Flyers vs. Capitals Odds & Prediction | NHL Betting Preview (November 23)

Flyers vs. Capitals Odds

Two struggling Metropolitan Division squads are in the TNT spotlight on Wednesday. The network kicks off its Thanksgiving hockey coverage with the Philadelphia Flyers' visit to Capital One Arena to take on the Washington Capitals.

Both squads are coming off losses, in the midst of significant winless streaks and are 2-6-2 in their past 10 games.

Here's the latest on Philadelphia and Washington, and your best bet for Wednesday's game.

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Philadelphia Flyers

When the Flyers started the season with a 4-1-0 record, new coach John Tortorella warned us that those results weren't likely to be sustainable.

He was right.

The Flyers are now 7-8-4 and haven't won a game in more than two weeks.

In net, Carter Hart continues to lead the NHL with 14.2 goals saved above expected. But while he still has a .920 save percentage and an average of 2.68 goals against, he has given up three or more goals in each of his past six starts. The Flyers are controlling just 43.38% of expected goals at 5-on-5, 29th in the league, and their penalty kill is tied for 25th (74.6%).

Philadelphia doesn't have the horses to score its way out of its defensive weaknesses. Travis Konecny leads the team with seven goals, but has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury and remains sidelined. The Flyers' long list of injured players also includes important forwards Scott Laughton, Wade Allison, James van Riemsdyk, Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson, many of whom are on the shelf for extended periods.

So while the youth movement is in full swing, most of those players aren't yet producing at a consistent level. The best of the bunch is Owen Tippett, who is playing top-line minutes and has six goals and 10 points in 14 games.

The Flyers are coming off a 5-2 home loss to Calgary on Monday. After Thanksgiving, they'll play an early home game against Pittsburgh on Friday, followed by a visit to UBS Arena on Saturday. That schedule setup suggests Hart should get the nod in net on Wednesday in Washington.

Washington Capitals

The Capitals should be the more rested of the two sides. They're in the midst of a three-game homestand and haven't played since Saturday, when they lost 4-0 to the Colorado Avalanche.

Washington is on a four-game winless slide and is in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division standings with 17 points — one fewer than Philadelphia, with one more game played.

Like the Flyers, injuries have been the primary storyline this season in Washington. Tom Wilson and Nicklas Backstrom have both resumed skating following offseason surgeries, but aren't close to getting back in the lineup, and free-agent acquisition Connor Brown is out with a long-term knee injury. But Washington could be getting some help on Wednesday as T.J. Oshie and Dmitry Orlov look like they'll be ready to return to the lineup.

Through it all, Alex Ovechkin continues to do his thing, leading his team with nine goals and 17 points. But the Capitals are only averaging 2.75 goals a game, 26th in the league. Goalies Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren are both putting up acceptable numbers, but they're not standing on their heads to steal wins. And that's what Washington needs when it can't produce much offensively.

Kuemper should get the start Wednesday. Like Hart, his stat line is decent, with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. But he's at just 1.5 goals saved above expected with his new team, and has given up four goals in each of his past three starts.

Flyers vs. Capitals Pick

At -250, the oddsmakers are giving the Capitals implied odds of better than 71% to crack their winless streak and head into Thanksgiving with a smile on their faces. The game circumstances do favor Washington: more rested, playing on home ice and getting a couple of key players back from injury. Meanwhile, the Flyers have been playing a busier schedule and recently lost more bodies in Konecny, Laughton and Allison.

At those -250 odds, a bet of $10 would only earn a payout of $4 for a Capitals win — not especially appealing for bettors.

Instead, look for sharp performances from both Hart and Kuemper, who facing opponents that are both seriously struggling with scoring.

This is a game where the under looks like the most appealing play.

Pick: Under 6 (-110) | Play Down to -120

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