The Philadelphia Flyers'visit the'Columbus Blue Jackets'on Thursday to open the NHL season. Puck drop from Nationwide Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Flyers vs. Blue Jackets'odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Philadelphia finished 31-38-13 with 75 total points to land 7th in the Metropolitan Division. It was coach John Tortorella’s 1st season with the team after coaching the Columbus Blue Jackets. Philadelphia’s main problem last year was scoring with just 222 goals to rank 29th of 32 teams.
Columbus ended last season with a dismal 25-48-9 record, with 59 points, good for 8th in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets, led by coach Brad Larsen in his 2nd year, struggled across the board last season with 214 goals for (30th of 32) and 330 goals against (31st of 32).
Both teams look to get on a better path this season and it starts Thursday night.