With the series even at one game apiece, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins face off in the critical Game 3 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. NBC will air the game, and the puck drops at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 15.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers Odds
Pittsburgh (-115) is currently favored over Philadelphia (-105), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Pittsburgh is 48-36 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through 84 regular season matches, 48 of its games have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just three have pushed. The Pens are 17-24 SU as an away team in 2017-18.
After accounting for the league’s strongest power-play unit in the regular season (finding net on 25.7 percent of all chances), the Penguins have connected on 12.5 percent of their power plays in the early stages of this postseason.
The Penguins’ offense attempted 34.4 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.3 goals per contest (ranked fourth overall in the NHL). In the postseason, the team is attempting an average of 34.0 shots on goal (and down to 4.0 goals per game).
Boasting a .907 save percentage and 26.1 saves per game, Matt Murray (30-21-3) has been the top option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If head coach Mike Sullivan chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Tristan Jarry (15-11-2 record, .908 save percentage, 2.77 goals against average).
Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Penguins. Malkin (99 points) has tallied 43 goals and 56 assists, and has recorded two or more points 26 times. Kessel has 34 goals and 58 assists to his credit (and has logged a point in 57 games).
On the other bench, Philadelphia is 43-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 45 of its games have gone over the total, while 36 have gone under and just three have pushed. It’s 22-19 SU at home this year.
The Flyers have converted on just 20.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, 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 76.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Philadelphia skaters have been called for penalties 3.5 times per game in total this season, and 4.4 per game over their past five outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Brian Elliott (25.9 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for the Flyers. Elliott has 25 wins, 20 losses, and seven overtime losses to his name and has recorded a pedestrian 2.71 goals against average and a poor .908 save percentage this season.
Claude Giroux (34 goals, 69 assists) will lead the offensive attack for the Flyers.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in three of Philadelphia’s last five outings.
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the sixth-most hits in the league (23.9 per game), but that number’s down to just 20.6 hits over their last five away games.
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