NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Capitals vs. Flyers (February 17)
Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Alex Ovechkin (Washington)
- The Flyers host the Capitals on Thursday night in Philadelphia.
- The Flyers are home underdogs, but does the value lie with Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals?
- Our NHL betting analyst Jonny Lazarus breaks down the matchup and shares his best bet below.
Capitals vs. Flyers Odds
| Capitals Odds | -175 |
| Flyers Odds | +150 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Philadelphia Flyers have been a complete and utter mess, while the Washington Capitals are coming off of a very strong road performance against a tough Nashville Predators team whom they beat 4-1. Alexander Ovechkin led the way with two goals, and Ilya Samsonov shut the door, stopping 33 of the 34 shots he faced.
Capitals Wrapping Up Road Trip
The Washington Capitals are playing their fourth road game in a row and the final game on this road trip. The Caps are 2-1-0 thus far, beating Montreal and Nashville but falling to Ottawa. The last time these two teams met on November 6th, the Flyers got the best of Washington in a 2-1 win in the nation's capital. Both teams have trended in completely opposite directions since then.
The Caps have had a great season thus far as they are currently 27-15-9 and 15-5-4 on the road.
To no surprise, the Capitals have been very strong on the offensive end this season as Ovechkin is on a tear, leading the team with 31 goals and 31 assists in 49 games. Ovechkin is a big reason as to why the Caps are ranked 11th offensively with 3.22 goals per game, which is outperforming their 2.9 Expected Goals For per 60 minutes.
Despite their offensive success, their power play has not been as good as it has been in past seasons. The Caps currently rank 27th in Power-Play percentage as they are only converting at a 15.8% rate.
Ilya Samsonov got the start in the Caps last game where he only allowed one goal on 34 shots against, and he is expected to get the nod again tonight. Samsonov has been excellent this season, posting a 16-7-3 record and a -3.0 GSAx.
Flyers Can't Seem to Figure it Out
The Philadelphia Flyers are a mess. They are currently on a three-game skid, and Washington is an opponent that they do not want to see. The Flyers are tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division as they are 15-24-9 on the season and 8-11-4 on home ice.
Nothing has changed over the years for the Flyers as their biggest concern has been goaltending for what seems like decades. Carter Hart and Martin Jones have been the guys in the blue paint this year for the Flyers, and neither has had much success.
Hart has been better than his record shows as he is 9-16-6 on the year with a .910 Save Percentage and a +1.5 Goals Saved Above Expected. Jones has seen fewer minutes than Hart, but Jones is 6-8-2 with a .901 Save Percentage and a -5.1 GSAx.
As a team, the Flyers rank 25th defensively, allowing 3.40 goals against per game while giving up 34.1 shots.
On the offensive end, Philly ranks 27th as they are scoring 2.54 goals per game on 30.5 Shots On Net each contest. Cam Atkinson and Claude Giroux, who have 37 points each, lead the way for the Flyers. While they have scored nine goals in their last three games, they have not gotten much help from their depth.
Capitals vs. Flyers Pick
The Capitals have been a very strong road team this year, and they have a much healthier roster than the Philadelphia Flyers, who will be missing some key players like Kevin Hayes, Sean Couturier, Joel Farabee and Ryan Ellis.
The Flyers are coming off of a very discouraging loss to the Penguins where they blew a 4-2 lead and lost in overtime, and they are playing with zero confidence right now.
The Capitals on the other hand are coming off of a very impressive win and should come out firing against a division rival. The Caps have the edge in goaltending and offense. I think they could win it in regulation, but I am confident that they will win this game if it does require overtime. I like the Capitals with the juice.
Pick: Washington Capitals -175
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
