Flyers vs. Sabres Betting Pick (March 31, 2021)

On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers will be on the road taking on the Buffalo Sabres for the second matchup between the teams in three nights.

Let’s get into our Flyers-Sabres betting pick with player prop predictions, odds and analysis for this March 31, 2021 matchup.

Flyers vs. Sabres Betting Pick (March 31, 2021)

The Philadelphia Flyers enter play in this one at 17-13-4, following a 4-3 overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. While most players and coaches would lean on the old adage of “a win’s a win” the same cannot be said for Monday night’s contest. Flyers head coach opted to start backup veteran netminder Brian Elliott, while 22-year-old goalie Carter Hart did not suit up as part of a weeklong shutdown. Hart will work with goalie coach Kim Dillabaugh this week to rectify season-long issues and will not be available. for tonight’s game.

Click here to get crazy 100-1 March Madness odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Buffalo roared out to a 3-0 lead, at which point Alain Vigneault had to make a drastic choice at the end of the second period. Vigneault did not enter the locker room during the second intermission, allowing his players to take ownership of the hole they’d dug for themselves and encouraging them to say what needed to be said to get themselves out of it.

Vigneault shortened his bench in the third period, with Joel Farabee, Nolan Patrick, and Oskar Lindblom all ending up benched for the game’s final period of regulation, as well as overtime. The move paid dividends as Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Jakub Voracek were reunited as a line. Kevin Hayes got the scoring started with just under two minutes gone in the third, captain Claude Giroux lit the lamp with 9:09 remaining, and reigning Selke Trophy winner Sean Couturier converted with just 1:29 left in regulation. Once the game got to overtime, defenseman Ivan Provorov ended it with a beautiful backhand goal five-hole just 42 seconds into the extra session.

Winning Monday night’s game gave the Flyers a quasi-positive to build on, as it marked their second consecutive victory and took a bit of the sting out of a four-game losing streak they’d sustained prior to Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Sabres found another way to lose. It’s been an absolutely dreadful season for Buffalo, who fell to 6-23-5 on the season, with just 17 points to their credit. They’re the only team in the NHL to have fewer than 20 points on the season. Although they picked up a point on Monday night, they’ve lost a staggering 18 games in a row.

Flyers vs. Sabres Odds

Here’s the line for the Flyers and Sabres at DraftKings Sportsbook PA:

Spread: Flyers -1.5 (+123), Sabres +1.5 (-148)
Moneyline: Flyers -200, Sabres +170
Over/Under: O 6 -106, U 6 -115

[sb-standard teams=”Philadelphia Flyers” books=”DraftKings”]

Bets We Like With a Flyers Win

Money Puck gives the Flyers a 58% chance of winning this game, which is up a bit from their projection ahead of Monday night’s matchup. Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s implied win probability based on the moneyline also higher at 64%.

Flyers Win and Over 5.5 Goals (+145, DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Buffalo Sabres got off to a great start in Monday night’s game, charging out to a 3-0 advantage through two periods. However, as is often the case with bad teams, which the Sabres certainly are, they find a way to lose games. While there’s an outside chance that Buffalo gets off to another positive start, Philadelphia should prevail, handing the Sabres their 19th consecutive loss.

When it comes to taking the over in this one, there’s a positive trend going in favor of the market. The total goals scored in Flyers games has gone over 5.5 in 13 of their last 16 games overall.

After these teams combined for seven goals in their first meeting, then played to three consecutive 3-0 results in Philadelphia’s favor, followed by results of 5-4 (SO) and 4-3 (OT).

Alain Vigneault is holding his cards close to his chest when it comes to naming a starter for tonight’s contest. Entering Monday night’s game, Brian Elliott had a disappointing month of March with a 3.60 GAA and .845 SV%, though things are trending in a positive direction. After allowing just one goal on 25 shots against the Rangers, Elliott stopped 29 of 32 shots against the Sabres. While Alex Lyon might need to get into a game to preserve the 35-year-old goalie’s physical health, it’s hard to overstate how good Elliott has been against Buffalo this season. In five games against the Sabres this season, he’s posted a 1.40 GAA and .951 SV%, both of which are his best marks against any team this season by far.

We recommend hedging a bit by bringing the total down to 5.5 and taking the over to put a six-goal result in play. If you want to up the total goals to over 6.5, you can get in on that with the Flyers to win on a same-game parlay at DraftKings Sportsbook with +175 odds.

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Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

Both Teams to Score 2 or More Goals Including OT/SO (-190, BetMGM)

Not only have the Flyers and Sabres lit the lamp at least twice in each of their last two meetings, but they’ve done so quite a bit in recent games. Philadelphia has scored at least two goals in four straight games and 24 of their last 29 games overall. Buffalo has scored multiple goals in four of their last five games and 11 of 15 games in the month of March. Given their recent three-goal performance against Brian Elliott and the potentially juicy matchup against AHL goalie Alex Lyon, there’s reason to believe they could do so once again on Wednesday night.

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Sean Couturier to Record at Least One Assist (-110, BetMGM)

Reigning Selke Trophy winner Sean Couturie has recorded seven points in his last four games, including a goal and an assist against the Sabres on Monday night.

That two-point performance brought Couturier’s totals against the Sabres to seven points, including three goals and four assists in just four games. Couturier has been as close to a surefire bet in terms of player props all season.

While BetMGM has the more general Over 0.5 points market at -200 odds, a bit of specificity can get nearly twice the payout. Bettors who believe Couturier will find the back of the net for the fourth time in five games against the Sabres, BetMGM has those odds at +190 for him to score anytime.

Sean Couturier to Record 2+ Points (+250, DraftKings Sportsbook)

Sean Couturier has been nothing short of consistent this season for the Orange & Black, as not only a consistent facilitator, but also a guy who can get his team an important goal when they need it most. That multi-faceted threat is why getting Couturier to record 2 or more points at +250 odds is a worthwhile market.

Couturier has recorded multiple points in three of his last four games, totaling four goals and three assists in four games over that stretch. In four games against the Sabres this season, Couturier has recorded multiple points in three matchups.

Given the higher-scoring nature of recent Flyers games and the back-and-forth potential in this contest, getting Couturier to record 2+ points is solid value at +250 odds.

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Flyers vs. Sabres Prediction

Pick: Buffalo technically has home ice advantage and went up three goals on the Flyers through two periods on Monday, but home ice advantage doesn’t mean much when you’re in the midst of an 18-game losing streak and blew that 3-0 lead. Take the Flyers to Win and Over 5.5 Goals. Also, take a flier on Sean Couturier to Record 2+ Points.

Click here to get a $600 risk-free first bet with BetMGM.