We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move past the mid way point in the season, each division’s ladder has already become well formed. Despite this, 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 four games on today’s schedule.
Winnipeg Jets @ Dallas Stars – 8.30PM ET
We kick off Friday night in the NHL with a game between two Central Division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars. The Jets have won two of their last three games, which includes wins over the Blues and Wild. The Stars have won six of their last eight games, and this takes their season record to 24-18-2.
Marko Nadin
The Dallas Stars are ninth in the Western Conference with a 24-18-2 record. They are the fifth best home team in the league with a 16-6-1 record. The Stars have won 6 of the last 8 games and are coming off a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators. The Stars score 2.98 goals per game which ranks them 17th in the league and they concede 3.02, 20th in the league. Dallas is the fifth best team in the league in PP% with 26%. The Stars have won the last four games against a team with a losing record.
The Winnipeg Jets are 13th in the Western Conference with a 19-17-7 record. They have lost 7 of the last 9 games but have won the last one 2-0 against the Minnesota Wild. Winnipeg scores 2.8 goals per game while allowing 2.9. The Jets have played under the total goal margin in their last four road games but have played over in the last four games on Friday. The Jets have lost the last four games following a game in which they have allowed two or less goals in the previous one.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Dallas Stars (-154)
Defence: 😁
Offence: 😫#GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/kIqgkXsmlC— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) February 10, 2022
Jeffery Thomas
The Dallas Stars will host the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, for game five of a 6-game home stand. They’ve split the first four, after beating the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Tuesday. That was a crucial win for the playoff-chasing Stars, as that game was a stretch of 8 straight against Central Division opponents. Dallas has now won six of their last eight and sit with a record of 24-18-2, good for 50 points. They sit directly above their next opponent, Winnipeg, in the Central Division standings, who have 45 points.
The Jets defeated the red-hot Wild 2-0 on Tuesday in their last game. That win ended the Wild’s six-game winning streak and was their first time being shut out all season. It was goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s third shutout of the season and 27th of his career, as Winnipeg moved to 3-6-2 in their last 11 games. When I look at this game, I’m having a hard time backing the Winnipeg Jets. Even off the impressive win against the Wild, they only put up 2 goals and that’s been a theme for them all season, struggling on offense for a large part of the year. Against this Dallas team at home, who emphasizes defense it’ll be a longshot for them to win without putting up at least 4 goals which they won’t. Give me Dallas with the utmost confidence.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Dallas Stars (-154)
New York Islanders @ Edmonton Oilers – 9.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the New York Islanders, who will travel to Edmonton on Friday night to take on the Oilers. The Islanders have been a tad inconsistent as of late, and this results in their season record standing at 17-17-6. The Oilers will be looking to put an end to their two game losing streak tonight, as they have suffered back-to-back losses to the Golden Knights and Blackhawks.
Marko Nadin
The Edmonton Oilers have fired head coach Dave Tippett after a 1-4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Jay Woodcroft will take over as the new head coach. The Oilers are currently 10th in the Western Conference with a 23-18-3 record. Edmonton has won 5 of 13 games in 2022. The Oilers are 9th in the league with 33.4 shots per game and 12th with 3.2 goals per game. They are among ten worst teams in the NHL with 3.3 allowed goals per game and 33.2 allowed shots. The Oilers have played under the total goal margin in 4 of the last 5 home games.
The New York Islanders are currently 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 17-17-6 record. The Islanders have lost 3 of the last five games and are coming off a 6-3 win in Vancouver over the Canucks. The Islanders are 29th in the league with 2.45 goals scored per game but 5th in goals allowed with 2.63. The Islanders are 1-7 in the last 8 games as an underdog in road games. They have played under the total goal margin in the last 4 games following a win.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-102)
Jeffery Thomas
The Isles are off to a decent start to February, going 2-1 with blowout wins over the Senators and Canucks. The lone hiccup was a shutout loss to the Kraken in a game where they could only muster 19 shots, their lowest shot total of the season. As I mentioned though, they bounced back Wednesday with a 6-3 over the Nucks, in the first game of a 4-game road trip. They scored 5 first period goals, a feat they hadn’t accomplished since 1996, with goals coming from 5 different players. That win pushed their record to 17-17-6, as they sit at 6th place in the Metro. They now will travel to Edmonton to face the streaky Oilers who just lost 1-4 to the Blackhawks on Wednesday.
