The Washington Capitals (36-13-5) host the Metropolitan Division-rival Philadelphia Flyers (29-18-7) Saturday at Capital One Arena for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Flyers-Capitals sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Flyers at Capitals: Projected starting goalies
Brian Elliott vs. Braden Holtby
Elliott will be looking to quickly move past an awful outing Thursday, against the New Jersey Devils, in which he allowed four goals on just 17 shots. The veteran had been a steady presence in the injury absence of starter Carter Hart. Elliott is 13-6-4 on the season with a .900 save percentage and 2.89 goals against average.
Holtby is 20-10-4 through 36 starts. He has relinquished his once-firm grip on the Capitals’ crease and has been sharing duties with youngster Ilya Samsonov. Holtby has a .897 SV% and 3.08 GAA.
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Flyers at Capitals: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Flyers 3, Capitals 2
Moneyline (ML)
The Capitals (-175) remain atop the Metropolitan Division and are 6-4 across their last 10 games while coming off a 4-2 win over the lowly Los Angeles Kings Tuesday. The FLYERS (+145) are 6-3-1 across their last 10 contests, but coming off the ugly loss to the Devils Thursday. Still, I like Philly at plus-money with the odds showing a little too much recency bias.
Elliott has been strong this season, especially since seeing increased work in place of Hart. The Flyers are also 1-0-1 against the Caps this season, having won the last meeting 3-2 Jan. 8 in Philly.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Flyers to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $14.50.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
As a more conservative play, back the FLYERS (+1.5, -182) with a goal of insurance in the event of a loss. Their loss to the Caps Nov. 13 was by a 2-1 count in a shootout.
Philly is 31-23 against the spread overall and 13-14 on the road, while Washington is 29-15 ATS overall but just 10-17 at home.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the UNDER 6.5 (-154). The two head-to-head games this season both fell well short of this total. The Flyers are 4-6 against the Over/Under across their last 10 games and the Capitals are 5-4-1 against the projected totals.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 209-202
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