The Boston Bruins will look for their third consecutive home win Saturday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers as -205 betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Boston bounced back from Monday?s 4-2 road loss to the Ottawa Senators, the team it is trying to catch in the Atlantic Division standings, with a decisive 6-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings as a -289 favorite Wednesday. The Bruins remain six points back of the second-place Senators going into Saturday afternoon?s Flyers vs. Bruins betting matchup at TD Garden.
The Bruins have alternated between wins and losses over their past four outings, but clearly have been trending in the right direction since late January with 12 wins in their past 17 games. That has given a boost to the club?s previously moribund Stanley Cup odds, which have improved to a respectable +2500.
Boston?s defense has been particularly stingy on home ice of late, surrendering just six total goals in the club?s past five games at TD Garden. However, the Bruins have struggled to contain Philadelphia snipers in their past three home clashes with the Flyers, posting a pair of wins but allowing 10 total goals.
The Flyers close out a four-game road trip in Boston as +184 underdogs following a 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs as +133 underdogs. They currently are five points out of the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference.
Philadelphia has picked up points in four of its past five games, including three wins, but has work to do to make up ground lost during a lengthy 34-game stretch that has featured just 12 victories. The road has been particularly rocky for the Flyers, with just four wins in 19 games since mid-December.
The Flyers? struggles have not gone unnoticed at the sportsbooks, where they quickly have fallen to a distant +7500 on the Stanley Cup odds, well off the +2000 odds they sported at Christmas.
Following their Saturday matinee against Philadelphia, the Bruins embark on a four-game Canadian road trip that could hold the key to their playoff aspirations. The club faces the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, before playing the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers next Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. The B’s will wrap up the trip in Toronto on March 20.
The Bruins posted back-to-back road victories against the Los Angeles Kings and Dallas Stars prior to their recent loss in Ottawa. That marked the club?s only consecutive road victories in 25 games dating back to mid-November. Boston also has picked up just one win in its past seven road dates in Western Canada.
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