NHL Picks & Predictions: Penguins vs. Flyers (Wednesday)
The Stanley Cup playoffs resume on Wednesday, and we have three more pivotal matchups on the schedule. The Flyers will take their third crack at trying to close out the pesky Penguins, while the Canadiens-Lightning and Mammoth-Golden Knights series change locations for massive Game 5s. We're coming off a profitable 2-1 betting night with our NHL picks, and I'm looking to stay hot and navigate us through tonight's three-game board. Let's dive into my top NHL bets for Wednesday, April 29th’s game Penguins vs. Flyers.
Wednesday's Best NHL Picks: Penguins vs. Flyers
(Odds courtesy of BetMGM)
Pittsburgh Penguins (-102) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (-118) | O/U 5.5 (-120/+100)
Don't look now, but the Penguins (2-3) have staved off elimination in consecutive games, forcing another do-or-die contest with the Flyers (3-2) tonight. Pittsburgh is now down to +240 odds to complete the comeback and advance to the next round. Philadelphia is -300 to advance. Game 6 is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET from Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
I'll back the Flyers to close out this series on Wednesday night. Philadelphia has been competitive in both Games 3 and 4, but a tough bounce didn't go their way on Monday, ultimately leading to them losing the contest 3-2. They're still on an absolute heater, having won nine of their last 12 games. They'll host a Penguins squad that's just 2-6 straight up (SU) in its last eight outings.
Ultimately, this play comes down to the home-ice advantage and the goaltending edge that the Flyers have. They'll turn to Dan Vladar once again. He's coming off a regular season where he ranked third in GAA (2.42) and 16th in SV% (.906).
So far in the postseason, those numbers have improved to 2.03 and .913 through five games. Vladar is much more stable than whatever the Penguins have to offer in between the pipes. Let's take the Flyers as slim favorites.
Bet: Flyers Moneyline (-120)