Free NHL Picks Today: Philadelphia Flyers vs Washington Capitals 12/7/22

The Washington Capitals (11-12-4) head to face the Philadelphia Flyers (9-12-5) at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday. Washington is playing their last of six games on the road coming off a 3-2 win over the Oilers on Monday. The Capitals committed only one penalty in the game, holding Edmonton without a power play goal.

Lars Eller, Nic Dowd, and T.J. Oshie each scored once for the Capitals. Charlie Lindgren saved an impressive 28 of 30 shots (.933%) in the win. Philadelphia is wrapping up a five-game homestand after an exciting 5-3 win over the Avalanche on Monday. Five players found the net for the Flyers. Carter Hart had 29 saves.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Capitals won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 3-2 (OT) victory in November. Alex Ovechkin (1G 1A) and Oshie (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Washington. Morgan Frost and Patrick Brown were on the scoresheet for Philadelphia. Darcy Kuemper got the win, saving 21 of 23 shots (.913%).

FACING OFF

Washington is averaging 2.74 goals per game for the season, 27th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Flyers team that is allowing 3.08 goals a game (15th). Meanwhile, Philadelphia has found the net 2.42 times a game on average, 31st in the league, and the Capitals are allowing opponents to score 3.07 goals per game (14th).

Philadelphia averages fewer shots/game (29.0) than most teams in the league, ranking 30th, while the team’s 8.8% shooting percentage is 29th. With an average of 30.5 attempts, Washington ranks 21st. The Flyers’ 16.25% power play percentage is the third-worst in the league, while the Capitals rank 20th with a conversion rate of 21.05%. When it comes to defending power plays, Washington has the league’s seventh-ranked PK% at 80.77%, while Philadelphia is 25th at 73.75%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 25 points this season, Ovechkin is the top skater for the Capitals. He has 13 goals and 12 assists in 27 games. In the net, Kuemper (8-9-2) is Washington’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.56 GAA and a .916% save percentage.

Kevin Hayes leads the Flyers in scoring with 26 points. He has seven goals and 19 assists in 25 games. Hart (7-7-4) has the best goals against average for Philadelphia at 2.82. He has a save percentage of .911%.