We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move into the final stretch of the season, each division’s ladder has already become well formed. This means that every single win or loss can have an impact on the position each team will finish in when the regular season draws to a close, 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 best five games on today’s schedule.
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7.00PM ET
The final game of the season for both these teams will see the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins. We will not see the Blue Jackets after this game, as they didn’t make the playoffs this season. The Penguins will be in the playoffs, but they need to ensure they win if they want the third spot in the Metropolitan Division. If they lose and the Capitals win, they will find themselves in the Wild Card spot.
Marko Nadin
The Pittsburgh Penguins are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 45-25-11. They have lost the last two games scoring only one goal in each of them and are heading to the last game of the season which can make a huge difference for them. The Penguins are only one point ahead of the Washington Capitals and if they don’t beat the Blue Jackets, they may fall to the eight spot in the conference which will make them go against the best team in the league, the Florida Panthers, in the first playoff round. Pittsburgh has won 3 of the last 4 home games and 8 of the last 10 games against Columbus.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are tenth in the Eastern Conference with a 37-37-7 record. They have lost 5 of the last 7 games and are coming off a 5-2 win over the defending champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. Columbus is 14th in the league with 3.1 goals per game and 28th allowing 3.6 goals per game. Columbus has not won against the Penguins since 2019. They have scored at least five goals in their last 4 wins.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-450)
Tony Battalio
The Columbus Blue Jackets are finishing off a rough year on Friday. In the first game of their back to back they took down the Tampa Bay Lightning in what was a pretty meaningless game. The Blue Jackets now come into the final game of the season with a record of 37-37-7. They have been inconsistent throughout the season and it cost them greatly as they blew a lot of winnable games. Now they will look forward to the offseason and the NHL Entry Draft.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to finish for the regular season with a win and build some momentum heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs. They were one of the few teams in the National Hockey League who isn’t coming off of a game on Thursday night. They are coming into this game with a record of 45-25-11. As for the result of this game, I am taking the Pittsburgh Penguins to pick up the win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-450)
Jeffery Thomas
The Columbus Blue Jackets will travel to Pittsburgh for the second leg of a back-to-back to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night. The CBJ got a 5-2 win in their home finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. This is the final game of the season for both teams and the Penguins are going for a clean sweep of their division rivals. Pittsburgh comes in losers of two straight though, and have been outscored 2-9 in those games against the Flyers and Oilers.
This game still means something for the Penguins as they try to maintain their 3rd place spot in the Metropolitan Division and avoid the Wild Card. With that being the case, we will see Pittsburgh once again dominating the Jackets on Friday and building on the 13-5 margin they’ve got over them this season. In the home finale, look for the Pens to send their fans home happy with a blowout win.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -2.5 (+102)
Washington Capitals @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
The Washington Capitals are on the road for the last game of the season when they face off against the New York Rangers. The Capitals had the perfect opportunity to sneak into the top three in the Metropolitan Division in their game last night, but they couldn’t get the win, going down to the Islanders, 1-5, but they are still in the hunt as long as they win this game, otherwise they will take one of the Wild Card spots. The Rangers will finish in second place in the Metropolitan Division.
Marko Nadin
The New York Rangers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 51-24-6 record. They have lost the last three games after winning the previous four. The Rangers are coming off a 3-4 loss to the worst team in the conference this season, the Montreal Canadiens. New York needs to win the last regular season game against Washington in order to stay in fourth place as they are tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning and if they lose, they might lose the home court advantage in the first playoff round or even fall to sixth place in the conference. The Rangers are second in the league allowing 2.5 goals per game and 16th scoring 3 goals per game.
The Washington Capitals are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 44-25-12 record. They are only one point behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and if they win and the local rival loses, the Capitals may climb to the seventh spot and avoid the Florida Panthers in the first playoff round. The Capitals have lost the last three games and are coming off a 1-5 loss to the New York Islanders. They are ranked 10th in the league scoring 3.3 goals per game and 13th allowing 3 goals per game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Washington Capitals are coming into this one mostly hoping that Alexander Ovechkin can get healthy for the Stanley Cup playoff run. In the first game of their back to back on Thursday they were defeated by the New York Islanders. At this point they will just be looking to get into the playoffs without any more injuries in this final game. They come into the finale with a record of 44-25-12. They are currently slated to be the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
The New York Rangers have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. They are one of the top contenders to compete for the Stanley Cup. They were one of the few teams to not play a back to back to finish the season much like their opponents in this one. The Rangers come into this final game with a record of 51-24-6. They are currently slated to be the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. As for the result of this game, I’m going with the New York Rangers to get the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-110)
Jeffery Thomas
The Washington Capitals will travel to New York for a divisional game against the Rangers and their final game of the season. The Caps have picked the wrong time to lose focus, and have lost three of four games heading into this one. It is also going to be a back-to-back for Washington after losing 1-5 to the Islanders on Thursday. They’ll look to bounce back from the home-and-home sweep at the hands of the Islanders by beating New York on the road.
