The Philadelphia Flyers barreled into the postseason and now face off against an old rival in the first round. (Getty)
This one is going to be fun to watch.
That is, it’ll be fun if you’re into watch two teams who don’t particularly like each other take the ice with the intent of not only notching victories, but maybe a few punches along the way as well.
We’d imagine there aren’t very many NHL fans out there who don’t consider that a heck of a lot of fun.
The Stanley Cup favorite-Washington Capitals host the recently resurgent Philadelphia Flyer in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals tonight and we’ve got all the information on the matchup right here, including a look at the odds and live streaming options:
Date: Thursday, April 14
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia
TV Channel: NBCSN, CBC, TVA, CSNP, CSMA
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Odds: Washington – 220 via OddsShark
Preview: There’s just a bit of bad blood here.
Although the Capitals and Flyers haven’t faced off in the postseaon since 2008, neither squad is backing down from what is expected to be a pretty physical first round matchup between the perennial rivals.
In fact, when the squads last faced off in the regular season on March 30, Washington goalie Braden Holtby was whistled for a roughing penalty. The goalie was whistled for a roughing penalty. That’s how much these teams don’t like each other.
Philadelphia is riding a serious wave of confidence heading into the playoffs, returning to the Stanley Cup hunt after missing out last season. Meanwhile, the Caps are looking to avoid a repeat of recent postseason disappointing following a regular season that was nothing short of dominant.
Keep an eye out on defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere who has surprised more than a few of the NHL’s biggest fans this year. Gostisbehere returned to practice on Wednesday after a maintenance day earlier in the week and the standout could be a big-time difference maker for Philadelphia in front of the net.
