We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move towards the mid way point in the season, each division’s ladder is starting to take shape. Every single win or loss can have a significant impact on where each team will finish at the end of the season, so it is important that you don’t miss any of the action!
Here at SportsTips, we are just as keen on the NHL as you are! We spend each and every day going through the best games and previewing them for you. Our experts offer up their free NHL picks, which means that you not only get enjoyment out of watching some intriguing games, but also make extra cash while doing so!
Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the three games on today’s schedule.
Arizona Coyotes @ New Jersey Devils – 7.00PM ET
First cab off the rank on Wednesday night will see the Arizona Coyotes hit the ice and take on the New Jersey Devils. The Coyotes will be looking to build on their win last time out, as they defeated the Canadiens, 5-2. The Devils haven’t played in about a week, after a couple of postponements, and their season record currently stands at 14-18-5.
Denis Kirilov
The Arizona Coyotes face off the New Jersey Devils in an attempt to pick up their second win in a row after defeating the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. The Coyotes have struggled on both ends from the very beginning of the season setting a couple of anti-records throughout the process. They managed to defeat an opponent by 2 or more goals for the first time in their 32th game of the campaign. They continue to be dead last in the Western Conference with just 22 points out of 37 matches. As their performance fluctuates a lot from game to game, the team struggles to keep some consistency that can help them rise from the bottom.
The New Jersey Devils had a lot of difficulties in the early stages of the 2021/22 NHL season. The team has been conceding a lot of goals which is something odd for them as their focus is mainly on their defence. The Devils occupy 6th place in the Metropolitan Division, standing 18 points away from 4th spot and the Washington Capitals. With their last two losses, they further suggested that this campaign will be a trial for them as they will most certainly miss the Playoffs. However, the team has had some decent performances at home winning its last two fixtures against the Edmonton Oilers and the Columbus Blue Jackets. I think they will be able to break the Coyotes’ defence that has been simply awful in their away games.
Denis’ NHL Pick: New Jersey Devils (-230)
Tony Battalio
The Coyotes have been the worst team in the National Hockey League for the majority of the season up until this point. They come into this game with a record of 9-24-4 through their first 37 games of the season. They are sitting dead last in the Central Division and all but officially eliminated from playoff contention at this point. In their last game they picked up a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens and they will be looking to carry that momentum into this one against the Devils as they kick off a four game east coast road trip on Wednesday.
Willie O’Ree will have his jersey retired by the @NHLBruins tonight.
Our own @PKSubban1 reflects on the legacy O’Ree started as the first Black @NHL player.#NJDevils | @RWJBarnabas pic.twitter.com/WHE2mf1dr9
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 18, 2022
The New Jersey Devils aren’t in a much better position than the Coyotes at this moment. As they come into this game with a record of 14-18-5 through their first 37 games of the season. New Jersey currently finds themselves in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. However, unlike Arizona, there is still time for the Devils to recover although it is seemingly unlikely at this point. The Devils are currently on a two game losing streak and will be playing their first game in 6 days in this one after a couple of postponements. As for the result of this game, I have the Arizona Coyotes picking up a second straight victory and kicking their road trip off with a victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Arizona Coyotes (+188)
Jeffery Thomas
It’s no secret that the Arizona Coyotes are one of the worst teams in the NHL but they do come into this one off of a victory over Montreal Monday night. In fact they’ve actually put together a pretty decent stretch lately, going 4-4-2 in their last 10 contests. A big key in that turnaround is their 3.56 goals per game during that 10 game span, good for 10th in the league. They will hope to keep things heading in the right direction when they head to New Jersey on Wednesday night. Those Devils head in on a 2 game losing streak and have only played once since January 8th.
This is a tricky game that could be really ugly. The Devils are off a long layoff and losing streak like I mentioned before and I don’t think they deserve to be such lofty favorites in this one. The Coyotes are enjoying a nice run and finally looking like they’re having fun out there. This has me wanting to back the Yotes for the first time this season and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. The under is also a really strong look in this game as I see this being a 2-1 game or 3-2 at best.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Arizona Coyotes +1.5 (-142)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ New York Rangers – 7.30PM ET
The middle game on Wednesday in the NHL will see the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the New York Rangers. The Maple Leafs have won six of their last eight games, and this takes their season record to 24-9-3. The Rangers are looking to build on their two game winning streak, as they have wins over the Sharks and Flyers.
Denis Kirilov
The Toronto Maple Leafs will travel to New York for their fifth straight away game. The Rangers, on the other hand, return home after going on a 5-game road trip mostly to the West. The Maple Leafs have been playing on a very high level in their Scotiabank Arena which is reflected on their position in the standings. The team is currently 5th in the East with 51 points out of 36 matches as they feel more and more secure for their Playoffs spot. It seems that their biggest rival would be the Detroit Red Wings who are already 10 points behind them and have played four more matches.
