NHL Best Bets & Picks: Flyers vs Penguins & Golden Knights vs Mammoth – Expert Game Previews
The Stanley Cup Playoffs have just two games on the slate for Monday night after the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Ottawa Senators. The Philadelphia Flyers can join their Metropolitan Division rivals in the second round with a victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5. In the late game, the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth meet in Game 4 in Salt Lake City at 9:30 p.m. ET, also on ESPN.
We'll provide single plays and parlay opportunities you could potentially pair with Monday's MLB and NBA basketball action. Good luck with all of your plays! Let's get started.
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Philadelphia Flyers 
at Pittsburgh Penguins 
The Flyers had a chance to sweep at home over the weekend, but the Penguins won Game 4 to stave off elimination with their backs against the wall.
Philadelphia had a commanding 3-0 series lead going into Game 4, but Pittsburgh shook things up, turning to Arturs Silovs in net over Stuart Skinner, and that little change made a world of difference. The effort on the defensive end, and on offense, also picked up dramatically, easily leading to the best performance of the series for the Penguins.
Sidney Crosby opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period, and Rickard Rakell made it 2-0 early in the second period before the Flyers got on the board. Denver Barkey notched his first-career NHL goal at 15:40, with assists to Trevor Zegras and Cam York. However, Kris Letang kept the Penguins at arms' length with an early third-period goal, and the Flyers were simply unable to get back level.
Silovs, who was 5-5-0 with a 2.91 GAA, .898 SV% and one shutout in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Vancouver Canucks, picked up the win with 28 saves on 30 shots, giving Pittsburgh the boost it needed.
The Penguins are attempting to become the fifth NHL team in postseason history to erase an 0-3 series hole. It can be done, but Pittsburgh still has a long way to go. The last team to accomplish the feat was the Los Angeles Kings in 2014 in the first round against the San Jose Sharks. Ironically, Philadelphia did it in 2010, topping the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and Pittsburgh blew a 3-0 lead in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals against the New York Islanders in 1975. In the next round, Philadelphia beat those Islanders as well.
The series is back in the Steel City, and Pittsburgh is looking for its first home win in three tries. If it can send the series back to Philadelphia for Game 6, wouldn't that be something?
We're going to trust the Penguins on home ice here, as they can't go 0-for-3 at PPG Paints Arena, can they? Let's also go low on the total, as the intensity ratchets up, and the Flyers could start to be a little tentative on the offensive end, as they don't want to give the Penguins chances the other way, allowing them to get momentum to get back into the series.
- Penguins ML (-135 at Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings Sportsbooks)
- Under 5.5 (+100 Bet365, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and Fanatics Sportsbooks)
Vegas Golden Knights 
at Utah Mammoth 
The Mammoth have been setting a lot of firsts in this series. After losing 4-2 in Game 1 against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas, Utah picked up its first-ever playoff win by a 3-2 margin in Game 2. In Game 3, the Mammoth picked up the win during their first home playoff matchup in franchise history.
The Mammoth doubled up the Golden Knights 4-2 in Game 3, as Karel Vejmelka kicked aside 30 of the 32 shots he faced. That pales in comparison to the workload of Carter Hart, who was tasked with just eight saves on 12 shots. MacKenzie Weegar broke the ice in the first period, while Dylan Guenther had a power-play goal. Lawson Crouse scored a pair of goals in the second, and Utah had a 4-0 lead before the Golden Knights were able to get on the board with a second-period goal for Jack Eichel, and a third-period tally for Nic Dowd.
Hart is confirmed to start Game 4 by head coach John Tortorella, who will ride or die with his former backstop in Philadelphia. Hart has allowed seven goals on 41 shots, just an .829 SV% in the past two outings. You have to imagine he'll be on a short leash for Game 4, a must-win matchup for Vegas.
Let's back Utah to get the job done. The Mammoth weren't at their best in Game 3, at least in terms of generating shots and working through the neutral zone, but they still managed to get the job done where it counts most -- on the scoreboard.
We'll also go low on the total. Vegas is in a do-or-die situation, so it will likely throw the kitchen sink at Vejmelka. However, Utah's defense has been quite adequate, and Vejmelka steams in with confidence.
- Mammoth ML (+100 at Caesars and Hard Rock Sportsbooks)
- Under 6 (-120 at Bet365, BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook)
Don't make any bets on your favorite sports betting apps without first consulting the latest NHL odds.
Parlay Strategy and Super Parlay Picks for NHL Betting Slates
4-Leg NHL Super Parlay (+900 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Penguins ML (-135) vs. Flyers
- Under 5.5 (+100) - Penguins vs. Flyers
- Under 6 (-120) - Mammoth vs. Golden Knights
- Mammoth (+100) vs. Golden Knights
4-Leg NHL Sides Parlay (+248 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Penguins ML (-135) vs. Flyers
- Mammoth (+100) vs. Golden Knights
4-Leg NHL Totals Parlay (+267 at Caesars Sportsbook)
- Under 5.5 (+100) - Penguins vs. Flyers
- Under 6 (-120) - Mammoth vs. Golden Knights
