Posted on 5/2/2008 4:38:34 PM

NHL Online Ice Hockey betting - Flyers, Stars look to finish series

By BetUS Staff

The Philadelphia Flyers’ up-and-down season is on another upswing heading into the weekend, as they can advance to the Eastern Conference final with a road win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night. So the Flyers have been paying off for those doing NHL online betting, but will they be able to keep picking up victories in the days ahead?

Well, they certainly seem to have the Habs’ number. Or, more specifically, Flyers goaltender Martin Biron has the Habs’ number. Down 1-0 in the best-of-seven series last Saturday night, Biron stopped 34-of-36 Montreal shots to lead Philly to a 4-2 victory. Biron was named the First Star in that contest, and he was then named the Third Star two days later when the Flyers picked up a 3-2 win to take a 2-1 advantage in the series.

Game 4 on Wednesday night saw Biron once again get peppered by Montreal shots, but he blanked the opposition through two periods as his team held on for a 4-2 victory. Biron stopped all 28 Canadiens shots through the first two frames as his team built up a 2-0 advantage, and he made 36 saves overall en route to yet another First Star selection.

R.J. Umberger scored twice for Philadelphia in their Game 4 win, with one of his goals going into an empty net with two seconds remaining in the contest. Scott Hartnell and Daniel Briere also potted goals for the Flyers on the night, and Mike Knuble picked up an assist in his return from injury. Vaclav Prospal picked up two assists for Philadelphia.

Tomas Plekanec and Saku Koivu scored for Montreal on Wednesday, with Francis Bouillon picking up two assists. Habs coach Guy Carbonneau went with Jaroslav Halak between the pipes on Wednesday, after starter Carey Price was ineffective in Game 3 (allowing three goals on 12 shots). Halak gave up three goals on 25 shots in the defeat.

So now the Flyers have a chance to send the top-seeded Canadiens to the golf course with a win on the road in Game 5 on Saturday night (with puck drop at 7:00pm ET). Should Montreal be able to solve Biron and the Flyers in that contest, they’ll force a Game 6 in Philly on Sunday night. Game 7 would be played Tuesday night in Montreal.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars will get a second opportunity to knock out the San Jose Sharks when they meet in Game 5 of their second-round series on Friday night. The Stars had a chance to sweep the Sharks on Wednesday night, but San Jose staved off elimination with a 2-1 road win. Jere Lehtinen opened the scoring for Dallas in Game 4, while Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek (with the game-winner) scored for San Jose.

Puck drop in San Jose on Friday night is set for 10:00pm ET. If the Sharks are able to pick up a second straight victory Game 6 would be played back in Dallas on Sunday night. A deciding Game 7 would be hosted by the Sharks and contested next Tuesday. Check the BetUS NHL lines section for all the latest odds and prop bets for the playoffs.

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