Game 1 Flyers vs Penguins Odds, Predictions & Starting Goalies

• The Penguins are slight -142 home favorites in Game 1 of their opening round playoff series vs the Flyers
• Philadelphia is back in the postseason for the first time since 2020
• Read below for my Flyers vs Penguins prediction, the latest odds and starting goalies below

The Battle of Pennsylvania returns to the NHL Playoffs Saturday, when the Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-16, 98 points) host the Philadelphia Flyers (43-27-12, 98 points) in Game 1 of their First Round matchup.

For the Flyers, it’s their first appearance in the postseason since 2020, but the franchise knows Sid Crosby well: Pittsburgh has eliminated Philly in three of four playoff matchups in the Crosby era.

Not surprisingly, the books like the Pens to strike first, pegging them as the favorite in the NHL odds.

Action gets underway at 8pm ET at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, with ESPN carrying the broadcast coverage.

Flyers vs Penguins Odds

Odds as of April 18. The interactive table above will automatically update as the NHL odds move over the course of the day.

The Penguins enter this contest as the betting favorites at -142 on the moneyline, while a Flyers’ road win pays out at +125 currently on bet365.

Phily is are getting 1.5 goals on the puckline at Caesars, but at just -225 odds, while Pittsburgh winning by two or more goals pays out at +170.

As for the total, Under betters should head to DraftKings, where theline is set at 6.5 goals, and Over bettors should check out BetMGM, where the total drops by a half goal, to six.

Flyers vs Penguins Prediction

• Best Bet: Over 6.0 Goals (-120 at BetMGM)

If there’s a definition of a freewheeling team, the Penguins have to be one of the key examples.

Led by the veteran core of championship teams past, Crosby, Geno Malkin and Kris Letang have helped power the Penguins to the third-ranked scoring offense in the NHL. Thankfully, at least this year, they have support around them, a big reason why they’re at least considered an outside shot in the Stanley Cup odds.

That includes d-man Erik Karlsson, who put up 66 points, as well as wingers Bryan Rust, Anthony Mantha and Ricard Rackell, combining to light the lamp a 86 times. It still all revolved around Crosby, though, who lead the team with 29 goals and 45 points.

Still, all that offense, can’t help them stop the puck. Since returning from the Olympic break, the Penguins have third-worst goals against in the NHL, allowing 3.69 goals per game. That’s the worst of any team in the playoff field.

Philadelphia is built the other way, ranking just outside the Bottom 10 in goals scored. That doesn’t mean they don’t have enough firepower to win this series. Travis Konecny led the team in scoring with 27 goals and 68 points, while Trevor Zegras was a solid pickup from Anaheim, with 26 goals and 67 points. Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov are the other 20+ goal scorers on that roster.

Their real strength, however, is keeping pucks out. The Flyers have been lights out since the Olympic break in goals against, allowing just 2.36 per contest.

Somehow, Pittsburgh gets them out of that shell. The Over has cashed in seven of the last 10 head-to-head matchups, including each of the last three and five of the last six.

The Battle of Pennsylvania should be, if nothing else, exciting to watch, with the scoreboard getting a workout.

Flyers vs Penguins Starting Goalies

This is a clear advantage for the Flyers, who can make the case that Dan Vladar was their most valuable player this season. Neither Stuart Skinner nor Arturs Silovs are in Vladar’s class, so they’ll be hoping their offense can keep them competitive in this matchup.

You know it’s bad when head coach Dan Muse hasn’t even announced a starter yet. For our purposes we’ll go with Skinner, who is the more playoff-polished of the two netminders.

Vladar set NHL career bests in games (52), wins (29) and GAA (2.42), and his .906 save percentage matched his best. Vladar had a .923 even-strength save percentage, good for second among NHL goalies to play at least 30 games. He allowed two goals or fewer in 34 of his 51 starts. 

Skinner has started 38 games the past two postseasons (21-16, 2.66 GAA, .896 save percentage, four shutouts) in consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final with Edmonton. A nod to him in net would be a hope he recaptures that playoff form.