Will a dire downturn keep Detroit out of another Stanley Cup postseason? It’s beginning to look that way as the Philadelphia Flyers prepare to host Thursday’s 7 p.m. EST showdown with the regressing Red Wings.

Detroit has dropped four of its last five games to fall to 39-27-8, on the outside looking in at a contentious Eastern Conference wild-card race. While the Red Wings are only two points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, tied with the Flyers and the Ottawa Senators, the teams have been outperforming the Red Wings over the last 10 games. Philadelphia’s pricey odds to win help illustrate that while the 37-25-12 Flyers have an identical 86 points, Philly and Detroit are thought to be headed in opposite directions.

Will the Flyers’ momentum be slowed by their 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals from Tuesday? In truth, the Flyers looked nearly as impressive while losing in DC as they did throughout a 5-1 run that preceded Tuesday’s game. It was Philadelphia that sent Detroit skidding into its latest two-game losing streak last Saturday, prevailing 5-3 behind a hat trick from the veteran winger Owen Tippett. 

Red Wings +1.5 (-265)Flyers -1.5 (+235)Over 5.5 (-116)Under 5.5 (+106)

Note: The above data was collected on April 2, 2026, and may have changed since writing. 

Detroit Red Wings vs Philadelphia Flyers Betting Trends The Philadelphia Flyers are 7-3 in their last 10 encounters with Detroit.Home teams covered ATS in eight straight meetings prior to Mar. 28.Philadelphia lost four of its seven contests on home ice in March.Detroit Red Wings vs Philadelphia Flyers Injury ReportsCenter Michael Rasmussen is questionable with an undisclosed injury.Right winger Nikita Grebenkin is questionable with an upper-body injury.Center Rodrigo Abols is on the injured reserve with an ankle injury.Right-winger Tyson Foerster is out for the season with an arm injury.Defenseman Ryan Ellis is out for the season with a back injury.Detroit Red Wings vs Philadelphia Flyers Predictions and Picks

Kevin Allen of DetroitHockeyNow writes that the Red Wings’ “quest to end their nine-year playoff drought is unraveling,” based largely on an offense that has gone so flat, the Red Wings have averaged “2.33 goals” per contest over the last 21 games. Dylan Larkin’s top six has become fully healthy again, to no avail.

Philadelphia hopes that playmakers like forward Trevor Zegras find more open ice against Detroit’s lacking road effort. Detroit’s head coach, Todd McLellan, is telling reporters that the Red Wings aren’t playing with enough desire, a syndrome that affects more than just checking Zegras or Travis Sanheim on rushes for the Philly offense. The Red Wings’ forwards are also being impacted by the lack of open ice that occurs without enough hits, neutral-zone checks, or gained turnovers to manufacture it.

With each team having surrendered many goals in the early week’s action, it won’t be a surprise to see a cautious, low-scoring tilt on Thursday. Expect the Flyers to win on the money line, but not to cover ATS.