Saturday night’s contest between the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens could be one of the most important games of the NHL season.
Not only would a win put Montreal two points closer to clinching the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but it would move the New York Rangers that much closer to elimination.
The Flyers, relegated to a spoiler role, are +136 underdogs in Montreal on Hockey Night in Canada.
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Flyers vs. Canadiens betting preview
The Flyers have looked like a refreshed bunch since John Tortorella was let go and replaced by Brad Shaw.
Philadelphia was 1-10-1 in Tortorella’s last 12 games behind the bench and had scored just 22 goals in that span.
The Flyers have gone 3-0 under Shaw, and they’ve outscored their opponents 15-9.
Shaw’s first win as bench boss of the Flyers came in a wild 6-4 victory over the Habs.
Montreal is also in good form with three wins on the spin since their loss to the Flyers. The Habs swept a home-and-home with the Panthers, and then defeated the Bruins, 4-1, to put themselves in sole possession of the final wild-card spot.
The Habs have been plagued by defensive issues for much of the season, but they seem to have cleaned things up a bit of late. Montreal has conceded five goals and 62 shots in its last three contests.
Flyers vs. Canadiens pick
Montreal’s defensive game has picked up, but so has Philadelphia’s offensive prowess.
Led by Matvei Michkov, the Flyers have more than enough offensive bite to play spoiler here, and this looks like a situation where the team in the must-win spot is being overrated by the betting market.
Bettors can afford to wait and see where this number goes because it’s unlikely that there will be a ton of interest in backing the team with nothing to play for against one with everything on the line.
The Pick: Flyers +135 or better
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