Flyers vs. Islanders Betting Preview (September 1, 2020)

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders meet in the fifth game of their second-round series. Let’s get into our Flyers-Islanders betting preview, including odds, boosts, and picks.

Flyers vs. Islanders Betting Preview

What once appeared to be an evenly-matched series between two teams that won their first round matchups in somewhat decided fashion has devolved from a surefire seven-game series to a potential elimination game for the Flyers.

Perhaps the signs were there all along with the Islanders taking all three regular season matchups between the teams and two of the first three in this series. No one could have foreseen this series potentially ending in just five games, yet that’s a distinct possibility this evening.

The Islanders, led by Barry Trotz, have done a masterful job of negating so many aspects of what made the Flyers a threat to ride a wave of momentum to the Stanley Cup Final.

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault has pushed every right button this season and has typically found great success at motivating his team. The inclusion of Oskar Lindblom in pregame warmups ahead of Game 4 appeared to be an effort to add some extra juice to his team in an effort to get out to an early lead and ultimately tie the series. It didn’t work.

Can Vigneault get the best out of his team and lead them to victory in a true win-or-go-home Game 5?

Flyers vs. Islanders Odds

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

Spread: Flyers +1.5 -286, Islanders -1.5 +230
Moneyline: Flyers +105, Islanders -121
Over/Under: O 5 -115, U 5 -106

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

Bets We Like With a Flyers Win

Money Puck gives the Flyers a 51.4% of winning this game, a 6.6% uptick versus ahead of Game 4. This is the first time Money Puck has installed the Flyers as the favorite since ahead of Game 2. The Flyers’ implied win probability, based on the moneyline, is 48.8%, representing a drop of 0.7% from ahead of Game 4.

Flyers Win and Under 5 Total Goals (+265, DraftKings)

We said this ahead of Game 4 and we’ll say it again here: it’s hard to justify taking the Flyers to win. Not only have they lost back-to-back games against the Islanders, not only did they get outplayed in large stretches in Game 1, but they’ve lost six of seven matchups dating back to the regular season.

From a macro perspective, the Flyers’ Game 4 loss represented the first time they’d lost back-to-back games since January 7. The last time they lost three in a row? That same stretch of four consecutive losses beginning December 31.

Then again, the Flyers haven’t had their collective back against the wall like this with win-or-go-home stakes of a potential elimination game before. Putting a desperate, talented team into a corner could lead to a shocking result.

Thus far in the series, the under has hit twice, the over has hit once, and Game 4 saw a push on total goals. Ten of the Flyer’s past 12 games have gone under the total goals threshold. If you like the Flyers to win, parlay it with the under.

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

Flyers and Golden Knights Both to Win (+225, FOX Bet)

This bet comes down to whether or not you believe the Flyers can stave off elimination and the Golden Knights can finish off their series against the Vancouver Canucks. Vegas leads their series 3-1, and has been installed as a -250 moneyline favorite. Vegas has been dominant in their wins, collecting a 5-0 and 3-0 shutout to pair with a 5-3 result in Game 4.

New users at FOX Bet can get a $20 free bet with no deposit and a $100 deposit match when they sign up in PA here and NJ here.

Bets We Like With an Islanders Win

Islanders to Win and Under 5 Goals (+245, DraftKings)

In three regular season matchups between the teams, New York and Philadelphia averaged just under 8 goals per game combined, blowing through the O/U’s glass ceiling.

We’ve seen the opposite this postseason, as the teams have combined for four, seven, four, and five goals in each playoff game. The O/U for each of those games has been set at the same five combined goals, just as it is ahead of Game 5. The under has hit twice, Game 4 saw a push, and Game 2’s overtime affair is the lone outlier going over five goals.

New York has won six of seven games between the teams this season and 11-of-16 matchups dating back to February 2017. The Islanders appear to have solved the complex puzzle that posed so many problems to teams across the league and it’s going to be hard to pick against them to close out the series in Game 5.

If you think the Islanders will win, get better value by parlaying it with Under 5 goals.

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

Bets We Like Independent of Outcome

Islanders to Score in Each Period (+350, FOX Bet)

The Islander have had no trouble scoring in the middle and final acts of games, as they’ve netted at least one goal in every third period of the series and a goal in all but every second period, Game 1 notwithstanding. The only period the Islanders have failed to score in with regularity is the first period. They haven’t done so since Game 1. With a ticket to the Eastern Conference Final within reach, and a desperate Flyers team leaving open opportunities on the counter, Game 5 might be the right time to give this bet a look.

New users at FOX Bet can get a $20 free bet with no deposit and a $100 deposit match when they sign up in PA here and NJ here.

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

Either Team to Score an Empty Net Goal (+125, FOX Bet)

Give that each of the past three playoff games between these teams has resulted in a one-goal differential, it stands to reason that a late charge from either side could leave a team susceptible to a late empty net goal.

New users at FOX Bet can get a $20 free bet with no deposit and a $100 deposit match when they sign up in PA here and NJ here.

Under 5.5 Goals (-167, FOX Bet)

The Under 5.5 goals prop has hit three times in four games this series, with Game 1 and Game 3 seeing a total of four goals in each, while Game 4 saw the teams combine for five goals. By hedging a bit, you can get a five goal final result added to your list of possibilities with -167 odds at FOX Bet. If you’re feeling this game will be an even lower-scoring affair, you can get Under 4.5 goals at +180.

New users at FOX Bet can get a $20 free bet with no deposit and a $100 deposit match when they sign up in PA here and NJ here.

Flyers vs. Islanders Prediction

Pick: Until the Flyers prove they’re able to put together a stretch of consistent, highly-motivated play for longer than 20 minutes, we agree with Money Puck and the oddsmakers. Take the Islanders to win. In a separate bet, take the Under 5.5 goals.