washington Capitals last weekend, 2-1.

Claude Giroux and Cam Atkinson jumped on the board in the first period, enough to hold off any comeback jumpstarted by TJ Oshie. Carter Hart was incredible, denying Joe Snively a couple of times in high danger situations. The cherry on top of the victory was Rasmus Ristolainen and Zack MacEwen doing their part in bullying Tom Wilson.

Additionally, Alex Ovechkin still hasn’t registered a point against the all-time worst Flyers team.

Tonight, Philadelphia hosts the Edmonton Oilers. Lately, the Oilers are 2-3-0 in their last five games. They’re hoping to hold on to their wildcard position in the Western Conference. Saturday, the story was similar. Could the Flyers do their part in spoiling a postseason bid, or will Edmonton continue their journey?

Edmonton Oilers (29-21-3; 61pts)

These two opponents are about as healthy. Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will be without Duncan Keith (concussion,) Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (upper-body,) Jesse Puljujarvi (lower body,) Kyle Turris (undisclosed,) Zack Kassian (jaw,) and Kris Russell (undisclosed.)

Here’s the projected lineup for the Oilers:

Foegele-McDavid-Hyman
Kane-Draisaitl-Yamamoto
Benson-McLeod-Ryan
Shore-Malone-Perlini

Nurse-Barrie
Lagesson-Ceci
Keith-Bouchard

Koskinen
(Smith)

Mikko Koskinen (18-8-2, 90.1%SV, 3.13GAA) will start. Koskinen, in his career, is 2-1-0 versus the Philadelphia Flyers with a 93.2%SV and a 2.69GAA. He performs above average against the Flyers.

Cody Ceci (51.7%CF, +1, 75HIT, 22GV) earns tonight’s spotlight. He’s a player Philadelphia had a shot at obtaining in the offseason for a bargain, but Chuck Fletcher elected to make room for Rasmus Ristolainen instead. Ceci isn’t a flashy player at all. He does help slow the transition in the neutral zone, which the Flyers predicate their scoring chances. Forwards like Oskar Lindblom, Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, or Gerry Mayhew could expose Ceci for being a little too careless with the puck, forcing a rush the other way towards Koskinen.

A Philadelphia Fly-By

Despite news trending in the right direction, the Philadelphia Flyers are still without Wade Allison (MCL,) Kevin Hayes (lower body,) Nate Thompson (shoulder,) and Ryan Ellis (lower body.) Allison, Hayes, and Thompson skated yesterday, however.

Here’s the projected lineup for the Flyers:

Farabee-Giroux-Atkinson
Lindblom-Laughton-Konecny
van Riemsdyk-Brassard-Mayhew
Ratcliffe-Brown-MacEwen

Provorov-Braun
Sanheim-Ristolainen
Yandle-Seeler

Hart
(Jones)

Carter Hart (10-16-6, 91.1%SV, 2.9GAA) occupied the crease during practice. He’s the likely starter against Koskinen. Hart, in his career, is 2-1-0 against the Edmonton Oilers, owning an 88.4%SV and 4.22GAA.

Mayhew (6G, 0A) earns player spotlight. Ceci is steady in the second pair for the Oilers, but Mayhew is a tenacious forward who can easily make a turnover become an odd-man rush on offense. On the third line, Philadelphia must remain busy. They were the most consistent line on the ice during the 2-1 victory against the Washington Capitals.

Prediction/Props

Per DraftKings, the over and under for this game is set to 6.5 with the Philadelphia Flyers at +135 underdogs. Tonight seems as good of a night to bet on the Flyers as there will be this season. Philadelphia loves an underdog and so does your wallet. Maybe add a prop bet on Mayhew to score a point.

You can get a risk-free $50 bet by signing up to DraftKings HERE

Flyers 4, Oilers 3 (OT)

(Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire)