The Philadelphia Flyers were among the best teams in the league before the 2019-20 NHL season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic, winning nine of its final 10 games. They earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference by dominating the round-robin and took the opener of their 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens before a flat performance in Game 2 resulted in a 5-0 loss. Philadelphia attempts to regain control of the matchup when it takes on Montreal in Game 3 on Sunday. The opening face-off at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto is set for 8 p.m. ET.
The Canadiens have been making the most of their fortunate situation as they upset Pittsburgh in their Qualifier series and now are knotted with the top-seeded Flyers after being 10 points out of a playoff spot when the regular season was paused. Philadelphia is a -135 favorite on the money line and Montreal is a +115 underdog in the latest Canadiens vs. Flyers odds by William Hill, while the over-under for total goals scored is five. Before making any Flyers vs. Canadiens picks, check out the NHL predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
This model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times, taking into account factors like current form, individual matchups, injuries and short- and long-term trends when making NHL picks. The model seeks the best values on the money line, puck line and total.
Now, the model has set its sights on Flyers vs. Canadiens. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NHL odds and trends for Canadiens vs. Flyers:
- Flyers vs. Canadiens money line: Philadelphia -135, Montreal +115
- Flyers vs. Canadiens puck line: Philadelphia -1.5
- Flyers vs. Canadiens over-under: 5 goals
- PHI: The Flyers are 5-0 SU in their last five games after allowing five or more goals in their previous contest
- MTL: The Canadiens have gone 3-for-7 on the power play in the series
Why you should back the Flyers
The performance in Game 2 was completely out of character for Philadelphia as it allowed just one goal in each of its first four games in the bubble and hadn't yielded more than three since Feb. 15. While the Flyers figure to tighten up defensively on Sunday, their top goal scorers during the regular season are likely to get going after being held at bay since the league's return. Travis Konecny (24), Kevin Hayes (23), Sean Couturier (22), captain Claude Giroux (21) and James van Riemsdyk (19) have been limited to a total of nine assists in the team's four games thus far.
Scott Laughton has helped fill the void, recording a team-high three goals after scoring a career-high 13 in the regular season. The 26-year-old entered the bubble with one tally in nine career postseason contests. Philadelphia has received offense from some of its rookies as Joel Farabee (two), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (two) and defenseman Philippe Myers have combined for five goals.
Why you should back the Canadiens
Montreal was on a mission in Game 2, its first since coach Claude Julien was hospitalized and had a stent inserted in his coronary artery. If the team needs further motivation on Sunday, it can rally around Carey Price, who celebrates his 33rd birthday after posting his seventh career postseason shutout two days earlier. The former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner also blanked Pittsburgh in the clincher of their Qualifier series and has turned aside 81-of-83 shots over his last three games.
Brendan Gallagher has yet to record a goal since the league returned to action, but rookie Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been flourishing in his first NHL postseason. The 20-year-old has scored a team-leading four goals, including a pair in Game 2, after recording only six in 36 regular-season contests. Veteran left wing Tomas Tatar finally got going in Montreal's victory on Friday, tallying twice after failing to notch a point over his first five games this postseason.
How to make Flyers vs. Canadiens picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total and it also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Canadiens vs. Flyers? And which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Flyers vs. Canadiens money line to jump on Sunday, all from the advanced model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times, and find out.
