The Pittsburgh Penguins at the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center in Game 4 of the NHL postseason’s opening round. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 18, and you will be able to watch it live on NBC Sports Network.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Pittsburgh (-150) is currently favored over Philadelphia (+130), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-120 to bet the over, +100 for the under). After they initially opened at -110 for both, those lines have shifted.
Pittsburgh is 49-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 85 regular season contests, 48 of its games have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just four have pushed. This 2017-18 Penguins team is 18-24 SU on the road.
Following a regular season where they converted 26.2 percent of all power-play chances (the league’s best), the Penguins have been able to score on 26.7 percent of their power plays in the early stages of these playoffs.
Pittsburgh’s offense attempted 34.3 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.4 goals per contest (ranked fourth overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, however, the team’s dropped to an average of 31.3 shots on goal (and down to 4.3 goals per game).
Sporting a .908 save percentage and 26.1 saves per game, Matt Murray (31-21-3) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If Pittsburgh chooses to rest him, however, they could turn to Tristan Jarry (15-11-2), who has a .908 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average this year.
Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Penguins. Malkin (101 points) has tallied 44 goals and 57 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 26 different games. Crosby has 33 goals and 63 assists to his name, and has notched a point in 56 games.
On the other side of the rink, Philadelphia is 43-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 45 of its outings have gone over the total, while 36 have gone under and just four have pushed. It’s 22-20 SU at home this season.
Philadelphia has converted on 20.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philadelphia players have been penalized 3.5 times per game in total this season, and 4.8 per game over their last five outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays just 7.6 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Brian Elliott has stopped 25.8 shots per game as the top choice in goal for Philadelphia. Elliott has 25 wins, 21 losses, and seven overtime losses to his name and has maintained a fairly-weak .906 save percentage and 2.76 goals against average this year.
Claude Giroux (34 goals, 69 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the Flyers.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Pittsburgh has attempted 34.3 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 32.1 in its last 10 games.
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the sixth-most hits in the league (24.0 per game), but that number’s down to just 20.6 hits over their last five away games.
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