Free NHL Picks Today for Friday, December 15th, 2023

Our free NHL picks are out for Friday, December 15th 2023! Make sure you check our NHL picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NHL picks for the best games on today’s schedule!

Anaheim Ducks @ New York Rangers – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a less than ideal start to the regular season for the Anaheim Ducks as they come into this game eight games below .500 through their first 28 games of the regular season. They will be looking to get things rolling in the right direction throughout the second half of December with a huge victory on the road at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers on Friday night. It would be a massive momentum boost for the Anaheim team as it would give them a statement victory early on in the year and it would allow them to build up as much momentum as possible heading into the last two weeks of 2023. Anaheim currently finds themselves in last place of the Pacific division, and they will look to climb out of the basement with a string of quality performances throughout the last two weeks of December. They currently come into this game on a four game losing streak as well and they will look to break that streak with a much-needed victory here on Friday.

It has been a fantastic start to the regular season for the New York Rangers and they will look to keep the momentum rolling throughout this game on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks. The New York Rangers come into this game 27 games above .500 through their first 30 games of the regular season and they will look to maintain that performance throughout the rest of December as well. They will look the break the 20 win mark with a quality performance here in this game on Friday night against a struggling Anaheim team as they look to keep the momentum rolling at home and pick up another victory inside of Madison Square Garden. Despite the fast start to the regular season New York has struggled as of recently, as they have lost three out of their last four on the year and they will look to get back into the win column after giving up seven goals to Toronto in their last game. That is exactly what I expected of the New York Rangers as I look for them to bounce back with the win and for them to cover the spread in this game on Friday night.

Nashville Predators @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7:30PM ET

Tony Battalio

Nashville comes into this game looking to get a solid victory on the road in Carolina here on Friday night. It has been a respectable start to the season for the Nashville Predators, and they will look to keep the momentum rolling in the right direction with another quality performance here in this one. Nashville comes into this game three games above the 500 marked through their first 29 games of the regular season, and they will look for their 17th victory of the season as they get ready to cross the 30 game mark here on Friday night on the road. Despite the early season success they still have a lot to work on in the defensive end of the ice as they are giving up around three goals per game and that is not sustainable for long-term success this season. However, they have plenty of momentum coming into this game as they are currently on a two game winning streak, and they have won four out of their last five on the season. 

It’s been a solid start to the Carolina Hurricanes regular season as well as they come into this game three games above .500 through their first 29 games. Carolina will also be looking to grab their 17th victory of the season as these two teams come into this game with nearly identical records here on Friday night. The only difference is Carolina does have an overtime loss which puts them slightly ahead in the points race. However, that doesn’t matter much because these two teams are in opposite conferences. Carolina finds themselves in a similar situation as they are struggling on the defensive end of the ice and giving up over three goals per game and that is not something that will lead to long-term success for them this season either. These two teams are very similar and several different ways throughout the early part of the season and this game could arguably go either way. However, I do look for the Carolina Hurricanes to grab the victory at home over the Nashville Predators here on Friday night.

Boston Bruins @ New York Islanders – 7:30PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Boston Bruins had a historic regular season last year and with the way they have started this season off. They are on pace to break the record that they broke less than a year ago. After setting the record for the most victories in a single regular season, Boston picked up where they left off despite being eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoff last year. As they got off to a red hot start to the regular season, and they will look to maintain that momentum throughout this game on Friday night against another one of the top teams in the league when they go to Long Island to play the Islanders. Boston comes into this game looking to get an early season statement victory over another one of the top teams in the league here on Friday night. As they look to further establish themselves as a legit contender this season with a victory on the road against the New York Islanders. 

The New York Islanders are having an decent start to the regular season as well and they will look to pick up a quality victory at home against the Boston Bruins here in this game. They have been a very tough team to beat at home this season, and a very tough team to beat in general this season, and they will look to further prove that narrative to be true with another quality performance here on Friday night at home. Despite sitting at the 500 mark through their first 28 games of the regular season they have been very competitive throughout the majority of their games, and they will look to grab a huge victory at home here in this one as well. They currently lead the league in overtime losses as they have racked up seven of them throughout the early part of the year. Those seven overtime losses have put them in second place of the metropolitan division coming into this game on Friday night. I expect this game to go down to the wire as well but in the end I do look for the Boston Bruins to pick up the victory of the New York Islanders on the road here on Friday night.

Ottawa Senators @ Dallas Stars – 8PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Ottawa Senators come into this game on Friday night south of the border in Dallas hovering below the .500 mark through their first 24 games of the regular season. As they have picked up 11 victories in their first 24 of the year and all 13 of their losses have come in regulation, as they have yet to at least fight their way to a point here and there with some overtime losses. They were able to grab a massive momentum boosting victory here on Friday night on the road against the Dallas Stars as they look to get things rolling in the right direction throughout the rest of December. Ottawa has been solid on the offensive end of the ice as they are scoring over three goals per game but it has been their play on defense that is costing them the majority of the games this season. As they are also giving up over three goals per game and that is not sustainable for long-term success for this Ottawa team throughout the year. They would like to get things going in the right direction with a victory here on Friday night in Dallas.

It has been a quality start to the regular season for the Dallas Stars and they will look to keep the momentum rolling throughout this game on Friday night at home. They will be looking to pick up a victory over a struggling Ottawa team as they look to add another victory to their record heading into the back half of December as they look to continue building up momentum throughout the end of 2023. Dallas comes into this game five games above the .500 mark through their first 27 games of the regular season and they will look to further establish themselves as a legitimate contender this season with another comfortable victory here in this one. If they want to maintain long-term success throughout the season, they need to work on their play on the defense end of the ice as they are giving up three goals per game throughout the early part of the year. However, I do expect them to pick up a comfortable victory in this game and cover the spread in the process against the Ottawa Senators.

Buffalo Sabres @ Vegas Golden Knights – 10PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Buffalo Sabres come into this game looking to pick up a solid victory on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions here on Friday night. It has been a less than impressive start to the regular season for the Buffalo Sabres and they could certainly use a massive momentum boosting victory if they could pick this one up here on Friday night on the road in Las Vegas. Buffalo comes into this game six games below the .500 mark through their first 28 games of the regular season and they will be looking for their 13th victory of the year here on Friday night against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Buffalo currently finds themselves towards the basement of the Atlantic division coming into this game and they will look to move up the standings for a crucial victory here on Friday night in Vegas. They will also be looking to bounce back after losing the opening game of this road trip to Colorado by four goals in their previous game.

The defending Stanley Cup champions have shown no signs of having any type of championship hangover throughout the early part of the year. They have been one of the best teams in the league throughout the early part of the season and they will look to maintain that momentum throughout this game on Friday night against the Buffalo Sabres. They have been especially tough to beat at home this season, and they will look to further prove that narrative to be true as well with another quality performance here in this game. Las Vegas comes into this game 10 games above the .500 mark through their first 30 games of the regular season and they will look for their 21st victory of the season here on Friday night. If they can grab another victory here on Friday night, it would make them the top team in the league and they would lead the league in wins throughout the early part of the year. That is exactly what I expect, as I look for the Vegas Golden Knights to pick up a comfortable victory and cover the spread here in this one on Friday night.

If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your hockey needs!

*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.