Columbus has scored just four goals during its three-game losing streak, but Philadelphia arrives with its own finishing problem: three goals or fewer in five straight games. That makes the central question less about which team can control a few shifts and more about which can turn those shifts into enough offense. The Blue Jackets won their first meeting 4-3; another seven-goal game would require a very different scoring night from their latest outing.
Philadelphia has something to build on—and something to finish
The Flyers followed a 3-1 win at Vancouver with a 3-2 overtime loss at Edmonton. Tyson Foerster and Travis Sanheim scored against the Oilers, and Philadelphia put 32 shots on net. Evan Bouchard ended it with a one-timer 47 seconds into overtime, leaving the Flyers with another close result rather than a second straight win.
That performance matters here because Philadelphia didn’t need a wide-open game to generate attempts. The challenge is making that pressure pay: the Flyers are 3-7 over their last 10 games, and their last five outings have produced only 12 goals. Foerster’s finish and Sanheim’s contribution from the blue line offer a route forward, but Philadelphia needs more than isolated scoring plays to take advantage of a vulnerable opposing goalie.
Columbus needs a response beyond one scoring line
The Blue Jackets’ latest defeat was 3-1 against Tampa Bay. Matthew Knies supplied their only goal on the power play, ending a 15-game goal drought. Columbus stayed level into the third period before Jake Guentzel’s shot trickled under Jet Greaves’ pads, and Brandon Hagel added insurance.
Knies breaking through gives Columbus something tangible to carry forward. Still, one power-play finish won’t solve a stretch that also includes a 4-1 loss to Florida and a 5-2 loss at Buffalo. We project 28.4 shots for Columbus and 25.2 for Philadelphia. That gives the Blue Jackets a potential volume advantage—not proof that they’ll create better chances or finish them. Their ability to turn possession into repeat shots, rather than another quiet scoring night, is the key test.
Moneyline: What does Columbus need to justify the price?
DraftKings lists Columbus at -135 and Philadelphia at +114. The case for paying the home favorite rests on that projected shot advantage becoming sustained pressure. Columbus has already beaten this opponent this season, but its current scoring drought makes it hard to justify the price on that result alone.
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Philadelphia’s price becomes more interesting if the Flyers can reproduce the shot generation they showed in Edmonton. The obstacle is in net. Neither starter is confirmed, and the listed options have both struggled: Dan Vladar has a .843 save percentage and Jet Greaves a .857 mark across their respective five most recent appearances. If both start, a modest territorial advantage could disappear quickly with a soft goal. For the moneyline, the goalie decision and Columbus’ ability to generate offense beyond its latest lone power-play goal are stronger reasons to act—or pass—than either losing record.
Total: Low scoring meets shaky recent goaltending
The total is 5.5. Philadelphia games have gone Under in 13 of 21 games this season, while Columbus games have gone Under in 10 of 17. Those histories fit the teams’ recent difficulty scoring, but this threshold doesn’t leave much room for either offense to wake up.
The counterweight is the goaltending. Vladar allowed 17 goals on 108 shots across those five appearances; Greaves allowed 18 on 126. For the total, those numbers raise a different question than they do for the moneyline: can either goalie keep an ordinary shooting night from becoming a six-goal game? The Under case needs the scoring struggles to persist and the saves to improve. The Over case needs those recent save problems to matter more than the offenses’ current form. We’d want the starting-goalie decision before treating either story as complete.
Watch the saves, then the follow-up shifts
Watch whether Columbus turns its early pressure into repeat shots and whether Philadelphia can make Greaves work as often as it tested Edmonton. Just as important is what happens after the first difficult save: a clean stop and a cleared rebound could keep this tight, while a second chance could change both markets quickly. Visit the NHL betting board to compare this matchup’s prices with the rest of the slate as the goalie picture becomes clearer.
Odds and projections are snapshots and can change. Wagering involves risk.
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