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 best five games on today’s schedule.
New York Rangers @ Buffalo Sabres – 7.00PM ET
The New York Rangers have a short one game road trip when they take on the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. The Rangers winning streak came to an end last game, where they were beaten, 3-7, against the Avalanche. The Sabres continue to be on struggle street in December, having played three games and still yet to pick up their first win, they have been outscored 6-15 in their December games so far.
Denis Kirilov
The New York Rangers are, without a doubt, one of the biggest surprises of the 2021/22 NHL season so far. They are 6th in the East with 37 points from 25 games, a point away from 1st place. The situation in the top of this Conference is pretty tight as the competition is quite fierce. The Rangers have a comfortable 8-point lead ahead of the 7th team in the East, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Their main goal this season will be to make the Playoffs and if they manage to perform well there, this will be an even bigger success. They were on a 7-game winning streak recently before losing to the Colorado Avalanche in their last match.
The Buffalo Sabres are struggling in the bottom of the table in the East. They are 14th with 19 points out of 25 matches and they perfectly realize the bad situation they are in. The Sabres lost 9 out of their last 10 games in the NHL. These matches displayed yet another disturbing issue and that is their defense. The team occasionally concede 5 goals or more as this happened in 7 of their last 10 meetings. I think that this problem won’t be resolved that easily and they will continue having troubles with this aspect of the game. The Swedish, Robert Hagg, is injured for the Sabres and this will further worsen the current situation. I think that the Rangers shouldn’t have much trouble overcoming Buffalo in KeyBank Center on Friday.
Denis’ NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-166)
Tony Battalio
The New York Rangers are coming off of a loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday. Before the loss they were on a seven game winning streak that started with a win over Buffalo on November 21st. Now they will be looking to kick off another long winning streak with this game against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. The Rangers are currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division behind the Washington Capitals. They come into this game with a record of 17-5-3 on the year. With a win and a Capitals loss, the Rangers could move into first place as soon as Friday.
On to Buffalo. ✈️ pic.twitter.com/tnvRbqi7vZ
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) December 9, 2021
The Buffalo Sabres got off to a surprisingly hot start to open the season, when absolutely no one expected them too. However they have cooled off in a big way since the first week or two of the season. Now they come into this game with a record of 8-14-3 and are currently in sixth place of the Atlantic Division, ahead of Montreal and Ottawa. As for the result of this game, I have the New York Rangers picking up the win on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-166)
Michael Lantz
After the New York Rangers went on a seven-game win streak they were blown out by the high powered Colorado Avalanche 3-7 on Wednesday night. All good things must come to an end, and even though this loss took place at home, it’s no shame losing to a squad like Colorado. Still, this Rangers team that’s battling for a top seed, won’t accept defeat from anyone, and now they’ll look to bounce back against in-state rivals the Buffalo Sabres.
Buffalo has gone winless in their last five, and are hoping to turn things around with a home win against a very good Rangers team. After a decent start to the season, the Sabres have fallen on some hard times, and are looking like the team that had the number one pick in the draft. Their defense has been terrible, letting in the second most goals per game. I expect the Rangers to take advantage of this and pick up a win against a Sabres team that’s nowhere near their quality of talent.
Michael’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-166)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Washington Capitals – 7.00PM ET
Two Metropolitan Division rivals face off against each other on Friday night, when we see the Pittsburgh Penguins up against the Washington Capitals. The Penguins are currently sitting in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division, with a record of 12-8-5 and 29 points. The Capitals are currently the leaders of the Metropolitan Division, with a 16-4-6 record, along with 38 points.
Denis Kirilov
The battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals has always been a treat to watch. The Capitals are 3rd in the Eastern Conference with 38 points, while the Penguins are 9 points behind them in 7th place. Washington is one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL, so far as they have scored 92 goals in 26 matches. Only the Minnesota Wild, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Florida Panthers match this performance. Moreover, the team is also quite decent in defense. The Capitals won their last two games at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Anaheim Ducks.
