The Montreal Canadiens (20-21-7) visit the Philadelphia Flyers (25-16-6) Thursday at Wells Fargo Center for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Canadiens-Flyers sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Canadiens at Flyers: Projected starting goalies
Carey Price vs. Alex Lyon
Price has strung together a rare pair of wins, including a 31-save shutout of the Calgary Flames Monday. He allowed just one goal over 73 shots faced in those two outings combined, but he has still allowed a league-high 107 goals this season while going 18-16-4 through 38 games. He has a .907 save percentage and 2.87 goals against average.
Lyon is expected to see his first NHL action of the season with starter Carter Hart slated to a miss a couple of weeks due to an abdominal strain. Backup Brian Elliott drew the start for Wednesday’s win over the St. Louis Blues. Lyon is 4-3-1 through 13 NHL games (eight starts) with a .806 SV% and 5.08 GAA.
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Canadiens at Flyers: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Canadiens 5, Flyers 2
Moneyline (ML)
Even with a dramatic advantage in the crease, the CANADIENS (+135) are significant road underdogs. Both teams played Wednesday, with the Flyers (-167) beating the defending-champion Blues 4-3 in overtime and the Habs losing 4-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Montreal is 2-7-1 across its last 10 games but a solid 11-9-3 on the road for the season. Philly is 4-5-1 across its last 10 and 15-3-4 at home, but a huge part of that record has been the home play of Hart.
The Habs have a slight rest advantage after the Flyers were forced into overtime Wednesday, but this comes down to the battle in goal. Price is finally back to proper form, and Lyon will be grossly overmatched in his season debut.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
While the Montreal puck line of -200 to cover +1.5 and either lose by 1 or win outright is a stomachable play at low odds, we’ll get better value on the alternate line. Back the CANADIENS (-1.5, +350) to win by at least 2 goals.
The Habs are just 23-25 against the spread overall but 15-8 on the road. Philly is 26-21 ATS overall and 15-7 at home, but again, Hart is the one deserving the bulk of the credit for the home record.
Over/Under (O/U)
Following the logic of above, back the OVER 5.5 (-149) with the expectation of the Canadiens breaking out of their offensive struggles in a plush matchup against Lyon. The Flyers are 7-3 against the Over/Under across their last 10 games and will be able to pot a couple against Price, but Montreal does the heavy lifting here.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 169-154
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