Washington Capitals vs Calgary Flames Pick & Prediction - 1/23/2026
Updated July 9, 2026
The Washington Capitals and Calgary Flames will square off Friday night in a National Hockey League game between two teams trying to end their respective losing streaks. Both of these teams are on the outside of the playoffs in their respective conferences, and a win in a game like this would be incredibly important for the team that earns it. Before the puck drops in Calgary on Friday night, keep reading to find my Capitals vs Flames pick in the NHL.
Pick: Calgary Flames Moneyline
Confidence: 3/5
The Capitals are struggling with four straight defeats, most recently falling 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks. Their offensive play has lacked consistency, with the Caps failing to score more than three goals in any of their four straight defeats. Meanwhile, the Flames are also inconsistent of late. Calgary suffered a 4-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was their second loss in a row. They will try to bounce back on home ice at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Washington’s goaltending has been solid this season, with starter Logan Thompson entering this game with a 2.43 GAA. Thompson has been a key piece, but has struggled over the course of Washington's current losing streak. Calgary’s Dustin Wolf has a losing record this season and he has a GAA of 3.01 for the season. He will need to be better than that to outperform Thompson in net in this matchup.
On offense, the Capitals are led by Tom Wilson, who has around 43 points on the season with solid goal and assist totals. Washington’s offense includes contributions from several forwards but recent droughts have hampered their scoring output. Calgary’s top offensive contributors include Nazem Kadri and Matt Coronato, though neither has dominated the league's scoring charts. The Flames’ lineup was recently altered by the trade of Rasmus Andersson, potentially impacting their defensive stability as well.
Score Projection: Capitals 2 – Flames 3
Win Probability: Capitals 48%, Flames 52%
This should be a tight game out west, but I give a slight edge to the Calgary Flames on home ice. Calgary has earned at least a point in two-thirds of its home games this year, and the Flames are in a decent position to get another win here against a Capitals team that is struggling on both ends of the ice lately.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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