In what should be the nastiest first-round NHL playoff series of this season the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers meet for an all-Pennsylvania Eastern Conference contest.
Game 1 will be played Wednesday night in Pittsburgh (7:30 pm Eastern, NBCS). WilliamHill.com is listing the Penguins as -175 favorites for Wednesday's game, with Philadelphia getting +155. And the 'over/under' on the Penguins Flyers odds menu is 5.5 goals.
Sportsbook is listing Pittsburgh as a -210 favorite to win this series, with Philly getting +175 as the underdog. The Pens are also lined at 21/10 at Sportsbook to win the Eastern Conference and 4/1 to win the Stanley Cup, while the Flyers are getting 7/1 to win the East and 14/1 to win the Cup.
ADVERTISEMENT: Pittsburgh is the 4/1 favorite to win the Cup - see the Stanley Cup odds for all 16 playoff teams today at Sportsbook.
Pittsburgh nabbed the four seed in the East with a record of 51-25-6, despite having Sidney Crosby for just 22 games. But Evgeni Malkin won his second scoring title, helping the Pens lead the league in scoring.
Pittsburgh actually posted the second-best record in the East, but because they finished behind the New York Rangers in the Atlantic Division they're stuck playing fifth-seeded Philadelphia in the first round.
Philly finished five points back of the Penguins in the East standings, but took the season series from Pittsburgh four games to two. And the Flyers sat G Ilya Bryzgalov and leading scorer Claude Giroux for the last meeting last Saturday, a 4-2 Penguins victory.
These two teams combined to go 86-68 on the 'over/unders' during the regular season. And their season series went 3-2-1 on the totals.
Pittsburgh, which will host Games 1 and 2 and, if necessary, Game 7, went an Eastern Conference-best 29-10-2 at home this season. But Philly won an NHL-best 25 games on the road.
Conversely, the Flyers went 22-13-6 at home this season, while the Pens went 22-15-4 on the road.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins odds and props at Sportsbook
Philadelphia Flyers (Series Prices) 7/4
Pittsburgh Penguins (Series Prices) 10/21
Series Correct Score
Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 20/1
Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 10/1
Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 6/1
Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 13/2
Pittsburgh Penguins4-0 6/1
Pittsburgh Penguins4-1 7/2
Pittsburgh Penguins4-2 15/4
Pittsburgh Penguins4-3 4/1
Total Games
4 5/1
5 9/4
6 19/10
7 2/1
Total Games
Over 5.5 20/33
Under 5.5 27/20
Total Goals
Over/ Under 34
Series Game Spread
Philadelphia Flyers +1.5 20/23
Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 20/23
Claude Giroux 1st Round Points vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Over/ Under 6.5
Scott Hartnell 1st Round Points vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Over/ Under 4.5
Jaromir Jagr 1st Round Points vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Over/ Under 4
Evgeni Malkin 1st Round Points vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Over/ Under 7.5
Sidney Crosby 1st Round Points vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Over/ Under 7.5
James Neal 1st Round Points vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Over/ Under 6