The New York Rangers are even higher in the current standings in the Eastern Conference. They are 3rd with 54 points out of 39 games, but occupy the top spot in the Metropolitan Division right ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team has been playing quite well at home, but their performance on the road further helped their progress this season. The Rangers rely much on their fantastic defending skills as they have only conceded 96 goals so far. They have been quite dominant in their last two meetings at Madison Square Garden as they outclassed the Edmonton Oilers, 4-1, and the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-0. I think that we won’t see that many goals and the game will be a much more strategic one, so I will recommend picking the option for “under goals”.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-105)
Tony Battalio
Thanks to a postponed game, the Toronto Maple Leafs will travel south of the border to New York City to play their fifth of six straight road games in this one. Toronto comes into this game with a record of 24-9-3 through their first 36 games of the season. It has been an up and down trip for the Maple Leafs thus far as they have picked up victories over Las Vegas and St. Louis, but have dropped games to Arizona and Colorado. Now they will be looking to pick up a big win in this one against a fellow Eastern Conference contender.
As previously mentioned the New York Rangers are slowly emerging as a contender in a crowded Eastern Conference as the season progresses towards the halfway point. They come into this game with a record of 25-10-4 through their first 39 games on the season. They are currently sitting in the driver’s seat of a very competitive Metropolitan Division with a lead over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers have picked up wins in their last two games over Philadelphia and San Jose as they finished their five game road trip with a 3-2-0 record. As for the result of this game, I have them picking up a third straight win by knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs and defending home ice in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (+136)
Jeffery Thomas
Marquee matchup Wednesday Night as the Rangers will try and improve upon their strong 10-3-2 home record on the season. The Rangers coke into this one sitting at 25-10-4 and in first place in the Metro. Toronto on the other hand is 24-9-3 at third place in the Atlantic. These two teams have already met twice this season with each team taking one. Their latest meeting though, back in November saw the Leafs pull out the low scoring battle 2-1.
In this game I can’t really make a strong case for the Rangers getting the win. They are the home team, who will be looking for revenge, but the Leafs are playing better hockey as of late. The Leafs are also the deeper offensive unit and I think that will be the difference in what will surely be a tightly contested one. Take the Maple Leafs to get another statement victory on the road in New York on Wednesday.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-164)
Colorado Avalanche @ Anaheim Ducks – 10.00PM ET
The final game on Wednesday night’s slate will see the Colorado Avalanche face off against the Anaheim Ducks. The Avalanche have won three games in a row, and are looking to a solid win against the Ducks to make it four. The Ducks are currently on a three game losing streak, which takes their record to 19-15-7.
Denis Kirilov
The top favourite to win the 2022 Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche, continue their journey towards that achievement. So far, they have been playing great, topping the Western Conference with 53 points from 36 matches. The team comes into this fixture on a 3-game winning streak after defeating the likes of the Arizona Coyotes twice and the Minnesota Wild. They are also on an 8-1 run that represents their high ambitions for 2022. Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen, and Nathan MacKinnon lead the way for the team in attacking positions, but they can also use the help of defensemen like Cale Makar, Devon Toews, and Samuel Girard.
The Anaheim Ducks have been surprisingly occupying one of the top spots right around Christmas. However, after a couple of disappointing results, the team dropped to 7th place in the Western Conference with 45 points out of 41 matches. Their Playoffs spot is far away from being secure as they will most likely be surpassed by the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers once they pick up their pace. The Ducks lost their last three matches against teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Minnesota Wild, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Their performance in front of the goal has taken a hit recently as they find it really difficult to score more than 1-2 goals in a game in 2022. Overall, I think that the Avalanche are far superior than Anaheim and they will take their fourth win in a row in the NHL.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-260)
Tony Battalio
This is the best game on tap for the entire three game Wednesday night slate as the preseason Stanley Cup favorites travel west to California to play the Anaheim Ducks. The Colorado Avalanche have been playing great hockey as of late, as they come into this game with a record of 25-8-3 through their first 36 games of the season. They are among the best in the National Hockey League and one of the few contenders that has emerged from the Western Conference along with most of the rest of the Central Division. They are currently in first place of that same division with a slight lead over the Blues, Predators, and Wild.
The Dostal DENIAL.
It was our @CoxComm Connection of the Week. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/pJIUHUhZU0— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 19, 2022
The Anaheim Ducks are coming into this one in the middle of an up and down season to say the least. They currently have a record of 19-15-7 through their first 41 games of the season. They are currently sitting in the middle of the pack in a weak Pacific Division and will need to get things turned around quickly if they want to compete for a playoff spot as the season starts to wind down. As for the result of this game however, I have them picking up another loss as I think Colorado is playing too good of hockey at the moment to be defeated even on the road in this game.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-260)
Jeffery Thomas
Arguably the best team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche come in winners of 13 of their last 15. In their last victory, they needed a shootout to edge past the Minnesota Wild. They extended their run of scoring 3 or more goals to 9, and remain the top team in goals per game. The Ducks are not in good form right now, losers of 3 straight and coming off a shutout defeat at the hands of the Blackhawks on Saturday. They have now scored 2 goals or less in 6 of their last 9 games.
One of the hottest teams in the league facing one of the coldest teams in the league doesn’t set up for a blockbuster matchup. I see the Avs burying the puck in the net early and often on this struggling Ducks team, who might struggle to keep this within 3-4. I’m going to take the Avalanche to win this one on the puck line and it honestly should be a pretty easy winner for us on Wednesday night.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+100)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