The Rangers are also coming into this one in a funk, losing three straight to the Bruins, Hurricanes, and Canadiens. New York has already locked up the 2nd place spot in the Metro and rested a lot of players last game because of that. It’s expected that they do the same in this game, which makes the Capitals the only way I can look. They will be without Alex Ovechkin again but will be the team with something to play for so I’m rolling with them to get the job done.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-110)
Vegas Golden Knights @ St. Louis Blues – 8.00PM ET
The Vegas Golden Knights are on the road for their last game of the season, and they will be facing off against the St. Louis Blues. The Golden Knights will be looking to end the season on a positive note, as they are currently on a three game losing streak, and will not make the playoffs. The Blues were in a tight tussle with the Wild for the second place in the Central Division, but with the Wild winning yesterday, that fight looks over now.
Marko Nadin
The St. Louis Blues are fourth in the Western Conference with a 49-21-11 record. They are playing in a great form lately winning 12 of the last 14 games but are coming off a 3-5 loss against the Colorado Avalanche. After playing the last four games on the road, the Blues are going back home for the last regular season game against the Golden Knights. St. Louis is ranked fourth in the league scoring 3.8 goals per game and 11th in the league allowing 2.9 goals per game.
The Vegas Golden Knights are ninth in the Western Conference with a 42-31-8. They were close to making the playoffs but losing 6 of the last 8 games caused them to miss the postseason for the first time since they joined the league. The Golden Knights are 13th in the league scoring 3.1 goals per game and 14th allowing 3 goals per game. Vegas has won 6 of the last 10 games against the St. Louis Blues.
Marko’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-176)
Tony Battalio
The Vegas Golden Knights collapsed mid season and they are going to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs. They went from first place in the Pacific Division all the way down to the fourth spot. They come into the season finale with a record of 42-31-8. They will try to regroup in the off-season as this team absolutely should’ve been a playoff team in my opinion before all the injuries started to stack up. Vegas is going to be a very dangerous team next season in my opinion.
The St. Louis Blues are coming into this game looking to build some momentum heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs. They come into this game with a record of 49-21-11 heading into the finale of the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. The Blues are a serious dark horse to bring home the Stanley Cup. They are currently in the number four spot in the Western Conference. As for the result of this game, I’m going with the St. Louis Blues to get the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-176)
Jeffery Thomas
The St. Louis Blues will play host to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night and they will have home-ice advantage for the playoffs on their mind. The Blues will be taking on the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the postseason, but seeding has yet to be determined. All St. Louis needs to do is finish tied with Minnesota in points to get home-ice since they hold the tiebreaker.
Vegas has nothing to play for in this one after suffering three brutal losses in a row and being eliminated from playoff contention. The Blues were already the better team and now with Vegas not having anything to play for, this is St. Louis’ game to lose. Couple that with the fact that the Wild are now two points ahead after getting a win on Thursday and I think we’ll get a very good performance from the Blues at home here. Give me the Blues to win and get back level with the Wild in the standings.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-176)
Colorado Avalanche @ Minnesota Wild – 8.00PM ET
The Colorado Avalanche’s final game of the regular season will see them travel to Minnesota to face off against the Wild. The Avalanche have the best record in the Western Conference and have been at the top of the Central Division for a while now. The Wild are in a tight fight with the Blues for the second spot in the Central Division, and with their win yesterday it looks like they have that they could have the spot all wrapped up.
Marko Nadin
The Minnesota Wild are third in the Western Conference with a 52-22-7 record and are going into the last game of the regular season with 111 points as many as the Calgary Flames. Minnesota has won 5 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Flames. Minnesota is ranked fifth in the league scoring 3.7 goals per game and 17th allowing 3.1 goals per game. The Wild won the last game against the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in overtime in February this year.
