The NHL Playoffs continue tonight in the First Round as the Philadelphia Flyers take on the New York Rangers in Game 1 of their series. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on CNBC. Currently the odds for the game have the Rangers favored to open the series with a victory.

The Flyers and Rangers are a solid pair of hockey clubs that should see some emotional play. They played four times on the ice this season with each team winning twice. Only Philadelphia's 2-1 win at home back in October was the lone 1-goal game. This should be a fun series to watch and we'd expect more than just a single game decided by just one goal.

New York has done a decent job in recent post seasons, advancing each of the last two years. In 2012 the Rangers got to the Eastern Conference Finals but weren't able to get past the New Jersey Devils and reach the Stanley Cup Finals. This year the Rangers are hoping to get back to the conference finals, but take the extra step to play for the Cup.

The Rangers made a major move during the regular season when they traded away their captain, Ryan Callahan, to Tampa Bay. They got Martin St. Louis, one of the premier goal scorers in the league, back in the deal. But that swap hasn't been very good for the Rangers at all as St. Louis has just one goal and seven assists in his 19 games for New York. Both Brad Richards and Rick Nash eclipsed the 20-goal plateau and should help bolster the offense in this series.

One thing the Rangers are great at is the penalty kill. New York ranks third best in the league with an 85.3 percent penalty kill during the regular season. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist didn't have the best season, winning 33 games, but has a 2.36 goals against average this season in 63 games. Cam Talbot, the backup, went 12-6-1 in his time between the pipes this year with a 1.64 goals against this year.

Philadelphia finished the regular season with seven guys having at least 20 goals on the campaign. Wayne Simmonds led the way with 29 goals while Claude Giroux added 28 goals and 86 points total this season. His 28 goals tied a career high for the Flyers center. Giroux has 55 points in 50 career playoff games.

Steve Mason won 33 games this season and had a 2.50 goals against and a .917 save percentage. He will miss tonight's contest, however, as the Flyers will go with veteran Ray Emery in between the pipes.

This is the 11th time these longtime rivals have met in the post season. The Flyers have won six of those meetings and three in a row. But the two clubs haven't played in the playoffs since the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, so we expect some emotion in this one tonight. The Rangers were just 20-17-4 at home this season. We like a mild upset with Philadelphia tonight.

Free Pick: Philadelphia 4, New York 3

Get Marco D'Angelo's MLB DIVISIONAL MASSACRE For Free — No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!

Baseball Handicapping Tips from Pregame Pro Dave Essler

Join us as we walk you through how Pregame Pro Dave Essler handicaps baseball. Going into this season Essler has had FOUR STRAIGHT winning MLB seasons.

$10,000 Match Marco Baseball Challenge — During the 2010 MLB season, Pregame Pro Marco D'Angelo won an unheard of 25 straight baseball games, never laying more than -$120! This contest replicates Marco's feat — CLICK TO JOIN

Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for the NHL post season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!