Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils Picks and Predictions for Thursday October 1 2026
The Philadelphia Flyers visit the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET with coverage on ESPN+. This is the regular-season opener for both teams. Philadelphia finished 43-27-12 last season, while New Jersey went 42-37-3. The Devils enter as -145 moneyline favorites, with Philadelphia at +120, and the total is set at 5.5 goals. Be sure to check out our free NHL picks for more NHL predictions throughout the season.
Philadelphia Begins With a Divisional Test
Philadelphia enters the new season after finishing with one more victory and a substantially better overall point-producing record than New Jersey last season. The Flyers showed enough consistency to establish themselves as a difficult opponent throughout 2025-26.
A road opener against a divisional opponent creates a different challenge. Philadelphia needs to avoid allowing New Jersey to establish the pace early, particularly with Prudential Center providing the Devils with an opening-night environment.
At +120, the Flyers aren’t being treated as a major underdog. That is reasonable considering how close these teams were in overall quality last season.
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New Jersey Gets the Home Opener
New Jersey finished last season 42-37-3 and now begins the new campaign at home. The Devils’ September results entering opening night were strong enough for the market to install them as a moderate favorite.
New Jersey’s advantage is less about a huge difference in last season’s record and more about the combination of home ice and a roster expected to contend immediately. The Devils need to turn that into better defensive consistency than they showed for stretches last season.
The 5.5 total suggests sportsbooks expect a relatively controlled opener rather than a wide-open divisional shootout.
Philadelphia Flyers vs New Jersey Devils Picks and Prediction
Pick: New Jersey Devils Moneyline (-145)
New Jersey is the preferred side. Philadelphia was slightly better by record last season, which prevents this from being an automatic play, but the Devils get the critical benefit of opening at Prudential Center and entered Thursday with the stronger September results. At -145, the price remains playable without having to lay -1.5 goals in what could be a tight Metropolitan Division game.
Pick: Under 5.5 (-105)
The total pick is Under 5.5. Season openers can produce sloppy moments, but these teams are familiar with one another and should have a strong understanding of the opponent’s tendencies. With New Jersey favored but not overwhelmingly so, this has the profile of a 3-2 game rather than a track meet. Take the Under.
Final Picks: New Jersey Devils ML (-145) and Under 5.5 (-105)
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