After losing seven straight from December 29th to January 20th, they turned it around to win four straight, and now are heading back in the wrong direction, losers of 3 of the last 4. The last 2 losses were by a combined score of 1-8 and they allowed the first goal in both games (they didn’t even score in the Vegas game), which has been a theme all season for them. In their last 35 games, they’ve allowed the first goal 29 times, instantly putting their offense in a position to chase. Edmonton is not in good form here recently and it’s hard to back them as the favorite in this spot. It’s their 3rd game in 4 nights and in their last 7 installments of being in the 3rd game in 4 nights spot they are 2-5. This Islanders team is playing some good defensive hockey, and we all know defense travels. I like a play on the under but I’m going to take the underdog to win here outright as it’s just impossible to back this streaky Oilers team.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: New York Islanders (+116)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Arizona Coyotes – 9.30PM ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning wrap up their short two game road trip on Friday night in the NHL when they take on the Arizona Coyotes. The Lightning are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they lost to the Avalanche 2-3. The Coyotes have been struggling all season long, but last time out they did manage to get a win, 5-2, against the Kraken.
Marko Nadin
The Arizona Coyotes are on the bottom of the Western Conference with a 12-31-4 record. They have lost 7 of the last 10 games. The Coyotes are coming off a 5-2 win over the Seattle Kraken. Arizona is rock bottom when it comes to shots per game with only 26.1 per game and PP% with 12. The Coyotes score 2.21 goals per with only the Canadiens scoring less. Arizona is 4-24 in the last 28 games against teams with a winning record over 60%. They are 6-22 in their last 28 home games.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are third in the Eastern Conference with a 30-11-6 record. The defending champions have won 7 of their last 10 games. They are coming off a 2-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. The Lightning are 7th in the league in scored goals with 3.34 per game. They allow 2.77 goals per game which ranked them 11th and they are 6th in allowed shots per game with 29.6. The Lightning has won 9 of the last 11 games against Western Conference opponents. They have won 4 of the last 5 games without a day off. Tampa Bay has won 3 of the last 5 games against Arizona.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-320)
On the board early and never let up. 😤 pic.twitter.com/3PoDeSs8BC
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) February 10, 2022
Jeffery Thomas
The Coyotes are not having a good season but they are still trying to stay competitive. They sit with a 2-3 record in the month of February with a shocking upset win over the Avs, beating them in their building and snapping an 18 game home win streak. They are now starting an 8-game home stand after a 5-2 win over the Kraken, where they led wire-to-wire despite being outshot 27 to 36. The Lightning had a tough loss on the road in Colorado Thursday night, falling 2-3. They were just flat out outplayed, being outshot by 9 and trailing the entire game practically, going down 0-2 within the first seven minutes.
Can the Yotes pull off another miracle win in a 10-day span? I wouldn’t bank on it. The Lightning will be on the back-to-back but they are 4-1 in the last 5 installments of them being on the second leg of a back to back and the talent disparity here is just too vast. Off a loss to the Avalanche, the Lightning will be angry and this is the perfect opponent to get back on track with.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (-120)
Seattle Kraken @ Anaheim Ducks – 10.00PM ET
The final game in the NHL on Friday night will see the Seattle Kraken and the Anaheim Ducks, inter-division rivals, face off against each other. The Kraken have won just two of their last five games, and this takes their season record to 15-28-4. The Ducks have won four of their last six games, which includes wins over the Lightning, Bruins, Canadiens and Senators.
Marko Nadin
The Anaheim Ducks are 7th in the Western Conference with a 23-16-9 record including 13-7-4 at home. They have won 4 of the last 6 games but are coming off a 1-2 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Ducks are 18th in the league with 2.9 goals scored and 12th with 2.8 allowed. The Ducks have lost the last seven games against Western Conference teams. They are 1-10 in the last 11 games following a three or more days of rest. Anaheim won both games this season against the Kraken 4-1 and 7-4.
The Seattle Kraken are 15th in the Western Conference with a 15-28-4 record which is third-worst in the league. They have lost 3 of the last 4 games, most recently 2-5 at home against the only worse team in the West, the Arizona Coyotes. Somehow, the Kraken are the best team in the league allowing only 28.3 shots per game. They score 2.6 goals per game and allow 3.5. The Kraken has played under the total goal margin in their last five road games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (-170)
Jeffery Thomas
It’s been a rough first season for the expansion Kraken who are in last place of the Pacific, a whopping 14 points behind the next closest team. Their season was summed up Wednesday night, in their 2-5 loss at home to the Coyotes, who have just 12 wins on the year. They are the only team that Arizona has beaten twice this season, and in fact, the first one was the Coyotes first win of the year, in their 11th game of the season. It’s been a long layoff for the Ducks, who haven’t played since January 31. That was a 1-2 overtime loss in Detroit to the Red Wings who outshot them 15-28.
Despite that loss, they went into the break winners of four of their last six, including wins over the Lightning and a road win over Boston. They will love this opportunity against a lowly opponent to get 2 points, as coming into Thursday they’re tied with the Kings for 2nd place in the Pacific with the Flames just one point behind them. This is a battle of two teams who are offensively challenged. The scoring has dried up for Seattle as of late, only scoring more than 2 goals once in their last six games. For Anaheim, it’s been a 2-1 score in each of their last two games and I can see a similar score in this one. I’ll take the under 5.5.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-114)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
