With a staggered schedule of games on Saturday, NHL betting fans will have a full day’s worth of NHL excitement. While the Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks will try to push their series to one more game, the Calgary Flames and Chicago Blackhawks will fight for control of their 2-2 series deadlock. Here’s a preview of Saturday’s action: Penguins vs Flyers odds: Flyers -140
The Pittsburgh Penguins have opened up a door for the Philadelphia Flyers but with a 3-2 series lead, they’ll have two opportunities to slam that door shut.
The Penguins have been in control throughout most of their first-round series with the Philadelphia Flyers but they don’t have their special teams to thank for it. The Penguins are just 1-for-16 on the power play in their last three games and just 4-for-29 on the series.
The Pittsburgh Penguins franchise has won only 29 games in Philadelphia all-time (including playoffs) so sealing the deal might have to wait one more game. Expect a tightly contested Game 6 but the Penguins should be the team that advances past the first round.
Ducks vs Sharks odds: Sharks -210
The San Jose Sharks are developing quite the reputation as choke artists. The Sharks, who won the Presidents’ Trophy and were everyone’s sexy Stanley Cup pick, have played with little desperation in the series, which will lead to another unexpected, early exit unless they turn things around quickly.
The Ducks are on fire right now, particularly goaltender Jonas Hiller, who recorded his second shutout of the series in Game 4.
Look for the Sharks to extend the series by one more game, although the pressure of playing in front of their home crowd might hurt their home ice advantage.
Flames vs Blackhawks odds: Blackhawks -155
The young Chicago Blackhawks will have to face some adversity now as their 2-0 series lead has now been rendered irrelevant. The Flames have won two straight games to grasp momentum in this series, which should give them some confidence heading out on the road.
The Flames have been very physical with the Blackhawks, who are getting their first taste of playoff hockey.
The Blackhawks won all four regular season games against the Flames and the first two in this series, so look for them to get back to what works.
