The NHL is set up with another great slate of action throughout April 7. Eleven games are up on the board throughout Thursday night. One of these games will be between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets. These two teams have been struggling throughout this season and will look for a big win in this one. This game will drop the puck at around 7:00 PM Eastern time.
Philadelphia has earned a record of 22-37-11 throughout this season, which has them sitting in seventh place of the Metropolitan division. The Flyers are coming off a loss in their last game and have lost five of their last six. Philadelphia has had a disappointing season, but will look to play spoiler down the stretch. I expect the Flyers to come out fast on the road in this one.
The Blue Jackets have put up a record of 33-32-6 so far this season, which has them sitting in sixth place of the Metropolitan division. Columbus is coming off a win in their last game, which ended a seven game losing streak. The Blue Jackets are pretty close to eliminated entering this one, but will look for a big win. Columbus will look to grab a big win on Thursday.
The Flyers have been struggling a lot throughout this season and will look to grab a big road win. Columbus earned a win in their last game, which ended a losing streak. If either team can come out quickly in this one, it could be enough for the win.
Game Overview
| Teams | Spread | Money Line | Total |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +1 ½ (-210) | +115 | Over 6 ½ (-110) |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | -1 ½ (+175) | -135 | Under 6 ½ (-110) |
| Team Data | Philadelphia Flyers | Columbus Blue Jackets |
| Overall Record | 22-37-11 | 33-32-6 |
| Away/ Home Record | 9-20-5 | 18-14-4 |
| Goals Per Game | 2.57 | 3.17 |
| Goals Per Game Away/ Home | 2.29 | 3.39 |
| Save Percentage | .897 | .896 |
| Save Percentage Away/ Home | .897 | .897 |
Betting Trends
These two teams have met up twice throughout this season. The first game was in Philadelphia on January 20. Boone Jenner had two assists, while Elvis Merzlikins stopped 33 of 34 shots as Columbus won 2-1. The second game stayed in Philadelphia on April 5. Sean Kuraly and Carson Meyer both had a goal and an assist as the Blue Jackets earned a 4-2 win.
Final. #CBJvsPHI | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/H4jYTCjOUJ
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 6, 2022
Special Teams
The Flyers have struggled on special teams throughout this season. Philadelphia has scored on 26 of their 203 power play chances, which is a 12.8 percent power play. The Flyers have killed off 149 of their opponents 196 power play attempts, which is a 76 percent kill rate. Philadelphia is 32nd on the power play and 23rd on the kill.
Columbus has been a bit better on special teams on the season. The Blue Jackets have capitalized on 33 of their 185 power play opportunities, which is a 17.8 percent success rate. Columbus has given up 45 power play goals on 206 penalties against, which is 78.2 percent penalty kill. The Blue Jackets are 25th on the man advantage and 20th on the penalty kill.
These two teams have struggled on special teams throughout this season, but will look to get going in this one. Philadelphia has struggled on the power play heavily on this season, but their penalty kill has been a bit better. If either team can get a power play goal early in this one, it could be enough for the win on Thursday night.
Goaltending Comparison
I expect Martin Jones to get the nod in the crease for Philadelphia in this one. Jones has started in 26 games this season, going 9-14-3 in those matchups. He has posted a .906 save percentage and a GAA of 3.38 in those games. Jones finished with 43 saves on 46 shots in his last start against the New York Rangers, which was enough for the win.
Elvis Merzlikins will likely get the start between the pipes for the Blue Jackets on Thursday night. Merzlikins has earned a record of 23-18-6 in his 47 starts on the season. He has put up a save percentage of .904 and a 3.37 GAA. Merzlikins stopped 47 of 49 shots in his last start against the Flyers, which was enough for the win.
These two goalies have been solid on the season throughout the season. Jones has been a bit better on the season, but has played in less games. Merzlikins is coming off a win in his last game and two of his last four. Jones won in his last start, which ended a six game losing streak. Both goalies will look for a big start in this one.
Pick Overview
These two teams have struggled throughout the season, but will look for a big win in this one. The Flyers have struggled a lot on the season, but will look for a quick start. Philadelphia dropped the first two games against Columbus, but will look to bounce back.
Bovada has the Blue Jackets listed as a -135 against the money line in this one. This implies that Columbus will win this game around 57.5 percent of the time. I think that this line should be closer to even with both teams struggling as of late. The Flyers are coming off a loss against the Blue Jackets and I think they will make adjustments. As underdogs, I like the value on Philadelphia.
