Handicapping Ice Conditions For Flyers-Pens Stadium Series Game

Temperatures reached a summer-like 77 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh. That’s the fantastic news for the locals.
The bad news is that it reached 77 degrees Fahrenheit — only 1 day ahead of this Stadium Series outdoor NHL game at Heinz Field between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.
That could result in ice conditions playing with a big factor in the outcome of the game, something which puck bettors must keep in mind. Temperatures were expected to be approximately 60 degrees as of Saturday morning, which will be sure to create the ice soft and chippy after play gets moving if it does not get cold in a hurry.
It’s supposed to be approximately 29 degrees Fahrenheit by game time at 8 pm ET in Pittsburgh, though that may not be cold enough, quickly enough to fix the ice.
Don’t be surprised when we see bouncing pucks and a slower-paced match. That I believe is a benefit for the Flyers.
“I still think our competitive advantage is the speed match. We must become more determined than our opponents,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said at a press event on Friday at Heinz Field.
A slower-paced game may mean some value to the underdog here. That’s some huge value considering the Pens started as heavy -210 faves with the Flyers at +185.
It also might mean we see a more cautious game from the players. Nobody wants to see injuries, which can be more apt to happen on inconsistent icehockey, particularly considering Pens star Sidney Crosby suffered a concussion in Pittsburgh’s final game at Heinz Field in 2011.
When it comes to a warm-weather baseball match such as this, the frequent logic is that the game will be slower and goals will be fewer. That would imply UNDER the 5.5-goal total. That was the case in Dodger Stadium in 2014 when the Ducks skated to a 3-0 win over the Kings in 63-degree weather.
“It was maybe a bit slower than some rinks, but it had been smooth,” Anaheim’s Teemu Selanne said following the match. “We’re used to not-good ice out (West) anyhow”
Keep a watch ahead of the game to see what’s being said about Twitter about the ice conditions before you place your wager with this one. Bouncing pucks do not make it easy on goalies both and Pittsburgh is on pace to be the highest-scoring group (3.47 goals per match ) from the salary cap era beside the 2009-10 Capitals.
If you are betting in-game, the Pens are 25-0 when leading after two periods this season, according to NHL on NBC stats. This makes them the only undefeated team in that spot this year and they had been 39-0 when leading after two periods this past year in the regular season.