Flyers vs Canadiens Game 3 Odds and Pick

• The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers are tied 1-1 in their opening round playoff series
• Game 3 will be played Sunday, August 16th at 8 pm EST
• Read below for analysis and a betting prediction for Game 3

The Canadiens performance in Game 2 was one few saw coming. Montreal embarrassed Philadelphia and evened their series one game apiece with a 5-0 victory.

Canadiens vs Flyers Game 3 Odds

Odds taken August 15th.

It’s no surprise these new odds look very different than the ones we saw ahead of Game 2. The most lopsided win of the post-season belonging to the biggest underdog was quite a shocker. It was shocking for a reason, it shouldn’t have happened once and it won’t happen again and here’s why.

Alain Vigneault Calls Out Opposing Coach

Canadiens head coach Claude Julien is out for the series after being rushed to hospital following the Game 1 loss. He’s now back home recovering, but in the meantime the bench belongs to Kirk Muller. While the team performed admirably in their first test without their normal coach, one thing in particular sparked the opponent. Late in the 5-0 win, Muller sent out his top power play unit and that’s just something you don’t do in the NHL. With the game settled the gentlemanly thing to do is have your star players watch the penalty from the bench to save the opponent any unnecessary embarrassment.

Alain Vigneault didn't like that Kirk Muller put his No. 1 power play on the ice late in the game: "We had embarassed ourselves enough. I'm not sure we needed to be embarassed more."

Adds that he'll be sure to point that out to his players.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) August 14, 2020

Was Muller trying to make the Flyers look bad? I doubt it. He played in the league for years and knows the unwritten rules just like the rest of us. Will Philadelphia head coach Alain Vigneault use this to light a fire under his team anyways? Absolutely. My bet is the result of this mini feud will not end well for the Canadiens.

Will Carter Hart Respond In Game 3?

This had been a series between two great Canadian goalies but things took a nasty turn in Game 2. Carey Price was his usual spectacular self making 30 saves in the shutout victory. Carter Hart on the other hand had his roughest outing in a while. He was chased from the net after allowing 4 goals on 26 shots, failing to return for the 3rd period.

Happy birthday, Carter Hart. He's only 22! pic.twitter.com/2qUBZC0C6V

— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) August 13, 2020

Hart had been one of the stories of the playoffs and was undoubtedly a surprise in Game 2. That said, he was far from the only player who had an off night and much like the rest of the skaters wearing orange and black, he’ll respond Sunday night. He had allowed only 3 goals total in 3 games coming in so a 6.49 goals against in one bad game should be seen as the outlier.

Bet the Flyers To Rebound & Take Series Lead

The Flyers vs Canadiens odds may suggest this series is suddenly tighter than before but it isn’t. Philadelphia still recorded 18 more points than Montreal in the abbreviated regular season and they still have the much better roster. Consider this speed bump a gift with the Flyers now offering more value than they would have without the poor Game 2 effort. Bet on a rebound performance from Carter Hart and the entire forward core. With a day off between games, Vigneault has plenty of time to get his team ready to respond.

Matt Niskanen is confident in a bounce back performance coming in Game 3. #MTLvsPHI | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/2l7d4nfOxW

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) August 14, 2020

Your bet all comes down to your comfort level. If you’re feeling brash take the puck line and expect a similar scoreline just with the teams reversed. If you’re a little less confident stick to the moneyline, but whatever you do make sure your wager is on the Broad Street Bullies.

The Pick: Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 (+188)