Penguins vs. Flyers Prediction
The Flyers evened their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday night with a convincing 5-1 victory only two days after being embarrassed 7-0. Which team will take the series lead this afternoon when the series shifts to Philadelphia?
Game Snapshot
19 Pittsburgh Penguins at 20 Philadelphia Flyers
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Wells Fargo Center at 3PM ET
TV: NBC
Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, the Penguins are a -115 favorite on the moneyline. The Flyers are a -105 underdog, while the total is set at 6 goals. As of Sunday morning, 75 percent of public bets have sided with visiting Pittsburgh. Check out our NHL Public Betting Page for the latest information.
Elliott bounces back strong
Philadelphia head coach Dave Hakstol was proven right in sticking by goaltender Brian Elliott, who was maligned after allowing five goals in less than two full periods of Game 1 which led to him being yanked in favor of Petr Mrazek. Plenty of Philadelphia fans wanted to see Mrazek get his shot in Game 2 after looking slightly better than Elliott in relief, surrendering two additional goals on 14 shots. But instead, Elliott tended the pipes in Game 2 and was much more on his game. Elliott stopped 34 shots, only giving up a goal with 14:33 remaining in the third period after the Flyers were already staked to a 4-0 advantage. Elliott will once again be the biggest key for the Flyers in Game 3. If the high-powered offense of the Penguins is slowed down early, frustration can set in which leads to extended poor play. The Flyers can’t afford to get into shootouts if they hope to win this series.
Penguins’ offense not an issue
Sure, Pittsburgh did not score a goal until it was trailing 4-0 in the third period and the team as a whole didn’t play anywhere close to what appeared to be a flawless Game 1 when they cruised to a 7-0 win. But the Penguins still registered 35 shots on goal and put pressure in the Flyers goalie. The hosts simply ran into a hot goalie who was extra motivated after being embarrassed in Game 1. Patric Hornqvist scored the lone goal for Pittsburgh on assists from Justin Schultz and Brian Dumoulin. The Penguins offense was third in the NHL in scoring this season (3.3 goals per game) and prior to the push in the last game, the over had hit six straight meetings. If you don’t want to bet a side in this game, don’t hesitate to throw some money on the over as it seems like a safer bet than the under.
NHL Betting Trends
Pittsburgh
The Penguins are 5-1 in the last six meetings. Pittsburgh is 6-0 in its last six games when the opponent allows two or less goals in the previous game. The over is 7-0 in the last seven Pittsburgh road games against a team with a winning home record.
Philadelphia
The over is 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings. Philadelphia is 5-0 in its last five home games. The Flyers are 4-0 in their last five games versus a team with a winning road record.
Prediction:
Most bettors seem to be gravitating toward the Penguins and the star players on that roster including Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. But the fact of the matter is Pittsburgh is a mediocre road team (17-20-2-2), while Philly is solid at home (22-13-3-3) and has been particularly strong lately. The Penguins seemed to get a little too lazy in Game 2 thinking this would be an easy series after the trouncing they laid in the initial game. I expect the Flyers to again show their opponent is not the only talented team in this series. Go with the hosts, who I believe should be favored.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA FLYERS -105