Posted on 4/28/2008 4:43:46 PM

Ice Hockey Betting - Playing With Fire Will Eventually Get Flyers Burned

By Eric Williams

While I won’t profess to be the world’s biggest online hockey betting buff, having covered the NFL, MLB and NBA for the majority of my professional careers as a professional sports columnist and handicapper, but I will readily admit that I do have more knowledge about the goings on in this NHL playoffs than the casual hockey fan or bettor, having grown up in hockey-crazy Philadelphia and having covered the Philadelphia Flyers for several years as a young reporter.

And speaking of the Philadelphia Flyers, who are 7-2 ATS in postseason in the BetUS Sportsbook, I can unequivocally tell bettors that, the inconsistent Flyers are the NHL’s equivalent of the NBA’s dysfunctional Denver Nuggets, a team, like the Flyers, that should seemingly be doing a lot more with their talent than they have done all season long.

As a matter of fact, the Flyers, (41-41 ATS) have been ‘playing with fire’ all season long, nearly failing to qualify for the playoffs altogether after an inconsistent regular season and then, being forced to play a Game 7 in their first round series against the Washington Capitals and high-scoring winger Alexander Ovechkin despite owning a convincing 3-1 series lead at one point.

Now, with their second round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens, (2-7 ATS in playoffs), all tied at one win each, the Flyers, will play two consecutive games at home though I believe they are far too inconsistent in my estimation to actually win the Stanley Cup Trophy this season.

After getting off to a blistering 6-1 start during the regular season, the Flyers went 10-10 over their next 20 matches before dropping six straight and then bouncing back with a solid 14-4 stretch. Philadelphia then lost ten straight and eventually closed out their regular season with four more consecutive losses.

While I will admit that the Flyers could actually surprise everyone, including themselves, by winning this series against the Canadiens, whom they lost five straight matches to this season before their Game 2 win, I will also advise bettors that any team that waits until they have their backs up against the wall before they come out swinging, is asking to be ‘knocked out’ at some point to put in pugilistic terms.

"I know it seems like that at times, even in the first round, we needed those obstacles and adversity for us to play better," gifted center Danny Briere said. "Sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's not, but we will definitely need it now. Hopefully, it is something that will make us dig deeper to get it done again."

"Obviously, in the playoffs you want to win every game," Flyers defenseman Kimo Timonen said. "When we face tough times, we seem to get better efforts."

While I think the Flyers are clearly the ‘tougher’ team of the two, and advise bettors to ride their red-hot ATS streak until they cool off, I think the younger, faster and clearly, more skilled, Canadiens, who led the entire NHL in ATS wins in the regular season, (45-37 ATS) should have a clear advantage as the series wears on.

Besides, when you keep playing with fire as the Flyers have all season long, you’re bound to get burned.

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