Flyers vs Capitals Picks & Odds: Two Skidding Teams Square Off in Washington

The Washington Capitals (7-10-3) and Philadelphia Flyers (7-8-4) will both attempt to halt losing streaks on Wednesday when the Caps host the Flyers as large home favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. The Capitals are riding a four-game skid while the Flyers have dropped a season-high seven in a row going into this Metropolitan Division matchup.

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Flyers vs Capitals Sportsbook Odds

Washington is the more talented of the two clubs but has a slightly worse record and one less point than Philadelphia right now. Health or a lack thereof has been the biggest issue for the Capitals early on, and they are hoping to have defenseman Dmitry Orlov and winger T.J. Oshie back from lower-body injuries after both participated fully in Sunday’s practice. They have also had more time off between games, getting blanked by the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche 4-0 last Saturday at home.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia fell 5-2 to the Calgary Flames on Monday and has given up four or five goals in each game of the team’s current losing streak. The Capitals have seen some early support from bettors who have bumped them up as high as -225 so far, and that number could continue to rise the closer we get to puck drop on Wednesday night.

Get the best Flyers vs Capitals odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Hart Struggling Mightily for Philadelphia During Skid

The Flyers looked like they were going to be back to being one of the most promising young teams in the Metro with new head coach John Tortorella after the first 10 days of the season. They were 4-1 with 24-year-old goaltender Carter Hart going 4-0 in the four games he started.

But since then, Philadelphia has won just two of 10 games Hart (6-4-4, 2.68 goals-against average, .920 save percentage) has played, suffering six of the seven losses during the skid with him between the pipes. Backup goalie Felix Sandstrom (1-4, 3.46 GAA and .896 SV%) has been even worse, so Hart will likely need to figure it out soon if Philadelphia is going to get off the schneid in the near future.

Scoring Lacking for Washington With Losses Mounting

The Capitals have suffered from similar defensive issues during their losing streak, getting outscored 20-9 by opponents over that stretch. With one of the greatest goal scorers of all time in Alex Ovechkin, scoring has usually not been that much of an issue for Washington. However, it has been lately, as the team has scored two goals or less in 11 of its 13 losses this season.

On the flip side, that means the Capitals have won seven of their nine games when scoring three goals or more, which does not seem like it would be too difficult for them once they get healthy. The problem is, they have not been healthy during their skid.  

Flyers: Keys To Victory

The bottom line for Philadelphia is that Hart simply cannot keep giving up four or five goals each time he steps on the ice. Truth be told, he has only allowed four or five in three starts this year, but all three have been in his last four, and two of those came in extra time. The other goals allowed came as a result of an empty net, and the Flyers cannot continue to put themselves in that position. They need to start fast and build an early lead.

Capitals: Keys To Victory

Unlike Philadelphia, Washington has gotten comparable play from its goalies, so it does not really matter who is in net between regular starter Darcy Kuemper (5-9-1, 2.83 and .907) and backup Charlie Lindgren (2-1-2, 3.13 and .905). The magic number for goals to earn a victory has been three as mentioned earlier. While that still is not guaranteed to get the Capitals a win to end their streak, goals have been easy to come by in their wins over the Flyers recently. Washington has scored five goals or more in six of its last seven wins in this series, with the OVER going 6-1 as well, setting up for a nice correlated parlay.

NHL Computer Pick: Capitals -225

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