Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Islanders – 8/24/20 NHL Pick, Odds, and Prediction

The New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers meet Monday in game one of the NHL East Second Round at the Scotiabank Arena.   

The New York Islanders are coming off a five-game series win over the Washington Capitals. The New York Islanders are averaging 3.33 goals per game and are scoring on 15.8 percent of their power play opportunities. Anthony Beauvillier leads New York with six goals, Josh Bailey has eight assists and Anders Lee has 28 shots on goal. Defensively, the New York Islanders are allowing 1.67 goals per game and are killing 75 percent of their opponents power plays. Semyon Varlamov has given up 15 goals on 227 shots faced.

The Philadelphia Flyers are coming off a six-game series win over the Montreal Canadiens. The Philadelphia Flyers are averaging 2.44 goals per game and are scoring on 10.3 percent of their power play opportunities. Jakub Voracek leads Philadelphia with four goals, Kevin Hayes has six assists and Claude Giroux has 20 shots on goal. Defensively, the Philadelphia Flyers are allowing 1.78 goals per game and are killing 80.7 percent of their opponents power plays. Carter Hart has allowed 13 goals on 230 shots faced and Brian Elliott has allowed two goals on 23 shots.

The Islanders are 6-2 in their last 8 playoff games as an underdog, 5-2 in their last 7 games following a win and 5-1 in their last 6 overall. The Flyers are 10-1 in their last 11 Monday games, 13-3 in their last 16 games following a win and 37-18 in their last 55 overall. The under is 14-3-1 in Islanders last 18 Monday games. The under is 10-1-1 in Flyers last 12 overall. The Islanders are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Philadelphia and 21-43 in the last 64 meetings. The over is 11-1 in the last 12 meetings.

The New York Islanders have won four straight games against the Philadelphia Flyers and seven of the last 10 meetings overall. While the Flyers entered the playoffs as probably the hottest team in the league, it’s the Islanders who have been one of the more impressive teams in the bubble and a team we’ve backed a lot. The New York Islanders have been elite defensively and haven’t allowed more than three goals through nine games. For whatever reason, the Islanders also continue to get these soft prices from oddsmakers. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Give me the Islanders and the soft price.