The Philadelphia Flyers meet the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight in Game 2 of their opening-round playoff series. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, with live coverage on ESPN.
DraftKings is dealing the Penguins as a -155 home favorite and a total of 6.5. 66% of the moneyline handle and 73% of the tickets are on Pittsburgh.
The Flyers lead the series 1-0 after a 3-2 win in the opening game on Saturday.
Best Bet: Flyers vs. Penguins Team Total
Pittsburgh OVER 3.5 Goals (+105)
In Game 1, Philadelphia played the type of scrappy road game typified by head coach Rick Tocchet when he was playing for the Flyers. Can they do likewise tonight and put the Pens in a 0-2 hole heading back to Philly?
The Penguins were the third-highest scoring team in the NHL during the regular season, averaging 3.54 goals per game. We’re expecting a big bounce tonight from Sidney Crosby and Co. in Game 2.
The Penguins went 2-0-2 against the Flyers during the regular season. Pittsburgh rolled to 5-1 and 6-3 victories, with Philly prevailing in shootouts.
This has all the makings of a long grinder of a series. Take the Pens to bounce back in a big way tonight and even things up.
Best Player Props for Pittsburgh Penguins
Sidney Crosby Anytime Goal Scorer (+165)
Historically, Crosby has feasted on Philadelphia. He’s scored more goals (60) against the Flyers than any other team, and it’s not particularly close. Crosby has 44 goals against the Islanders.
After being held off the scoring sheet in Game 1, expect “Sid the Kid” (now 38!) to find the back of the net tonight.
Evgeni Malkin OVER 2.5 Shots (+135)
Evgeni Malkin paced the Penguins with a goal and an assist in the opener, but he was held to one shot on goal. Be advised that Malkin has only cashed this ticket at OVER 2.5 once in his last six games. Call it the due factor, and we expect Pittsburgh to throw as many pucks on net to even things out tonight.
Best Player Props for Philadelphia Flyers
Dan Vladar UNDER 22.5 Saves (-125)
Dan Vladar made his first start in a playoff game in the opener. He finished with 15 saves, and while he should see more pucks in Game 2, we don’t expect him to pile up more than 22 saves. This strongly correlates with our primary bet on the Penguins to go OVER 3.5 goals tonight.
Trevor Zegras OVER 1.5 Shots on Goal (-120)
Trevor Zegras enjoyed personal bests for goals (26) and points (67) this season, but it’s his shot total that intrigues us tonight. He met this threshold with two shots in the playoff opener. He also had four against Carolina in the regular-season finale. Ride the hot hand.
