The Pittsburgh Penguins at the Wells Fargo Center in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The opening face-off is at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 22, and you’ll be able to watch the game live on NBC.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers Odds
With a moneyline of -165, Pittsburgh enters the matchup as the noticeable favorite. The line for Philadelphia sits at +145 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -110 money on the over and -110 for the under.
Pittsburgh is 50-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 87 regular season outings, 48 of its games have gone over the total, while 34 have gone under and just five have pushed. The Pens are 19-24 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Following a regular season where they scored on 25.7 percent of all power-play opportunities (the league’s strongest), the Penguins have been able to score on 20.8 percent of their postseason power plays.
The Penguins’ offensive attack attempted 34.2 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.4 goals per outing (ranked fourth overall in the NHL). In the postseason, however, the club’s down to an average of 31.2 shots on goal (and down to 4.0 goals per game).
Averaging 26.0 saves per game with a .909 save percentage, Matt Murray (32-22-3) has been the best option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If it decides to give him a rest, however, head coach Mike Sullivan may 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 has 103 points via 45 goals and 58 assists, and has recorded two or more points 28 times. Crosby has 34 goals and 65 assists to his credit, and has logged at least one point in 58 games.
Philadelphia is 44-43 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 45 of its contests have gone over the total, while 37 have gone under and just five have pushed. The team is 22-21 SU at home this season.
The Flyers have converted on just 20.1 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.2 percent of all penalties.
Philadelphia players have been penalized 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 4.8 per game over their last ten games. The team’s been forced to kill penalties a whopping 14.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Brian Elliott has denied 25.5 shots per game as the top selection in goal for the Flyers. Elliott has 25 wins, 22 losses, and seven overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a mediocre 2.80 goals against average and a poor .905 save percentage this year.
The Flyers will be led on offense by Claude Giroux (35 goals, 69 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
Over Pittsburgh’s last ten games, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
The Penguins are 23-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 32-22 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Pittsburgh is 2-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Philadelphia is 2-7 in shootouts.
Philadelphia has averaged 11.4 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.2 giveaways per game (ranked 13th in the NHL).
Pittsburgh skaters have averaged 8.6 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 9.0 giveaways per game (the 12th-fewest in the league).
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the sixth-most hits in the league (24.0 per game).
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