The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders get right back at it in their Eastern Conference Second-Round series Thursday. After the Flyers won Game 2 by a 4-3 score in overtime Wednesday, the puck will drop shortly after 7 p.m. ET for Game 3 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Below, we look at the Flyers-Islanders betting odds and lines and make our NHL picks and best bets.
Flyers vs. Islanders: Projected starting goalies
Carter Hart vs. Semyon Varlamov
Hart bounced back in Game 2 to stop 31 of 34 shots in the winning effort. It was his fourth straight game with a minimum of two goals allowed, and he has a save percentage of just .906 in his last four games after recording back-to-back shutouts of the Montreal Canadiens in Round 1. He allowed four goals on 32 shots against the Canadiens when starting back-to-back against the Habs in Game 5.
Varlamov’s back-to-back shutout streak was snapped in a big way when he allowed three goals on 10 shots in Wednesday’s Game 2. The extra rest may actually prove beneficial for Varlamov and the Islanders. He allowed three goals on 22 shots in a loss on the second night of a back-to-back against the Florida Panthers in the qualification round.
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Flyers vs. Islanders: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Prediction
Flyers 3, Islanders 2
Moneyline (ML)
The FLYERS (-106) were at even money earlier this morning coming off the Game 2 win, and we at SportsbookWire nailed the exact score, moneyline and Over/Under. They surged out to a three-goal first-period lead, but the Isles would chip away and tie it late in the third before Flyers D Philippe Myers potted the winner early in the first OT session.
The Islanders (-112) are slight favorites in a game that opened – and may close – as a pick ’em. Philly remains a -115 favorite on the series line (New York: -106), so the value is there for Game 3.
New York’s 4-0 win in Game 1 was the more impressive of the two thus far, and it outshot Philly in Game 2. I’m trusting the awakened offense to keep it going Thursday and taking the FLYERS (-106) to win in regulation or overtime.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
PASS on the puck line once again. After Game 1’s lopsided 4-0 win for the Islanders, it seems as though the rest of this series will be tight.
There’s sense laying the -334 for the Flyers to cover +1.5 and either lose by a goal or win outright (where we already have them at even-money).
Over/Under (O/U)
The projected goal total is set at an even 5. Take the UNDER 5 (-110) as a slight value and bank on a push as a worst-case result.
Some bettors may rather buy the half-goal to get to 5.5, but the Under drops all the way to -189, and that’s too steep for me with the two teams combining for seven goals Wednesday.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 49-39-1
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