On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins are also coming into this match with two victories. They were merciless against one of the weakest teams in the NHL, the Seattle Kraken and the Vancouver Canucks. The team had to wait for Sidney Crosby’s return for a couple of weeks, but ever since then, his presence can be felt on the ice. The Penguins recorded 7 wins and 3 losses in their last 10 games and most of these victories came off a fantastic performance by their legendary player. I think that they have what it takes to continue their good momentum on the road. The Capitals rarely miss on winning this season, but in my opinion, this will be one of the rare occasions.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (+122)
Tony Battalio
It’s time to add yet another chapter in this historic rivalry that dates back to the early 2000s as the Pittsburgh Penguins travel to the nation’s capital to play the Washington Capitals on Friday evening. Sidney Crosby is back to form after missing the season’s first handful of games and it is always interesting when he and Alexander Ovechkin face off. It couldn’t come at a better time for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they have struggled so far this season, so a fully healthy Sidney Crosby can help turn things around. Pittsburgh comes into this game with a record of 12-8-5 on the year which is good for 4th place in the Metropolitan Division, a full 9 points behind their opponents in this one.
The previously mentioned Washington Capitals hold a one point lead in the Metropolitan over the New York Rangers so they will be looking for the win in this one to potentially create some distance between them and New York. Alexander Ovechkin is on an absolute tear this season, and I look for more of the same as he continues to chase “The Great One” and his goal scoring record. Ovi is currently 144 goals away from tying the record and it could potentially happen next season. As for the result of this game, I have the Washington Capitals picking up the win over Pittsburgh at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-146)
Michael Lantz
In what has been one of the NHL’s best rivalries over the last decade, the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Washington Capitals in Washington D.C. When these two teams faced off earlier in the season, Washington showed no mercy, beating the Penguins 6-1, with six different players scoring goals. They’ll hope to repeat that balanced style of play on Friday and continue their dominance in the Metropolitan Division.
Meanwhile, the Penguins are creeping back into the playoff picture, thanks to the return of future hall-of-famer Sidney Crosby. The Pens are coming off two big wins against Pacific Division opponents beating the Vancouver Canucks and the Seattle Kraken. They hope to carry over that play on both sides of the puck, to their rivalry game against the Capitals. With things falling into place for Pittsburgh, I’ll go with them to get payback against Washington, in another edition of the can’t miss Crosby vs. Ovechkin matchup.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (+122)
Nashville Predators @ New Jersey Devils – 7.30PM ET
The Nashville Predators are in game three of their four game road trip when they take on the New Jersey Devils, who finish up their three game homestand on Friday night. The Predators are playing on back-to-back nights, and yesterday they got the win against the Islanders, which brings their winning streak to three. The Devils got the win last time out, against the Flyers, which helped put an end to a four game losing streak.
Denis Kirilov
The Nashville Predators and the New Jersey Devils is expected to be yet another tight contest on Friday night in the NHL. The Predators are feeling great after taking a narrow 4-3 win over the New York Islanders yesterday. With this victory, they have jumped to 6th place in the Western Conference and increased their winning streak to 3 games. Unlike many others, Nashville has been doing a pretty good job on the road as they have a positive win-ratio in such matches, holding a 7-6 record.
The New Jersey Devils, on the other hand, have been struggling a lot recently. However, a win over a bad performing Philadelphia Flyers’ team showed them some light in the end of the tunnel, but they will need to further build on that performance. The Devils have found difficulties in scoring throughout their games which affected their position in the overall rankings. They are now 11th in the East with 25 points out of 24 matches, but they are eager to improve that as the season slowly goes by. In my opinion, the Predators are the better team and I believe they will get the upper hand in Prudential Center on Friday night.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (+100)
Tony Battalio
This game will be the second night of a back to back for the Nashville Predators. Nashville is coming off of a victory against the New York Islanders by a score of 4-3. The win brought their record to 15-10-1 on the year. Nashville is currently in third place in the Central division, behind St. Louis and Minnesota. They are currently on a three game winning streak, and are 3-1 in the month of December. This game against New Jersey will be the third game of a four game road trip that will end with a stop in New York again, this time to play the Rangers.
