Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
A classic rivalry is reignited on Saturday as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
It’s been a minute since either of these teams played postseason hockey. Pittsburgh hasn’t reached the playoffs since the 2021-22 season and the Flyers haven’t been in since 2019-20.
The Pens are -145 favourites to win Game 1 on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.0.
Flyers vs. Penguins NHL Betting Odds
There was a time when this was one of the most heated rivalries in hockey and the remnants of that playoff history remain. However, it’s been fairly one-sided since Penguins captain Sidney Crosby entered the NHL, with Pittsburgh winning three of four playoff series’ in that time.
The teams split this year’s season series, with each taking a home and road win. Both of Philadelphia’s wins came in the shootout, while the Pens outscored the Flyers 11-4 combined in their two wins.
It’s a big step forward for the Flyers this season as they end a five-year playoff drought. It looked a lot different the last time they were a playoff team, with Philadelphia losing a seven-game, second-round series against the New York Islanders in the COVID playoff bubble.
This season has been just as big of surprise for Pittsburgh, who were viewed as essentially the only team tanking at the beginning of the year. With the likes of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang anchoring this team for years, it’s a bit shocking to see the Pens’ last playoff series victory was in 2018. That was the season Alex Ovechkin and the Caps finally solved Pittsburgh and went on to win the Stanley Cup.
This is a bit of a modest series price according to oddsmakers, with the Pens sitting as -160 series favourites on the NHL futures board, while the Flyers are +135 underdogs. It could be a dogfight as the favoured series result is Pittsburgh winning in either six or seven games, both priced at +400.
Philadelphia Flyers
It’s a youth movement in Philly at the moment, with six forwards aged 25 years or younger. Matvei Michkov, 21, and Porter Martone, 19, lead that group. Michkov has led the Flyers with 22 points (7G, 15A) since the Olympic break, while Martone has started his NHL career red-hot with 10 points (4G, 6A) in nine games.
You can’t overlook Trevor Zegras as a game-breaker in this series as he just set new career-highs in goals (26) and points (67) in his first year with the club. Zegras has developed great chemistry on the top line with Owen Tippett, who led the team with 28 goals in the regular season.
With special teams being crucial in the playoffs, it’s majorly concerning when you see Philadelphia ended the regular season with the worst power play (15.7 per cent) and the 11th-worst penalty kill (77.6 per cent). The Flyers have outscored opponents 51-35 at five-on-five since the Olympic break, so keeping things at even strength will be critical.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh is at the opposite end of the spectrum than Philadelphia as it is very possible this is the last kick at the can in the playoffs for the trio of Crosby, Malkin and Letang, who have played together longer than any three teammates in NHL history. While they may be long shots to win a fourth Stanley Cup this year, they are deserved favourites in this series.
Crosby has absolutely torched the Flyers in his career, scoring more goals (60) against Philadelphia than any other team. Crosby led the team with 74 points (29G, 45A) this year, but don’t overlook depth options like Anthony Mantha, who had a huge bounce back year with a team-high 33 goals.
The nerves for Penguins fans likely revolve around the crease, with Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs potentially both seeing action in this series. Since being acquired in December, Skinner (12-9-5, 2.99 goals-against average, .885 save percentage) has split starting duties with Silovs (15-8-3, 3.11 GAA, .882 SV). Skinner, who reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Oilers in each of the last two seasons, likely gets the Game 1 start, but it will be a short leash.
