Canadiens vs Flyers Game 1 Odds & Pick

• The Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens begin their first round playoff series Wednesday night
• The Flyers earned the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference after going undefeated in the round-robin
• Three key players will factor into keeping this game low-scoring, making the ‘Under’ and intriguing play

The Philadelphia Flyers ran the table in the round-robin earning the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference. Their prize was a date with the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round of the playoffs.

Canadiens vs Flyers Game 1 Odds

Odds taken August 10th.

This should be a fun series to watch but when it comes to Game 1 Canadiens and Flyers odds forget about being concerned about the winner and loser. I’m focused solely on the Over/Under thanks to three key players.

Carey Price Has Regained MVP Form

Carey Price certainly looked like the 2015 NHL MVP in the opening round. He posted a 1.67 goals-against average and .947 save percentage helping Montreal upset Pittsburgh. Amazingly, he finished with the third-most saves in the play-in round despite the Canadiens finishing off the Penguins in only four games.

Carey Price joins Jacques Plante (4) and George Hainsworth (3) as the third goaltender in @CanadiensMTL history to record at least three shutouts in potential series-clinching games.

Two active netminders have more: Ben Bishop (4) & Marc-Andre Fleury (4). #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/PYvkCQTgvn

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) August 7, 2020

Montreal head coach Claude Julien knows his chances to win this round begin and end with Price. Protecting the front of the net and limiting scoring chances as best as possible will be paramount. The good news is when things go wrong, Price is more than capable of making highlight-reel saves to keep his team in the game.

Carter Hart Is the Next Great Canadian Goalie

When NHL players return to the Olympics in 2022 Team Canada will have an interesting choice between the pipes. They’ll be choosing between Price and Flyers goaltender Carter Hart. While all the buzz has surrounded the Canadiens’ goalie so far don’t be too quick to look past Hart’s accomplishments this season. He was 24-13-3 with a 2.42 goals-against average and .914 save percentage. He’s been even better in the post-season, going undefeated with a 1.00 goals against and .966 save percentage in the round-robin.

Congratulations #CarterHart
Way to go boys! @NHLFlyers @NBCSPhilly pic.twitter.com/jD1krQJGVC

— Bernie Parent (@bernieparent) August 2, 2020

If you needed to win a game to save your life, you’d likely put Price in net. That said, Hart has closed the gap considerably and could be up to the challenge of matching his senior Canadian netminder save for save in this series.

Selke Nominee Sean Couturier Will Play Key Role

Few forwards in the league play a bigger role in their own end than Flyers center Sean Couturier. He’s nominated for the Selke trophy again this year and may well just win the award for the first time. He finished the abbreviated regular season with 59 points and a +21 mark. He’ll be tasked with shutting down the Canadiens best forwards in Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher.

Goal Farabee. #AnytimeAnywhere | #PHIvsTBL pic.twitter.com/SIlegyXNqW

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) August 9, 2020

Couturier isn’t a flash in the pan either, he’s been elite in his own end for years. Over the last three seasons he’s combined for 211 points in 231 games and was +57. Look for him to contribute on both ends of the ice, but specifically in his own zone keeping goals off the board.

Bet the Under In Game 1 of the Series

Both teams will come out with conservative game plans, much like a boxer sizing up an opponent in the early rounds. With a less free-flowing style of play, two elite goalies and perhaps the best defensive forward in the game, everything says take the Under in Game 1.

The Pick: Under 5.5 Goals (-110)