The @NJDevils debuted their first-ever alternate sweater tonight and got the W 😎❄️ pic.twitter.com/x7aQBVDOKI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 9, 2021
The New Jersey Devils come into this home game against the Predators with a record of 10-9-5 on the year. The Devils broke a four game losing streak in their last game with a win over the struggling Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday. Now they will be looking to pick up another win here. This game against Nashville will be the finale of a three game home stand for the Devils. As for the result of this game, I have Nashville picking up the win on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (+100)
Michael Lantz
The Nashville Predators are in the midst of a three-game win streak, which included a tight, 4-3 win against the New York Islanders on Thursday night. They’ll look to keep it going across the Hudson as they head over to Prudential Center to take on the New Jersey Devils. After a couple of rough losses, the New Jersey Devils shutout the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, a team that’s becoming all-too-easy to beat.
They’ll need to prove they’ve committed to their winning ways with a victory over a Nashville Predators team that’s now third in the Central Division, and making a run into the playoff picture. The Predators might not shock anyone with their stats, but they are able to pull off some gritty wins. They’ve constantly relied on the likes of forward Ryan Johansen and defender Roman Josi, to carry them both recently and throughout the season. I expect these two vets to keep things alive for the Preds against a Devils team that’s struggled a bit on defense this year.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (+100)
Florida Panthers @ Arizona Coyotes – 9.00PM ET
This one could end up being a bloodbath, when the Florida Panthers hit the road and take on the Arizona Coyotes on Friday night. The Panthers are looking to bounce back from their overtime loss to the Blues last time out, and their season record currently sits at 17-4-4. The Coyotes are on a three game losing streak, with losses to the Wild, Golden Knights and Stars, which brings their season record to 5-18-2.
Denis Kirilov
This game will give us a better insight on how big the difference actually is between the top of the NHL and its bottom. The Panthers pay a visit to the Coyotes on Friday night as they will try to make up for their tight 3-4 loss against the St. Louis Blues in their last game. The Coyotes, on the other hand, are unable to win a game this season with more than a single goal, which is one of their worst anti-records so far. The team is dead last in the West with just 12 points and 3 clear wins out of 25 matches. On the contrary, the Panthers are top of the table in the East with 38 points from the same number of games.
The Coyotes are coming into this match with 3 straight losses, suffered against the Minnesota Wild, the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Dallas Stars. They have been terrible in these games as they scored just 4 goals and conceded a total of 16 goals. The Coyotes are still waiting on some players to recover from injuries like Jay Beagle, Dmitrij Jaskin, and Nick Schmaltz. The situation around the Panthers is quite the opposite. They are on a 7-3 run recently as they show fantastic plays on their home ice. However, they are on a 7-game losing streak on the road which is really odd for them. They lost 6 out of these 7 matches by the slimmest of margins which further suggests their bad luck away from home. I think it’s high-time the Panthers put an end to this misfortune and grab an appealing victory.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (-120)
Tony Battalio
One of the National Hockey League’s best teams will play one of the National Hockey League’s worst teams on Friday night in Arizona. The Florida Panthers are currently in second place of the Atlantic Division behind the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile the Arizona Coyotes are dead last in the Central Division and were nearly locked out of their own arena over the past week. Florida comes into this game with a record of 17-4-4, while the Coyotes are currently 5-18-2 on the year.
The Panthers recently completed back to back games with the St. Louis Blues which ended by the same score and both in extra periods but with different winners as they split 2 games and the total goals were 7-7. The Arizona Coyotes are currently on a three game losing streak and have lost five of their last six games on the year. As for the result of this game, the Florida Panthers should come out of this game with an easy victory on the road, while covering the spread as well.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (-120)
Michael Lantz
On paper this one is one of the great mismatches of the season. The Coyotes are in the basement of the league, sitting in eight in the Central Division with a 5-18-2 record. After a couple of games where their defense was looking okay, they’ve been outscored 4-16 in their last three games. This matchup against the Florida Panthers will likely add to that lopsided differential.
