Lightning vs. Flyers betting preview: Best bets and prediction

The Philadelphia Flyers continue their three-game road trip on Thursday night in Tampa Bay. The Lightning are returning home from a four-game road trip in which they lost the last three contests.

The Flyers are now the worst team in the league after the San Jose Sharks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Lightning are pushing to stay in the top half of the Atlantic Division in the tail-end years of their dynasty.

How will the Flyers respond to their struggles and can the Lightning get back on track at home? Let's take a look at the main storylines, odds, and betting picks for Thursday's Flyers vs. Lightning matchup.

Flyers vs. Lightning odds The Lightning are big home favorites on the moneyline with the Flyers as road underdogs across the board.

FanDuel Sportsbook has one of the best prices on the board for the Lightning at -194.

While you can get +180 on the Flyers at DraftKings Sportsbook .

As for the total, you can get Over 6 and Under 6 both at -110 at BetMGM Sportsbook while FanDuel is offering Over 6.5 (+104) and Under 6.5 (-128).

The good news for the Flyers is that they played a strong game on Tuesday night in Carolina. They were tied until late in the third period, when the league-best Huricanes pulled away for a 6-4 win. The Flyers are looking to build on that in Tampa Bay and could catch the Lightning off-guard as the Bolts return home from a long road trip.

Flyers look to bounce back out of basement The Philadelphia Flyers exceeded expectations last year and were in a playoff spot for most of the season. However, injuries, trades, and unexpected absences led to a late-season collapse and it seems like they still haven't recovered.

The Flyers are tied with the Nashville Predators with just nine points in 13 games after a 4-8-1 record. Philadelphia has one of the worst goal differentials in the league, getting outscored 50-35 so far in its 13 games.

There was some hope coming into this season for Philadelphia as rookie phenom Matvei Michkov came over to the NHL a few years earlier than expected. Michkov has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 13 games to tie for the rookie lead, and he's behind only Travis Konecny (14 points) for the team lead.

Injuries were a part of the Flyers' downfall last season and they're rearing their ugly heads again early this year. Top defenseman Cam York has been out with an upper-body injury, depth center Ryan Poehling is on injured reserve, and starting goalie Samuel Ersson is dealing with a reported groin injury.

The goalie situation is always an important storyline to follow in Philadelphia and this season is no different. Ersson was expected to start the bulk of the games with Ivan Fedotov and Alexei Kolosov fighting for the backup job. With Ersson out, Kolosov has stepped up with a few solid performances in his absence. There is no confirmed starting goalie for Thursday night, though.

Can Lightning find electricity at home? Tampa Bay is 4-1 at home this season but it's always tough to return from a long road trip. The Lightning's lone loss at home this season came on October 24th against the Wild after the team returned from a three-game road trip.

The Bolts are coming off a four-game road trip in which they had more bad than good. After a 5-2 win in Colorado, they lost 5-3 in Minnesota, 7-4 in Winnipeg, and finally 3-2 in St. Louis on Tuesday night. The Lightning only had one day off at home before returning to action here on Thursday night, much like after their last road trip when they lost 4-2 at home to the Wild.

The Flyers have as many wins on the road as at home this season with two in each situation. They're 2-4-1 on the road and 2-4-0 at home thus far. Philadelphia was able to go into Boston last week and upset the Bruins with a 2-0 win, but that was with Ersson in net.

Flyers vs. Lightning betting No matter where the game is being played, the Lightning's top line has been red-hot to start the season. First-line winger Nikita Kucherov is off to a blazing start with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 13 games. Brandon Hagel is surprisingly second on the team in points with 14 (seven goals, seven assists).

Kucherov has picked up multiple points in two straight games, three of his last four, and seven of 13 contests this season. You can get him to record Over 1.5 points (-140) at DraftKings Sportsbook and maybe even consider Over 2.5 points (+235) at FanDuel.

The Flyers have struggled mightily to get many shots on goal this season, but especially as of late. They have just 172 shots in their last eight games (21.5 per game), including just 76 shots in their last four games (19 per game). Take Andrei Vasilevskiy Under 25.5 Saves (-125) at Bet365 Sportsbook .

Flyers vs. Lightning prediction While the Lightning are undoubtedly the better team and should win this game, pulling the trigger on a -200 favorite in this situation is tough. The Flyers are a scrappy team that could play a great road game to pull out two points in Tampa Bay.

So for the moneyline, I would go with the Flyers at +170 or better. But those props listed above are likely going to be the best bets for this game.