NHL Odds, Pick, Prediction: Flyers vs. Capitals (April 12)
Patrick Smith/Getty Images. Pictured: Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.
- The Washington Capitals host the Philadelphia Flyers in Tuesday's NHL action.
- The Capitals, who are -275 ML favorites, are riding a three-game winning streak.
- Jonny Lazarus breaks down the game below and explains why he's expecting Washington to get the easy win.
Flyers vs. Capitals Odds
| Flyers Odds | +220 |
| Capitals Odds | -275 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Washington Capitals, who are inching closer to the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, are currently riding a three-game winning streak.
In contrast, the Philadelphia Flyers might not have any playoff hopes, but they have beaten the Capitals in two out of the three previous meetings this season.
The Capitals have been getting slept on for most of the season, but as we have seen in years past, this group knows what it takes to get to the playoffs. And despite the losing record against its latest opponents, they have the edge in Tuesday’s matchup.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers have only won two out of their last eight contests, with the entire season being a struggle for them. During this eight-game stretch, Philadelphia had a problem keeping the puck out of its net. The team has allowed 34 goals, but Martin Jones has started in five of those games.
The starter here will be Carter Hart, who is 0-4 in his last four outings and has given up 19 combined goals in those games.
The Flyers have been a poor defensive team all season long, ranking 25th when it comes to goals against per game as they are giving up 3.5 a night, which is even worse than their 3.17 xGA/60 minutes.
Philadelphia will have to tighten up, not only in its defensive end, but will also have to find ways to score goals against a Washington team producing goals of late.
Philadelphia's offensive production has struggled — not only at 5-on-5 — but especially on the power play. The Flyers rank 26th with a 2.31 xGF at 5-on-5 and have the leagues worst power-play, which only converts on 12.4% of its chances. They haven't scored a goal on the man advantage in their previous five games.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals enter this game riding a three-game win streak. As of April 6, they have a 59.12% xGF rating and 4.64 expected goals per 60 minutes in those metrics. During the course of this run, they’ve scored 14 goals and have only given up eight on defense.
John Carlson, who has been leading the way, has three goals and five assists in this last three games. Alexander Ovechkin has tallied three goals and an assist, scoring at least one goal in all three of thecontests.
The Capitals are averaging 3.26 goals per game, ranking 10th in offensive production, but they’re only generating 10.41 high-danger chances for per outing.
Ilya Samsonov is expected to get the start in goal. He has won his last two starts, but they haven't been his greatest performances. He has given up six goals against on 60 shots faced. Samsonov is the better goalie in this matchup, though. On the season, he’s 21-9-4 with a 2.95 goals against average and a .899 save percentage.
Flyers vs. Capitals Pick
The Capitals are heating up right now. Not only have they won three consecutive games, but they were all against strong opponents. During this streak, Washington has defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins.
That said, the Flyers are by far the weakest opponent they will have seen of late, so they should be able to ride the momentum they've gained heading into this meeting.
I expect a strong performance from Washington, as it should be able to exploit the weak Philadelphia defense and cover the Puck Line in this contest.
Pick: Washington -1.5 (-105)
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