The Colorado Avalanche will finish the season on top of the Western Conference and are currently with a 56-18-7 record. They have lost 5 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 5-4 shootout win over the Nashville Predators. The Avalanche are third in the league scoring 3.8 goals per game and 8th allowing 2.8 goals per game. They have won 7 of the last 10 games against the Minnesota Wild.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (+114)
Tony Battalio
The Colorado Avalanche are coming into this one as the best team in the Western Conference. They have the home ice advantage throughout the playoffs all the way until the Stanley Cup as long as they don’t meet the Florida Panthers. Colorado is playing the second night of a back to back in this one after facing off with the Nashville Predators on Thursday night. Colorado is the favorite in my opinion to bring home the title.
The Minnesota Wild come into this one with a record of 52-22-7. They are currently sitting in the third spot in the Western Conference. They are a serious dark horse team to bring home the title. I can easily see Minnesota going far in the playoffs as long as they remain healthy. Minnesota will also open up a favorable matchup as well. As for the result of this one, I’m taking the Colorado Avalanche to pick up the victory over the Minnesota Wild.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (+114)
Jeffery Thomas
The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche will both take on each other on Friday night on back-to-backs. The Wild were pushed to overtime against the Calgary Flames, but came away with the 4-3 win and got a huge 2 points that moved them 2 points ahead of their first-round opponent the St. Louis Blues. Both teams are fighting for home-ice advantage still so that win was huge and now they’ll look to close the season out with another win on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche.
The home team is 3-0 this season in this head-to-head matchup and I’m not sure what motivation the Avs will have here. They may start focusing on their first-round playoff matchup since everything is locked up for them and that slight dip in motivation could give the Wild all the edge they need to get this win at home.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-137)
Vancouver Canucks @ Edmonton Oilers – 9.00PM ET
The Vancouver Canucks will play the Edmonton Oilers in their last game of the regular season. The Canucks will not be making an appearance in the playoffs this season. The Oilers got a vital win over the Sharks in their last game, as it means they have secured the second spot in the Pacific Division, after the Kings made a comeback and threatened to knock them off.
Marko Nadin
The Edmonton Oilers are fifth in the Western Conference with a 48-27-6 record. They have won 6 of the last 7 games in the season and are coming off a 5-4 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks. The last game of the season against the Canucks does not make any difference for Edmonton as they will finish the season in fifth place regardless of the score. The Oilers are seventh in the league with 3.5 goals per game and 18th with 3.1 goals per game. They have won 7 of the last 10 games against Vancouver including the last three.
The Vancouver Canucks are 10th in the Western Conference with a 40-30-11 record which is a pretty good record but still not enough to make the playoffs. The Canucks have won 8 of the last 11 games and are coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks are 18th in the league scoring 3 goals per game and 10th allowing 2.8 goals per game. Vancouver has lost 3 of the last 5 road games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-137)
Tony Battalio
The Vancouver Canucks had a decent season this year but they fell short of the playoffs. They are greatly improved from last season and the team is only going to go up from here going into next season. They are coming into the final game of this season with a lot of momentum heading into next year and this team is going to be a serious playoff contender next season.
The Edmonton Oilers had a slow start to the 2021-2022 National Hockey League season. However, they recovered and now they are in a great position to bring home a title during the postseason. They come into this game with a record of 48-27-6 as they look to finish off a strong season heading into the playoffs. As long as their top two players remain healthy they are going to be one of the top favorites to win it all. As for the result of this game, I am taking the Oilers to get the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-137)
Jeffery Thomas
The Vancouver Canucks will travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers in each team’s final game of the regular season. That will also mark the last game until next year for the Canucks who will narrowly miss the playoffs, even after a six-game winning streak earlier this month. The Edmonton Oilers will continue on into the playoffs, sitting at 2nd place in the Pacific Division behind the Calgary Flames.
With Connor McDavid leading the way, they could make some serious noise in the playoffs and are a team that can not be taken lightly. The Oilers at home has been an automatic bet lately and they got yet another win at home on Thursday night in overtime against the San Jose Sharks. That makes it 10 of 11 wins at home for Edmonton who is showing no signs of slowing down and should have no problems continuing this run against the Canucks on Friday.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers -1.5 (+172)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
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