NHL playoff picks: Back Hart to help the Flyers force Game 6

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Welcome to the heater, folks. Yet another perfect night extends our winning run to 6-0 and I never want to lose again.

How about we turn 6-0 into 8-0 tonight?

New York Islanders (-130) @ Philadelphia Flyers (+110)

The Flyers' decision to start Brian Elliott in Game 4 was baffling. You're seriously telling me a 22-year-old Carter Hart can't start back-to-back games with no travel in between? Alain Vigneault's move was puzzling, to say the least, and it cost Philadelphia dearly.

It's a shame, too, because the Flyers had one of their best efforts of the series in Game 4. They were especially dangerous in the second period, generating seven high-danger scoring chances while holding the Islanders to zero. They outchanced them all game at five-on-five. Yet Philadelphia got caught with the contest tied 1-1 in the third period. Jean-Gabriel Pageau snuck behind the defense, Elliott let in a goal he shouldn't have, and the rest is history. The Isles took the lead and never looked back.

On the brink of elimination, expect a spirited response from Philadelphia, led by Hart. The young netminder has a point to prove after sitting Game 4 and will do his part to give the Flyers - who finally showed signs of life at five-on-five Sunday night - a chance to extend this series.

Pick: Flyers (+110)

Vancouver Canucks (+190) @ Vegas Golden Knights (-230)

Any hope the Canucks have of forcing Game 6 hinges on Jacob Markstrom. Vancouver was right in Game 4 up until a third-period collapse, but the contest would have been over long before that had the goaltenders been reversed.

Markstrom's excellent performance, coupled with an inconsistent Marc-Andre Fleury outing, kept things close despite another dominant display from the Knights, who have been the vastly superior team all series. Now, Robin Lehner will be back in for Game 5 as Vegas looks to close things out. Lehner's got sensational career numbers against the Canucks and he's already blanked them twice in this series.

Look for the Knights to again control the pace and balance of play, with Markstrom doing his best to keep the Canucks' playoff hopes alive in a tight elimination game.

UPDATE: With Markstrom's status in question, Thatcher Demko is in line to possibly start Game 5 for the Canucks. Demko's last start was on March 10 and he's played just 8:26 in the bubble. If Markstrom starts the under is still in play, but with Demko in there's no bet on this game.

Pick: Under 6 (-110)

Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.