Flyers vs. Sharks Betting Odds, Picks, and Prediction (December 30, 2021)

On Thursday night, the Philadelphia Flyers (13-12-5) will try to extend their point streak to seven games as they continue a four-game Western Conference road trip by visiting the San Jose Sharks (16-14-1) at SAP Center. It is the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Sharks will visit the Flyers on January 8.

Let’s get into our Flyers vs. Sharks betting pick with player prop predictions, odds, and analysis for this December 30, 2021 matchup.

Flyers-Sharks Preview

Let’s get this out of the way right off the top. We’re going to give you a lot of information about streaks and who’s hot and who isn’t, but the reality is all of this data should be taken with a grain of salt right now.

Covid-19 is ravaging the NHL and players are being added and removed from the protocol almost by the hour. On top of that, with so many games still being cancelled, there is no rhythm or flow to the season at the moment.

That said, the Flyers extended their point streak to six games (5-0-1) with an ugly overtime victory yesterday in Seattle. They did it behind 34 saves from Martin Jones, two goals by James van Riemsdyk and an overtime winner by Ivan Provorov.

However, Seattle dominated the game for about 90 percent of the contest, meaning the Flyers can’t be too happy with the way they played, despite the outcome.

And although they have to play again a night later in a different city, after not playing hockey at all for 11 days, which could lead to tired legs, there is a carrot at the end of the stick for the Flyers tonight. Win and they will move into a tie in points for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, something that seemed unfathomable just a couple weeks ago when the Flyers not only fired coach Alain Vigneault, but were in the midst of a dreadful 10-game losing streak.

The big question for the Flyers is do they let Jones play again tonight against his former team, or does rookie Felix Sandstrom make his NHL debut in net between the pipes? The Flyers did not practice this morning, so an announcement won’t come until later.

As for the Sharks, they are coming off the wildest contest in the NHL this season, an 8-7 shootout win over Arizona Tuesday night.

In the game, 15 different Sharks registered a point, and all of their goals were scored at even strength and done so with just 27 shots on goal.

The Sharks’ big three offensive players were playing well before the pause and mostly continued that in the game against the Coyotes. Timo Meier leads San Jose with 31 points and has five points in his last four games. Logan Couture has 27 points this season, and scored the shootout game-winner for the Sharks while Tomas Hertl has 23 points and a team-leading 15 goals and will likely be a prime target for teams looking to add a scoring winger at the trade deadline as he is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

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Flyers vs. Sharks Odds

Here are the lines for Flyers vs. Sharks at FanDuel Sportsbook:

Spread: Flyers (+1.5, -188), Sharks (-1.5, +152)
Moneyline: Flyers (+142), Sharks (-172)
Over/Under: Over 6 (-110), Under 6 (-110)

Bets We Like with a Sharks Win

Sharks win AND 7+ total goals scored(+260, BetMGM)

In the nine games since the NHL returned, seven have gone over the total. That’s because after such a long break, teams all have had a bit of a reset. If you remember, at the beginning of the season, the over was hitting regularly because getting into a defensive rhythm takes a little time.

As such, you should be looking at overs all across the NHL over the next few days. But there’s more reason to like this parlay. The Sharks are coming off an eight-goal outburst. The Flyers have had their game go over in the last 9-of-10 following an overtime win.

Also, the Flyers are playing on back-to-back nights with travel coming off a long layoff, so this could be a game where they have a hard time finding their legs in the third period.

We recommend taking this bet regardless of who is in goal for the Flyers, and suggest getting it in now, because if Sandstrom is announced as the starter, you likely won’t get as good odds on this parlay afterwards.

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Bets We Like with a Flyers Win

James van Riemsdyk to score at least one goal (+370, Barstool Sportsbook)

Yes, he scored a pair last night, but JVR has always been a guy who scores goals in volume and then cools off. Right now, the Flyers’ power play has been playing significantly better. They are mixing up their looks and trying different approaches. JVR scored on a one-timer in the high slot last night, rather than in his office in front of the net.

The power play is 8-for-30 (26.7 percent) in the month of December and JVR has always been a key contributor on the goals front when the power play is going well.

Look for Giroux and JVR to hook up again tonight, and bring you some nice cash afterward.

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Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

Sharks to win the first period (+160, DraftKings Sportsbook)

The Flyers have only won the first period five times in their last 16 games. The are a notoriously slow-starting team, and they could be a little sluggish after playing last night. The Sharks have only won the period three times in their last 16 games, but catching the Flyers on this schedule with the potential for a rookie goalie making his first NHL start, it’s too juicy a bet not to at least give it a shot with good value.

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Flyers vs. Sharks Prediction

The Flyers need to be better than they were against Seattle. It’s not even a question. If they decide to not show up for a majority of the game against San Jose, the Sharks will treat them like chum – and deservedly so. We believe the Flyers will definitely have a better start, but feeding the wolves in your legs and back after 11 days off on a second straight night with travel mixed in while the opposition is longing at home waiting for you, is a tough hill to climb. We expect effort, just not the Flyers reaping any rewards for it.

Prediction: Sharks 5, Flyers 3

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