The Washington Capitals’ third-period woes continued Sunday as the Flyers scored three goals over the final 20 minutes to capture an important win. Washington is trying to stay in contact early with the front runners in the East Division while the Flyers are trying to distance themselves early as the schedule continues to shift with the various COVID-19 postponements.
Farabee has points in three of his last four games after assisting on three goals in Sunday’s win over Washington. It seems like Farabee has found a good home on his current line and the trio has found ways to make a big impact on games for the Flyers in the offensive zone. After Farabee scored four points in the opener, he scored just one point – a goal – over the next eight games before this recent points run. That extended pointless streak might be a negative for this game, but his line played so well Sunday that the +275 odds from the legal sports betting sites in New Jersey make this wager worthwhile. JOEL FARABEE SCORES GOAL Washington has allowed at least four goals in its last three games and the defense continues to suffer without a strong goalie behind them. Philadelphia put up seven on Washington on Sunday, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the offensive juices are still going Tuesday night. Philadelphia knows it will need to score to beat a high-powered Capitals team, so the Flyers will not sit back and rest on their defensive laurels to win this game. The +150 odds from the hockey betting sites in New Jersey on this bet are good enough for me not to push the envelope, but the odds are +300 if you increase the over/under to 4.5 for the entire game. For those really interested in a giant risk after these two teams scored 11 goals on Sunday, the odds are +725 for the teams to combine for more than nine goals and +800 to take the over 9.5 goals. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS OVER 3.5 TOTAL GOALS IN REGULATION The magic number for the Capitals this season is three as Washington is unbeaten when allowing three goals or fewer this season. The issue is that Washington hasn’t been able to keep teams off the scoreboard lately, and it seems like the loss if Ilya Samsonov to the COVID list is taking its toll on the goaltending. Philadelphia is 8-1 against teams not named the Boston Bruins this season, and I expect that streak will continue Tuesday. The Flyers are a strong third-period team, which is Washington’s main weakness right now, so the Flyers should be able to get it done in regulation. The +138 odds from the NHL betting sites in New Jersey are more than fair for this game, so it’s a good bet to make. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS WIN IN REGULATION
Head to Head This will be the second game this season between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals after Philadelphia won the first meeting of the year on Sunday between the two sides. Stats After collecting a point in each of their first nine games, Washington has lost the last three games in regulation while allowing at least four goals in every game of that stretch. The third period has been a horror zone for Washington lately, and it is costing it valuable points. The Capitals have been outscored 15-7 over the final 20 minutes, including surrendering multiple third-period goals in each of their last four games. This game features two of the top-five point scorers in the NHL this season as Philadelphia’s James van Riemsdyk at 18 points plays against Washington’s Nicklas Backstrom who sits at 17 points. Philadelphia will need to stay out of the penalty box as Washington possesses the second-best power play in the league while the Flyers rank 29th out of 31 teams in killing off penalties.
Philadelphia Flyers to win As good as Washington’s offense is, the defense is once again a major weakness for the Capitals. Washington has allowed at least four goals in seven of its 12 games this season and it has surrendered three goals in three other contests. Those third-period woes are a major issue as well, and Philadelphia is a really good team who will punish those mistakes with ease like it did Sunday.