The Florida Panthers are currently tied with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs atop the Atlantic Division with 38 points. Every game will count for these three teams as the season goes on, so Florida cannot let up against an abysmal Coyotes team. The Panthers offense has continued to perform at a high level, but their defense and goaltending have shown some vulnerability recently. They’ve given up 23 goals over the last 6 games, and while their offense has bailed them out, they can’t count on that for the rest of the season. Luckily the blue liners should have a pretty calm night against a Coyotes offense that scares almost nobody. I’ll pick the Panthers to win this one with ease.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (-120)
Detroit Red Wings @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.00PM ET
The Detroit Red Wings end their quick two game road trip in Colorado when they take on the Avalanche on Friday night. The Red Wings are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they lost to the Blues 2-6, which brings their season record to 13-11-3. The Avalanche have won three of their five games so far in December, bringing their season record to 14-7-2.
Denis Kirilov
The Detroit Red Wings will have yet another tough task on Friday night in the NHL as they face the Colorado Avalanche who are in fantastic form recently. The team from Colorado is still a favorite to win the Stanley Cup and their performance in the last couple of games support this statement. They have turned themselves into scoring machines, having scored 7 goals on 5 occasions in their last 13 games. The Avalanche are 7th in the Western Conference with a couple of games to play which will further increase their chances to contest a place in the top 3.
The Red Wings were forecasted to be somewhere around the bottom of the table at the end of the season. So far, they are 8th in the East with 29 points out of 27 games. They have played more matches than their opponents, but I still believe they have overperformed until now. The Red Wings lost their last two meetings ahead of this game by a big margin. First, they were defeated at home by the Nashville Predators and later on, they suffered a 2-6 loss to the St. Louis Blues. I think that this trend will continue for a bit longer as I expect to see yet another dominant performance from their opponent on Friday. Hence, I will get Colorado’s spread for this one.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -2.5 (+120)
Tony Battalio
The Red Wings are coming off of a loss to the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. Now they will be playing the second night of a back to back and the finale of their quick two game road trip against Colorado. The loss to the Blues brought their overall record on the year to 13-11-3, which is right below the .500 mark for the season. They will be looking to bounce back with a win against Colorado, as the Red Wings are currently on a two game losing streak heading into this one.
When it’s almost Friday, you’ve scored 69 points in your last 13 games, and you have a homestand coming up 😃#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/hFndB9tt7P
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 9, 2021
The Colorado Avalanche were a preseason Stanley Cup favourite but they have not played up to that standard quite yet. They are 14-7-2 coming into this game and currently in fourth place in the Central Division. They will be looking to extend their current winning streak to 3 as they have won their last two over Philadelphia and the New York Rangers. As for the result of this game, I have the Avalanche picking up the hard fought victory at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-400)
Michael Lantz
This should be a fun game between two of the NHL’s most thrilling offenses. The Avalanche have had some ups and downs this season—mainly due to the health status of Nathan MacKinnon. Now with MacKinnon healthy, the team has him, Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog in full attack. They showed how powerful they can be on Wednesday night as they defeated a very good New York Rangers team at Madison Square Garden.
Colorado will take on a Detroit Red Wings team that’s clinging to a playoff spot in the always competitive Atlantic Division. The Red Wings are anchored by a young offense that includes the likes of 19-year-old phenom Lucas Raymond, who leads Detroit in points. Along with Dylan Larkin and Tyler Bertuzzi, this Red Wings team is trying to model itself a bit like the Avalanche. If everything goes accordingly, this one should have some great offensive fireworks. But in the end I’ll pick an Avalanche team that just came off a big confidence boosting victory on the road.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-400)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
