Philadelphia’s comeback Tuesday was encouraging, even though it ended in another overtime loss. The Flyers now have to carry that response into Washington on the second night of a back-to-back. The Capitals are substantial favorites, but Logan Thompson’s game-time-decision status adds a personnel question to a matchup that already has competing scoring signals.
A better response, followed by a quick turnaround
The Flyers erased a three-goal deficit before losing 4-3 in overtime to Columbus. They outshot the Blue Jackets 28-6 over the final two periods, with Jamie Drysdale scoring the tying goal with 11 seconds left in regulation. Noah Cates and Trevor Zegras also scored in Tuesday’s rally. That late push gave Philadelphia something useful to take from a game that began with three Columbus goals in less than three minutes.
The response also fits a recent improvement: Philadelphia has won three of its last five games, although it has lost the last two. Its overall 3-7-4 record remains a warning against treating one strong finish as a complete turnaround. Wednesday adds travel and a second game in consecutive nights, while Washington last played Saturday.
The Capitals needed their own comeback in that outing, beating Buffalo 4-3 in overtime after falling two goals behind. Alex Tuch and Dylan Strome scored twice apiece, and Charlie Lindgren made 18 saves in Saturday’s win. Washington has won six of its ten games, but its latest victory was hardly a start-to-finish cruise.
The favorite’s goalie question matters
DraftKings prices Washington at -230 and Philadelphia at +190. Our projections give the Capitals about 28 shots to the Flyers’ 25, a modest shooting-volume advantage. That supports a busier attacking night for Washington without suggesting Philadelphia cannot generate chances of its own, as Tuesday’s late surge showed.
Thompson is considered a game-time decision with a lower-body issue for Wednesday, Sammi Silber of The District Standard reports. He is the expected Washington goalie, while Joseph Woll is expected for Philadelphia; neither start is confirmed. Across their last five completed appearances for their respective teams this season, Thompson has a .892 save percentage and Woll .888. Those recent samples offer little separation, and Thompson’s availability deserves more attention than assuming a major goaltending advantage from Washington’s favorite status.
Saturday’s Lindgren performance and Tuesday’s Dan Vladar start for the Flyers belong to those previous games. The assignments and Thompson’s health need to be checked for this matchup before relying on either team’s last result as a guide.
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Recent scoring pushes against the longer pattern
The total is 6.5. Ten of Philadelphia’s 14 games this season have gone Under their respective totals, but its last two games produced 5-4 and 4-3 losses. Washington’s season has leaned the other way, with six Overs in ten games.
Philadelphia’s recent scoring and Washington’s comeback win make another active scoring night plausible. The counterweight is the Flyers’ broader pattern of Unders and a projection of about 25 shots here. We also project roughly three power-play opportunities for each team, without a large advantage in that source of chances. At 6.5, the mix of Philadelphia’s recent offense, its broader history and the unsettled Washington goalie picture is more useful than following either team’s Over or Under record in isolation.
Washington has the stronger overall results, more time between games and the projected shot advantage. Philadelphia’s improved recent stretch gives the underdog a credible response, but it needs a more complete game than Tuesday’s recovery. Thompson’s availability and whether the Flyers can generate offense earlier are the details that most sharpen this price discussion.
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