Scott Laughton Philadelphia Flyers NHL playoffs Game 1 Betting Preview: Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Look Ready to Roll in Series Opener vs Canadiens

The Philadelphia Flyers look to keep rolling as the top seed in the Eastern Conference tangles with the upstart Montreal Canadiens in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series opener Wednesday. The Flyers steamrolled three tough round-robin opponents by a combined score of 11-3, while the Canadiens pulled off a qualifying series upset over Pittsburgh.

Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers
  • Date/Time: August 12, 8 p.m. ET
  • Arena: Scotiabank Arena
  • TV Coverage: NBCSP, NBCSN, HNIC, SNET
  • Sportsbook Odds: Flyers -160 | O/U 5.5 (Line History)
  • Canadiens vs Flyers Matchup Report

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Philadelphia kicked off the betting for the series opener as a -160 favorite and remains at or near that number at the majority of sportsbooks. The total of 5.5 hasn’t changed, though the odds have shifted from O5.5 -130 to U5.5 -130 at most spots.

Montreal News & Notes

Winning 43 percent of your regular-season games usually isn’t a recipe for playoff success – but the Canadiens weren’t messing around out of the restart, dumping the heavily favored Penguins from the postseason picture in four games. Montreal’s defense and goaltending was the difference, as the Canadiens limited Pittsburgh’s high-powered offense to just eight total goals.

Yet while their goal-prevention methods were wildly successful, their offensive production was a concern, as it was during the regular season. Montreal advanced despite scoring just 10 times, with only seven players tallying. And two of the top three scorers were blue-liners: Shea Weber led the way with two goals and two assists, while Jeff Petry scored twice and added an assist.

Philadelphia News & Notes

With respect to the Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights and other teams that fared well in the return to action, the Flyers were far and away the top team in the preliminary round of the postseason. Philadelphia took on the beasts of the East and emerged perfect, claiming the conference’s top seed with impressive wins over Boston, Washington and Tampa Bay.

All three of those victories came by multiple goals, a testament to how dominant Philadelphia was at both ends of the ice. In goal, Carter Hart and Brian Elliott combined to allow just three goals against three of the top teams in the NHL. And on offense, the Flyers poured in 11 goals in just three games, with forward Scott Laughton (three goals, two assists) leading the way.

Betting Pick: Flyers -1.5

It’s a brand new series, sure – but it’s impossible to ignore just how well the Flyers are playing at the moment, while the Canadiens continue to struggle putting the puck in the net.

Shark Bites
  • Philadelphia is 12-1 in its past 13 games.
  • The UNDER is 5-2 in Montreal’s last 7 games.
  • Montreal F Tomas Tatar had 3 goals vs Philadelphia this season.
PHI is 12-1 in its past 13 games.home The UNDER is 5-2 in MON’s last 7 games.away Tomas Tatar had 3 goals vs PHI this season.away
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