Flyers vs. Canadiens Betting Preview (August 16, 2020)

On Sunday night, the Flyers and Canadiens meet in the third game of their Best-of-7 series in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. After a decisive blowout win in Game 2, can Montreal keep the momentum going or will Philadelphia reassert its dominance? Let’s get into our Flyers-Canadiens betting preview, including odds, boosts, and picks.

But before we do, FOX Bet has a is offering an absurd promo allowing users to triple their money if the Flyers win. Sign up in Pennsylvania here and in New Jersey here.

Flyers vs. Canadiens Betting Preview

We had anticipated a boost in Montreal’s effort to start Game 2, following the news that their head coach Claude Julien required heart surgery following his hospitalization due to chest pains after Game 1. No one was prepared for the absolute beatdown the Habs laid on the Flyers. It was sheer domination from the first whistle until the last, leading Flyers coach Alain Vigneault to put his top players and Habs acting coach Kirk Muller on notice:

Alain Vigneault wasn't thrilled with the Canadiens' top PP unit being on the ice up 5-0. Kirk Muller better sleep with one eye open.

"I don't think we needed to get embarrassed more. So, I'm gonna make sure our team is very aware of that next game." #Flyers #AnytimeAnywhere pic.twitter.com/TcaD2hHR2s

— Russ Joy (@JoyOnBroad) August 15, 2020

The question is whether or not that message will resonate with high-paid veterans such as Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, James van Riemsdyk, and Kevin Hayes, who have produced a single deflection goal and six assists (four from Hayes) in five games in the Toronto bubble.

If the Orange & Black needed any additional motivation, they got it Sunday as forward Oskar Lindblom joined his teammates on ice for the first time in Toronto since finishing his chemotherapy treatments and subsequent trip to celebrate with family and friends in his native Sweden. Since Lindblom’s diagnosis in December, his mere presence at practice or Wells Fargo Center was often seen as a direct influence on the team’s performance in following games.

Flyers vs. Canadiens Odds

Here’s the line for the Flyers and Canadiens at DraftKings Sportsbook PA:

Spread: Flyers -1 +128, Canadiens +1 -152
Moneyline: Flyers -134, Canadiens +115
Over/Under: O 5 -141, U 5 +116

[sb-standard teams=”Philadelphia Flyers” books=”DraftKings”]

Bets We Like With a Flyers Win

Money Puck gives the Flyers an 43.7% chance of winning this game. Money Puck had been virtually perfect at predicting Flyers games in the Toronto bubble, yet Game 2 appears to have rattled their computer models. This marks just the second time Money Puck has listed the Orange & Black as underdogs since the NHL resumed play. The Flyers’ implied win probability, based on the moneyline, is 57.3%, which is about 2% lower than ahead of Games 1 and 2.

Flyers Win and Under 5 Total Goals (+260, DraftKings)

Given all of the bulletin board material we’ve seen since the end of Game 2, including the Alain Vigneault quotes above, as well as Oskar Lindblom joining the team in Toronto, the Flyers should break out early in this one with some of that “jam” former head coach Peter Laviolette always talked about.

As for more tangible reasons to believe the Flyers will win, consider this: From January 8-March 12, the Flyers went 26 games without registering consecutive losses as they posted a 19-6-1 record. In the games following their final eight losses over that timeframe, the Flyers went 8-0-0, while outscoring the opposition by a final tally of 40-17. Alain Vigneault has been masterful at making the right adjustments. Expect it to happen again.

Once again, we’d encourage you to see out a bet offering the O/U at 5.5 goals, as each game has gone under that number and only one of the three regular season matchups between the teams went over 5.5 goals.

As it stands, there’s a high likelihood the Flyers get their suffocating forecheck back on track, keep the score relatively low, and the under hits.

You can get this one at DraftKings Sportsbook by clicking here.

Flyers to Win “Triple Your Money” Promotion (+200, FOX Bet)

If you want to get the best value possible betting on the Flyers to win Game 3, head over to FOX Bet in PA here and NJ here to take advantage of their “Triple Your Money” promotion. Once you’ve registered and deposited funds into your account via PayPal, eChecking, credit/debit, or one of the various other deposit methods, find the +200 super boost on the app’s main screen, and click on the special odds to take advantage of the offer.

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Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

Under 5.5 Goals (-140, FanDuel)

We’ve outlined all the reasons to believe that under 5.5 total goals is a solid bet given that four of the five games played between these two teams between the regular season and playoffs thus far have gone under 5.5 goals. Here’s one more number to keep in mind: 23. The under has gone 23-8-1 in games played in the Toronto bubble.

You can get this one at FanDuel Sportsbook PA by clicking here.

Under 5 Goals (+115, DraftKings)

Once again, the best value for taking the under on five total goals is at DraftKings Sportsbook. Assuming you think this will be a low-scoring game, but you don’t want to be tied to a specific winner, give it a look.

You can get this one at DraftKings Sportsbook by clicking here.

Flyers vs. Canadiens Prediction

Pick: Don’t be surprised to see the Flyers steamroll Montreal in this game. Their a more talented team top-to-bottom and Game 2 was the wakeup call they needed to get their heads on straight. Take the Flyers to win and triple your money at FOX Bet. In a separate bet, take under 5.5 goals at FanDuel Sportsbook.