As the second round of the NHL playoffs continues, the Philadelphia Flyers will face off against the New York Islanders on Tuesday night for Game 5 of their series. The Islanders come into the matchup with a 3-1 lead, needing one more win to advance.
For New York, the story of this series has been who’ve they’ve got in the crease. It seems like the Islanders could throw a guy off the streets in at goalie at this point. Their defense and goalkeeping have been stellar throughout the series.
Both teams come into Game 5 without any new injuries to report, giving fans and bettors alike the chance to see this matchup go full bore. The puck is set to drop at 7:00 ET on Tuesday night, so get your popcorn ready, set your alarms, and join us.
Flying Low
While Flyers goalie Brian Elliot hasn’t exactly had the playoffs of a lifetime, he’s certainly made enough stops to give the Flyers a chance. Unfortunately, Philadelphia hasn’t been able to do anything with many of those chances.
Whether New York’s goaltending has been good or bad, the Flyers have had issues finding the back of the net.
Sean Couturier has had a fantastic series so far but cannot do it all on his own. Even his play has been a bit spotty at times. Couturier, just like the rest of his team, wasn’t able to get on the board in Game 1 as the Flyers were shut out, and it was the same story in Game 3 when they only put up one goal.
Manning the Island
It hasn’t mattered whether the Islanders have Semyon Varlamov or Thomas Greiss in the crease, they’ve both looked like unstoppable forces on this series. Even in game 4, when the two split goaltending duties, they both were completely locked in. Not bad for a couple of guys whose stats rank in the middle of the pack for goalies this season.
Offensively, it’s been Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey that have led the way throughout the playoffs. Nelson and Bailey finished the regular season ranked second and third on the team in points, just behind Mathew Barzal, who put up 60 this season. They’ve certainly been no slouches. Barzal also has 3 points in the series.
Making Your Picks
The Islanders are favored by 1.5 on the spread line and are at -118 on the moneyline. This shows that Vegas sees the same thing that we have in the series. The total goals is set at 5 for this game. A total that I would stay away from.
As for the game pick, I would stay away from the 1.5 goal spread in an elimination game. However, I would bet hard on the moneyline, and you’ll have to make it profit.
That’s right, the Islanders advance. Put your cash on New York at -118, and watch them make their way to round three. Good luck.
