The Philadelphia Flyers might be accused of ‘picking on the little guy’ after tonight’s matchup against the New York Islanders. Philadelphia’s last three games have been against the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference—the Buffalo Sabres and the Islanders—as well as the third-worst team in the Western Conference—the Nashville Predators. And to make matters worse, the Flyers will face New York for the second straight night in a home-and-home situation. Philadelphia is probably not complaining since the team is currently sitting in the middle of a tight playoff race where the fifth through eighth spots are separated by only three points in the standings.

New York, on the other hand, is still sitting at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with only 45 points in the standings. The Islanders are, however, gaining ground on the eighth spot as they have won six of their first nine matchups to start 2014. The team is on quite an offensive scoring burst and has managed to produce 31 goals over nine games for an average of 3.44 goals per game. Let’s take a closer at tonight’s Flyers versus Islanders matchup with predictions and analysis.

Flyers at Islanders Betting Story Lines

Philadelphia was able to score six times during its come-from-behind victory over New York on Saturday. Defenseman Andrej Meszaros scored two goals in the first period, and center Claude Giroux added two huge assists to help the team earn its ninth comeback win of the season. Flyers goaltender Steve Mason was pulled from the game after allowing his fourth goal of the night. Mason, who just recently signed a $12.3 million contract extension, has allowed 15 goals during his last four starts and has struggled during the beginning of 2014.

The Flyers have won two of their last three games and are on an offensive surge, scoring 13 goals in that span. Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia’s top scorer, has produced seven points—two goals and five assists—over his last five matchups. Giroux has also chipped in with five points in his last five games. After Monday’s matchup Philadelphia is set to play three of its next four games inside the Wells Fargo Center

The Islanders have played well since the start of the New Year and are slowly inching closer into contention for the final playoff spot in the East. The team has won six-of-nine and trails the Columbus Blue Jackets by only seven points for the eighth seed in the conference. New York will play five of its next six matchups after finishing off a six-game road trip in Philadelphia on Saturday.

New York gave up a whopping six goals on 32 shoot attempts during its last outing against the Flyers. Goaltender Kevin Poulin has played well outside of his performance against Philadelphia and has given up only eight goals in his previous four games. Overall, the team has been on a solid run to start 2014 and managed to win four matchups during its six-game road trip.

Flyers at Islanders NHL Betting Odds and Key Trends

New York opened up as a small -110 moneyline favorite over the even-money Flyers at BetOnline. The total was set at 5.5 goals, with the “under” being favored at -121. New York is 7-0 during its most recent matchups against teams with a winning record and 8-3 over its last 11 overall games. The team, however, is only 4-9 during its last 13 Monday games and 2-9 over its last 11 home games. New York is also 1-5 over its last six games during the second game of a home-and-home situation.

Philadelphia is 6-2 over its last eight road games and 5-2 over its last seven games played on one day of rest. The team is also 9-4 during its last 13 overall games but only 4-10 on Monday night games. Philadelphia has gone over in six of its last eight games versus the Metropolitan Division. Head-to-head, the home team is 4-1 over the last five meetings, while the over is 5-2 over the last seven matchups between the two teams.

Free NHL Picks: Flyers at Islanders Odds

The Islanders may still be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, but at the moment they are not playing like it. New York’s defense has been solid, its offense seems to be playing with a renewed sense of purpose, and, most importantly, the team is winning. Saturday’s disappointing performance against the Flyers probably had more to do with fatigue from playing on the road than it did with the squad cooling off of its recent hot streak. Expect New York to be energized by its home-ice advantage and look to get a measure of revenge against Philadelphia from Saturday’s loss. Take New York on the moneyline.

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