The Philadelphia Flyers (38-20-7) visit the Washington Capitals (40-19-6) Wednesday at Capital One Arena for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. The Flyers can close within one point of the Caps for top spot in the Metropolitan Division with a win. 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 spell starter Carter Hart for the first time in five games, as he makes his first start since Feb. 20, when he stopped 28 of 31 shots in a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The veteran backup is 15-7-4 with a .899 save percentage and 2.90 goals against average through 26 starts and four relief appearances.
Holtby will try to extend his personal win streak to four straight games. He allowed three goals in each of his last three wins, but he made between 30 and 37 saves each time. He is 24-13-5 with a .898 SV% and 3.12 GAA through 44 starts and a relief appearance.
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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 10:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Flyers 2, Capitals 1
Moneyline (ML)
Back the FLYERS (+135) at plus-money on the road. They’re 2-0-1 in the season series against their division rival, and Elliott was between the pipes for a 7-2 victory in Washington Feb. 8. Since that win, the Flyers are 8-2 and enter Wednesday on a six-game winning streak with top spot in the division in their sights.
The Caps (-162) are 4-5-1 since the loss to Philly and are barely holding onto a division lead they’ve had all season. Holtby stopped just 18 of 25 shots in the Feb. 8 meeting. Both teams played Sunday, so there’s no rest advantage for either side.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Flyers to win returns a profit of $13.50.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The FLYERS (+1.5, -200) are just inside my range of being worthy of a bet with one goal of insurance in the event of a loss. Both of Washington’s wins in the season series came by just 1 goal and one of those was decided in a shootout. Just one of Washington’s last four wins was decided by 2 or more goals.
Over/Under (O/U)
There’s no value on the base line of 6.5, so we’ll look to the alternate total line of UNDER 5.5 (+140) in regular time. This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the two rivals and top spot in the division remains up for grabs. Expect a playoff atmosphere at Capital One Arena with scoring at a premium.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 266-246
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