Flyers vs Penguins Series Odds, Prediction & Round 1 Preview

• The Penguins opened as -175 series favorites over the Flyers for their Round 1 matchup
• Pittsburgh dominated the season series, going 2-0-2 and outscoring Philadelphia 16-9
• Keep reading for opening Flyers vs Penguins odds, key storylines and my early prediction

The Battle of Pennsylvania is back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins will square off in the Eastern Conference First Round. For Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, this could be one of the last chances at another Cup run together, and they’ll have to go through an old rival to get there.

Pittsburgh (41-24-16, 98 pts) finished ahead of Philadelphia (41-27-12, 94 pts) in the standings and will hold home ice in what should be one of the more fun Round 1 matchups on the board. For the full first-round slate, check out our NHL playoff bracket.

Here’s a look at the opening Flyers vs Penguins odds, plus the key storylines and my early lean for the series.

Flyers vs Penguins Series Odds

DraftKings has Pittsburgh as -175 favorites to advance, translating to a 63.6% implied probability. Philadelphia’s +145 underdog price gives the Flyers a 40.8% implied chance to pull off the upset, meaning a $100 bet would return $145 in profit.

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Flyers vs Penguins Key Storylines

The Penguins’ firepower is the story. Pittsburgh scored 285 goals this season, 51 more than Philadelphia’s 234, and boast five players with 60 or more points. Sidney Crosby (74 pts), Erik Karlsson (66), Bryan Rust (65), Anthony Mantha (62) and Malkin (61) give the Pens one of the deepest offensive groups in the entire playoff field.

That depth absolutely carved up Philadelphia in the regular season series. Pittsburgh went 2-0-2 in four meetings, outscoring the Flyers 16-9 in regulation/OT and torching them on special teams. The Penguins went 7-for-18 (38.9%) on the power play in the series, while Philadelphia’s kill came in at a brutal 61.1%.

Flyers vs Penguins Team Comparison

Philadelphia does have a path to pulling the upset, and it starts with Dan Vladar. The Czech netminder has been the Flyers’ backbone, going 28-14-7 with a 2.45 GAA and .905 save percentage in 50 starts. He’s a legitimate No. 1 and gives Philly a puncher’s chance in any game.

Pittsburgh’s crease is a different story. With Tristan Jarry traded to Edmonton at the deadline, the Pens are rolling with Arturs Silovs (.889 Sv%) and Stuart Skinner (.888 Sv%). Skinner does bring playoff experience after backstopping Edmonton to back-to-back Cup Finals, though he struggled at times against Florida and during other big moments along the way.

The Flyers also bring a physical edge, out-hitting opponents 22.9 times per game to Pittsburgh’s 17.6. Travis Konecny (68 pts) and Trevor Zegras (67) give them a real 1-2 punch up top, while Matvei Michkov continues to develop into a legit NHL weapon. The problem? Philadelphia takes too many penalties, and that’s a death sentence against this Pittsburgh power play.

Early Flyers vs Penguins Prediction

• Penguins Series Moneyline (-175)

My Flyers vs Penguins prediction is Pittsburgh to advance. The gap in skill, power play and overall depth is just too wide, and Philadelphia’s penalty kill becomes a massive problem against a Pens group that lit them up for seven power-play goals in four regular-season meetings.

Vladar is the Flyers’ best hope to steal a couple of games, but Pittsburgh’s skill top-to-bottom is the difference. Crosby, Karlsson, Rust and Mantha all feasted on Philadelphia this season, and there’s no reason to think that changes in the playoffs.

The one angle on the Flyers side: Pittsburgh’s goaltending. If Silovs or Skinner has a meltdown, this series gets interesting in a hurry. But I’m not betting on that at +145 — I’ll take the Pens to win this one in five or six.