Pre-Super Bowl hockey at noon? Yes, please. Both the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers will be looking to snap two-game losing streaks as they meet for a matinee.
Two points for Washington would help them leapfrog the Flyers for second in the East Division. Despite no love from the books, the Capitals have played well while successfully navigating through a long list of injuries.
Oddsmakers have the Capitals as an even-money underdog with the total opening at a flat 6.
Here are our free picks and predictions for Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals for Sunday, February 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Philadelphia Flyers at Washington Capitals Betting Preview
Injuries
Flyers: Sean Couturier F (Out).
Capitals: Ilya Samsonov G (Out), Evgeny Kuznetzov F (Out), Lars Eller F (Questionable), Justin Schultz D (Questionable).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Capitals are 29-9-1 O/U in their last 39 home games dating back to last season. Find more NHL betting trends for Flyers vs. Capitals.
NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonFanDuel opened this matchup a -108 pick 'em, ticked to Washington -110, then flipped as far as Philadelphia -120, where the moneyline is at 11 a.m. ET, an hour before faceoff. The Flyers are attracting 53 percent of bets and 58 percent of money. The total just moved down to 5.5 from 6.5, with ticket count and money running pretty much dead even.
Check out the full line movement for this gameMoneyline Pick
The Washington Capitals and Rodney Dangerfield have one thing in common: they get no respect. The Caps have been listed as the underdog in nine straight games but are 4-2-3 SU, with those overtime losses being the difference between being in the red or black.
Playing in the afternoon is always a tricky thing to handicap, we usually give an advantage to the home team and in Sunday’s case, it may be even more warranted.
The Capitals will come into the match well-rested, having played just twice since Monday. The Flyers, on the other hand, will be playing their third game in five nights.
Philadelphia isn’t in top form either, as they have blown six separate leads over their last four games. Three of those games went to overtime, although the Flyers managed to win two of them.
Carter Hart (back spasms) will get the nod for Philadelphia. The young goalie has struggled at times this year, with a 3.42 GAA and a .898 save percentage. He has been losing starts to backup Brian Elliott, who has been playing better up to this point.
Washington has picked up nine of a possible 12 points at home this year and has been averaging nearly four goals per game at Capital One Arena.
The play of now-starter Vitek Vanecek has helped the Caps navigate the absence of No. 1 netminder Ilya Samsonov. Vanecek is 4-1-1 at home this year with a solid 2.93 GAA to go along with a .916 save percentage. He isn’t going to blank teams with the way Washington plays, but he’ll keep things close and let the league’s fifth-highest scoring team do what it does best.
PREDICTION: Washington ML (+100)
Over/Under Pick
Both clubs have been rewarding Over backers this year, as the Flyers and Capitals are a combined 16-7 O/U on the season. Looking at home and road splits, we see that Washington is 5-1 O/U at home this year, while the Flyers are a perfect 3-0 O/U on the road to begin the season.
Philadelphia and Washington are both scoring and allowing three or more goals per game this season, with the Caps sitting in the Top-5 in goals per game and in the bottom-eight in goals allowed.
The Flyers are coming off their first Under in three games, but going 1-for-7 on the power-play didn’t help with the Over. Luckily for the Flyers, they don’t have to face Boston’s league-best penalty kill on Sunday.
Scoring at even strength has come easily to each team, as they both sit in the Top-3 in 5x5 goals per game. If they can’t get it done there, they each own Top-10 power-play units.
The top line of Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson is back intact for the Capitals. Sunday will be Ovechkin’s third game back after missing time on the COVID list. The Washington captain is on a mission to move up the all-time scoring ranks and has eight points in seven games this year.
With both teams sporting total goals per game above 6.0 and a handful of trends to support us, we are riding the Over on Sunday afternoon as a pre-Super Bowl warm-up.
PREDICTION: Over 6 (-110)
Flyers vs Capitals Betting Card
- Washington ML (+100)
- Over 6 (-110)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NHL Flyers vs. Capitals picks, you could win $28.18 on a $10 bet?
Use our NHL parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where Can I Bet on the NHL?
You can bet on NHL odds at every online and casino sportsbook, including NHL moneylines, puck lines, Over/Under totals, and a ton of NHL prop odds. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on NHL odds in your area.
