Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Game 1 Predictions, NHL Playoffs
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Jeremy Perry
On Wednesday, they’ll host the first game of their Western Conference quarterfinal where they are posted as a sizable favorite in this NHL playoff matchup.
Flyers vs Penguins Stanley Cup Playoff Betting Analysis
The Penguins have owned this series of late, winning nine of the last 12 meetings. The Pens have played 26 home games this season when the total was six or higher and won 19 of them. The Flyers are just 5-6 when on the road with a total of six or higher. The Pens are 7-2 when having three or more days rest while the Flyers are 5-4 in that spot. For more on how to bet on the NHL moneyline for this game, check out our betting guide.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have a shot because the Penguins have their own issues in net. While the Penguins have been winning, it’s been in spite of their goaltending and not because of it. The Pens have allowed 3.53 goals per game in March – the seventh-worst mark – and given that Philadelphia averaged 3.04 goals per game this season (12th best), they could be the right team to exploit those weaknesses. Pens goaltender Matt Murray had a 3.34 GAA in March and 3.50 in April with save percentages at .900 or worse in each month. Unless he improves, this could be a long series.
The Flyers don’t have home-ice advantage in this spot but it shouldn’t be too much of a factor. They were 22-13-6 at home and 20-13-8 on the road.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins should be in great shape in this series and in Game 1. This is the ideal matchup for them. The Flyers have issues between the pipes and that’s been evident in each of the four meetings with the Penguins this season. Pittsburgh has scored 20 goals in the four games, tallying five goals in each and every contest. That’s bad news for the Flyers. In the month of March, they coughed up 3.47 goals per game, which was the ninth-worst mark. They’ll have a tough time winning unless those numbers improve. The Flyers cycle Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth and Petr Mrazek and none of them are starting caliber these days. But rest assured that the Flyers will swap them in and out when they need a momentum change. They’ll need either a miracle or lots of goals to get by in the playoffs when this is who they’re trotting out there.
Very quietly, the Penguins have been one of the better teams in the league since the calendar flipped to 2018, going 27-11-3 in their last 40 contests. That’s in stark contrast to the Flyers, who won just eight of their final 19 games. The Penguins are the better team, they have momentum and they’re at home. They should take Game 1.
