Flyers at Sabres: Projected lines, odds & trends, and what to watch for

The Philadelphia Flyers are up in Buffalo to close out the month of March. It’s been an abysmal month so far with a 5-9-1 record while being outscored 66-41. However, the Sabres are even worse than the Flyers with 17 straight losses, including nine straight since the shootout in Philadelphia.

OTR: Hall Cost ‘Comical’. ‘Wild Wild West’ NHL Trade Deadline? | PHN+

If the Flyers can come away with two wins in Buffalo, they’ll finish the month with a 7-9-1 record. That isn’t great, but it’s passable and sets them up to have a chance in April.

Projected lines and pairs

Flyers forward lines

Alain Vigneault and the Flyers should have the same forward lines for the third game in a row. They have all played pretty well and deserve to keep rolling.

James van Riemsdyk – Sean Couturier – Travis Konecny
Claude Giroux – Kevin Hayes – Joel Farabee
Oskar Lindblom – Nolan Patrick – Jakub Voracek
Michael Raffl – Scott Laughton – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Flyers defensive pairs

Samuel Morin has made the most of his time up with the Flyers. He took out the Flyers’ frustration on Brendan Lemieux on Thursday night and scored the game-winning goal on Saturday.

WATCH: Sam Morin takes out Flyers’ frustration on Brendan Lemieux in 8-3 loss
GIF Rewind: Sam Morin powers Flyers to victory over Rangers

Erik Gustafsson and Nate Prosser are healthy scratches.

Ivan Provorov – Justin Braun
Travis Sanheim – Philippe Myers
Samuel Morin – Shayne Gostisbehere

Flyers starting goalie

Brian Elliott will get the start again tonight after a solid performance on Saturday. Carter Hart will not dress for either game this week.

Carter Hart getting two-game break to ‘work harder’ and ‘work better’ in practice

Brian Elliott
Alex Lyon

Follow us on Twitter (@PhillyHockeyNow) and keep an eye out for lineup updates as we get closer to game time.

Betting odds and trends

via Covers

• The Flyers are -185 favorites against the Sabres (+165). The total is set at 5.5 goals.

Get In The Game With Online Sports Betting

Flyers trends

• 0-5 in their last 5 games following a win.
• 23-8 in their last 31 games as a road favorite.
• 36-15 in their last 51 games as a favorite.
• 18-8 in their last 26 vs. a team with a losing record.

Sabres trends

• Lost 17 games in a row.

Head-to-head trends

• Flyers are 25-9 in the last 34 meetings.
• Favorite is 22-8 in the last 30 meetings.
• Home team is 13-5 in the last 18 meetings.

What to watch for

1. Need to build off a win

The Flyers have been unable to build off of strong performances this month. In March, they have lost all four games after a win. Their last back-to-back wins came just over a month ago against … the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres have lost 17 games in a row and are a mess this season. The Flyers need to take advantage.

2. Time to get back on track

Not only do the Flyers need to build off of Saturday’s win, but they also need to get back on track as well. A pair of games against the Sabres provides the perfect opportunity for them to do just that.

The Flyers have won four straight against the Sabres, including back-to-back shutouts last month. They need to turn things around to get back into the playoff picture.

3. Don’t get caught in a Buffalo trap

The Flyers can’t overlook the Sabres. They have two games in Buffalo before a tough stretch against the Islanders and Bruins. They can’t just pencil themselves in for four points.

The Flyers and Sabres are set for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop on Mon

Photo Credit: Heather Barry Images