In the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting the NHL and its players decided to follow both the NBA and Major League Baseball and postpone playoff games originally scheduled on Thursday or Friday. The decision postponed two games on Thursday which will now be played on Saturday, including the New York Islanders vs the Philadelphia Flyers, a best-of-seven game series that is currently tied 1-1.
The Islanders opened the series between long-time rivals with a dominating 4-0 win in Game 1. Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov made 29 saves in the win. It took overtime in Game 2 for the Flyers to square the Eastern Conference semifinals series. Philadelphia blueliner Philippe Myers scored the game-winner 2:40 into overtime. The puck drops at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto for Game 3 at 7 PM EST.
Moneyline Pick’em
The current consensus lines at sportsbooks and the newest casinos lists both the Islanders and the Flyers at -110 on the money line. The over-under for total goals expected is five. Both New York and Philadelphia enter the game at +800 to win the Stanley Cup.
Reasons to Bet the Islanders
Despite being pulled at 15:09 of the first period in Game 2, Varlamov has been red hot in the playoffs for the Islanders. Varlamov set an Islanders record for the longest shutout streak in the Stanley Cup Playoffs 40 seconds into the game, and there is no reason to believe he won’t bounce back.
The Islanders were again the better team in the third period, and have been throughout the playoffs. New York outscored the Washington Capitals 7-1 in the opening round of the playoffs, and through two games have outscored the Flyers 5-0.
Not only are the Islanders scoring, but they’re adding to the Flyers forwards frustrations. Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk, and Flyers lead goal scorer Travis Konecny are still seeking their first goal of the postseason.
Reasons to Bet the Flyers
Momentum. After a lackluster performance in Game #1 the Flyers came out in Game #2 ready to play. They jumped to a 3-0 lead, got a little passive, and let the Islanders come back, but responded quickly in overtime to even the series. There is no bigger momentum changer than an overtime playoff goal in hockey.
Add that the Flyers finally got some goal production from both Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes who combined for four points in Game 2 including three goals. The two combined for 55 goals this season but only scored once during the Montreal series which the Flyers won in six games.