Philadelphia Flyers @ Tampa Bay Lightning - November 7, 2024

The atmosphere at Amalie Arena is sure to be electric as the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Philadelphia Flyers this Thursday night. The oddsmakers have opened with Tampa Bay as the favorites at -182, and while they’ve been struggling lately, I believe they’ll find a way to turn things around against a Flyers team that’s had its own share of issues.

Let’s talk about Tampa Bay first. They’ve been averaging 3.8 goals per game, which is impressive on paper. However, they’ve hit a rough patch recently, losing three straight games, including their last outing against the Blues where they fell 3-2. The Lightning’s shooting percentage sits at just over 14%, and although their offensive zone presence is decent, it hasn’t translated into consistent scoring lately. Their power play isn’t lighting up the scoreboard either, sitting at an 18.6% success rate—definitely not what you want from a team with championship aspirations.

On the defensive side of things, Tampa Bay has managed an 88.3% save percentage but has struggled on penalty kills with only 73.81%. With those numbers in mind, one can’t help but wonder if they’re due for a bounce-back performance at home against a struggling opponent.

Now let’s look at Philadelphia. This team has been having a rough season with a record of 4-8-1 and averages just 2.5 goals per game—a stark contrast to what we see from their opponents tonight. Their shooting percentage is even lower than Tampa’s at about 9.8%, which tells me they aren’t generating enough quality chances or capitalizing when they do get them.

Interestingly enough, both teams share similar power play stats; each averages around two-thirds of a goal per game on the man advantage—but Philadelphia boasts slightly better efficiency overall with a power play percentage of 20%. Defensively, though they’ve got an admirable penalty kill rate (88.89%), their save percentage lags behind Tampa’s by just over two points.

So where does that leave us? I predict that Tampa Bay will come out victorious in this matchup—home ice advantage and all—but don’t expect them to blow out the Flyers given their recent struggles and Philadelphia’s ability to cover spreads when playing as underdogs.

As for totals betting, I lean towards taking the UNDER in this game based on both teams’ recent performances and scoring woes—especially considering that last time out for Philadelphia saw them give up six goals in defeat against Carolina.

In summary: Tampa Bay gets back on track with a win tonight while Philadelphia covers the spread—and keep your bets conservative because I’m expecting this one to stay under the total of 6.5 goals! It’s always wise to trust your gut and stick to your betting rituals; sometimes those little superstitions make all the difference!