Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Game 4 Odds, NHL Betting Pick

The Philadelphia Flyers hope to even their first-round NHL playoff series at 2-2 in Game 4 on Wednesday when they host two-time defending Stanley Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins as solid home underdogs.

None of the first three games of the series have been competitive, with each decided by four goals or more, including a 5-1 victory by the Penguins in Game 3 on Sunday.

NHL betting line: The Penguins opened as minus-148 favorites (wager $148 to win $100); the total is at six goals, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NHL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 3.8-1.8, Penguins (NHL picks on every game)

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Why the Penguins can pay on the NHL lines

Pittsburgh bounced back nicely from a 5-1 loss to Philadelphia in Game 2 at home by taking the first matchup at the Wells Fargo Center. The Penguins saw Sidney Crosby tally one goal and three assists while goalie Matt Murray made 26 saves to personally rebound from a brutal performance in the previous game.

Murray has stopped 50-of-51 shots in the two wins during this series and allowed four goals on 19 shots in the lone loss. As long as Murray can continue to play like he did on Sunday, Pittsburgh will be in Game 4 and more than likely head back home with a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Why the Flyers can pay on the NHL lines

The Flyers are more than capable of evening this series because they are an explosive offensive team. In Game 2, they led 4-0 five minutes into the third period and got five goals from five different players overall.

They will need to do more of the same in Game 4 while playing much better defense, as they cannot allow the opposition to jump out to an early 4-0 lead again like the Penguins did in Game 3.

Philadelphia will need a strong performance from goalie Brian Elliott between the pipes as well, but he did just that in Game 2 when he turned away 34-of-35 shots en route to earning the win.

Smart betting pick

Pittsburgh has won six of the past seven meetings in this series dating back to late 2017, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.

While the Penguins have looked great in their two wins and bad in their one loss, they are the defending champs for a reason. And with four of the team's last five wins against the Flyers decided by three goals or more, take a shot with Pittsburgh on the puckline to continue a string of routs.

NHL betting trends

Pittsburgh is 4-1 in its last five games.

The total has gone over in 13 of Pittsburgh's last 19 games.

The total has gone over in 10 of Philadelphia's last 15 games.

All NHL odds and betting trends according to Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.