Devils vs. Flyers Game 5: NHL Pick

In the first round of the playoffs, the Flyers absolutely dismantled the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was the team most people deemed to be the Stanley Cup frontrunner. In that series, the Flyers dominated in virtually every facet, scoring a whopping 30 goals (five goals per game) while converting 12-of-23 power play opportunities. Beyond that, they intimidated what was deemed to be the most talented team in the postseason. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils needed overtime in Game 7 to outlast what was deemed to be the weakest of the 16 playoff teams. 

But in Round 2, the Flyers now find themselves one game away from elimination as the Devils have quietly frustrated them. We saw the Flyers climb out of an 0-3 hole two years ago against the Boston Bruins, but can they do so again?

Interestingly, despite the Devils' seeming ownership of the Flyers, NHL odds makers opened the home team -150 favorites. NHL betting has since lowered the monelyine to -141. With the totalat 5.5, the expectation is that, considering the urgency of the situation, Philly will put the puck in the net. 

The New Jersey Devils can win because… 

They’re just quietly going about their business. 

Like their head coach behind the bench, the Devils play a stoic, consistent style of play. Unlike the Penguins in Round 1, the Devils aren’t engaging in any fisticuffs with the Flyers and they’re not bothered by any after-whistle shenanigans. In the first round, the Flyers got into the Penguins head because of those antics, but now the Devils lack of reaction has gotten into the Flyers’ head. 

So, the Devils are just going about their business, which means peppering Flyers' goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov with shots, putting the pressure on their questionable blue line and taking advantage of decent scoring opportunities. They know that their goaltender, Martin Brodeur, is going to stand on his head and save them at times but, at the other end, they have full confidence that, if they just keep throwing pucks at the net, enough of them will get through the flaky Bryzgalov. 

Game 4 was interesting, though, as it appeared that the Devils had found a new strategy. Instead of sitting back and trying to hold a lead, which they’ve failed to do all season long and in the playoffs, they kept their foot on the gas for three full periods. They put 43 shots on Bryzgalov but, more importantly, that pressure threw the Flyers off of their game as they manufactured a series-low 22 shots. 

I can tell you straight up that, if the Flyers are getting just 22 shots on net per game and the Devils are going to average more than three goals per game, the Flyers will be booking tee times very shortly. 

The Philadelphia Flyers can win because… 

They have yet to play their best game this series. 

Truth be told, the Flyers are an overtime goal away from the series being 2-2 with home-ice advantage, so it’s no time to panic. Plus, they’ve been in this position before. What they need to get back to, is playing with passion, which they haven’t done for three straight games. 

The Flyers showed a brief spurt in the first period of Game 4 and took a 2-0 lead because of it. But, as soon as they lost that intensity, the Devils took control. 

Philadelphia needs to find some kind of a spark – be it a fight, a big hit or an amazing goal – because they’re simply not playing with the type of emotion that they showed in Round 1. Sure, New Jersey is a rival of theirs just like Pittsburgh, but there isn’t the same bad blood and because of that the Flyers are having a tough time getting up for the games. 

If they don’t find a way to dictate the pace and impose their will for three straight games, they’re going home much sooner than anyone expected. 

Outlook & NHL betting prediction: 

For the Flyers, the key seems to be the four-goal mark. They have yet to win a playoff game this postseason when scoring less than four goals (0-5), but they have yet to lose when scoring four or more (5-0). 

But, can they get to four against a good defensive team like New Jersey? Yes, but they need to play with more passion. 

The Flyers played with so much fire in Round 1 but they simply don’t have the same type of hatred for New Jersey. But if there’s ever a time for them to get fired up, it’s when they’re backs are against the wall for Game 5. Play on the Flyers in your NHL picks to survive one more game and force a Game 6. 

NHL Picks: Flyers ---