Some awesome games on to get you in the Friday mood. Who will come out on top today?
Find all of our free NHL picks for the scheduled games below.
Buffalo Sabres @ Washington Capitals – 7:00 PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres find themselves at 1-3-0 after losing to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, 3-0. Despite having 11 goals the season, scoring has been a problem as six of those goals came in one game and four came in another.
It has been a feast or famine for this offense. Taylor Hall and Jack Eichel each have six points. The goaltending has been solid. Carter Hutton has been in net for three games this season, posting a 2.65 GAA and a .899 save percentage.
The peaks and valleys of a unique season are already upon us.
Settle in for the ride as Washington starts the season on the road in Buffalo and Pittsburgh.#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/l4ANDt89Po
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) January 22, 2021
The Washington Capitals are 2-0-2, losing their last two games by a shootout and overtime to Pittsburgh. Scoring has not been a problem for the Capitals, as they are tied for the third most goals scored in the NHL at 15 but have allowed 14 goals as well.
Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin are tied for the team lead in points with five each. Ovechkin has only one goal scored this season. Vitek Vanecek has been the better of the two netminders, posting a 2.97 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.
NHL Pick – Washington Capitals (-135)
NHL Spread – Washington Capitals -1.5 (+279)
Game Totals Pick – Over 5.5 (-110)
New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7:00 PM ET
New York lost to New Jersey on Tuesday, 4-3. They split shutouts with the Islanders to begin the season and have now allowed eight goals and scored a goal. Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin have four points each, with each scoring two goals and adding two assists. Alexandar Georgiev has a 2.40 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in two games. This is the Rangers first away game of the year.
Pittsburgh lost their first two games of the season but swept Washington in a two-game series, winning in a shootout on Sunday and then winning in overtime on Tuesday. Pittsburgh is doing well putting the puck in the net, scoring 14 goals the season.
Dumoulin on Joseph: “He’s very smooth. Plays well both ways, offensive and defensive. Moves the puck really well. He’s a good skater. He’s got a great reach. He’s a guy that fits our mold. I think he’s going to do well.”
Joseph ready if called upon: https://t.co/SpZMOfuWHR pic.twitter.com/DuSnAWnRI6
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 21, 2021
Sidney Crosby leads the team in points with five, including three goals. However, they have allowed 18 goals the season, the third most allowed in the NHL. Casey DeSmith has been solid with a 2.76 GAA, but a .871 save percentage is not very good. Tristan Jarry (7.57 GAA) has been a disaster.
NHL Pick – Pittsburgh Penguins (-145)
NHL Spread – New York Rangers +1.5 (-191)
Game Totals Pick – Over 6.5 (-105)
Edmonton Oilers @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7:00 PM ET
Edmonton earned a much-needed victory, defeating the Maple Leafs on Wednesday, 3-1. Mikko Koskinen had an outstanding performance, stopping 25 of 26 shots.
He has started all five games for Edmonton this season, lowering his goals-against average to 3.24 while increasing his save percentage to .906. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisitl lead the team in scoring with six points each.
“The 5-on-5 play is something we’ve really pounded on since day one of camp & there’s been some positive signs but lots of room for improvement.”
Coach Tipp chats with the media following today’s #Oilers skate in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/6bOQ1yqCFA
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 21, 2021
Toronto dropped to 3-2-0 with the loss. The defeat allowed Montréal to move atop the North Division. The Maple Leafs are getting exceptional play out of their top lines. John Tavares and Mitchell Marner each have six points while William Nylander and Auston Matthews are close behind with five points each.
The group has 10 goals and 12 assists between them. No. 1 goaltender Frederik Andersen has not performed up to his usual standard, posting a 3.01 GAA but a very mediocre .886 save percentage.
NHL Pick – Toronto Maple Leafs (-141)
NHL Spread – Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+161)
Game Totals Pick – Under 6.5 (-110)
Detroit Red Wings @ Chicago Blackhawks – 8:00 PM ET
After splitting each of their first two series of the season, Detroit is now 2-2-0. They have scored nine goals and only given up 10. Goaltending has been the key for Detroit early on as both Jonathan Bernier (.927) and Thomas Greiss (.930) have save percentages well above .900.
Bernier has won both of his starts. The Red Wings are getting solid play out of Bobby Ryan and Dylan Larkin, both of whom have four points this season. However, with just nine goals totals scored by Detroit they are having trouble scoring. Ryan has four of those goals.
It’s just like that old saying goes: “The early Cat gets the ice.”#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/MnVn3eE9JG
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 21, 2021
Chicago was still looking for their first win of the season. They finally did pick up their first point when they lost in overtime to Florida on Tuesday, 5-4. The Blackhawks have given up five goals in every game this season, yielding the second most goals allowed this year.
The team has already used three netminders the season, not the kind of thing you like to see four games into the year. None of the three have a save percentage even remotely closing in on .900. Duncan Keith leads the team in scoring with four assists. Chicago has only scored nine goals this year and their -11 goal differential is the worst in the league.
NHL Pick – Detroit Red Wings (+115)
NHL Spread – Detroit Red Wings +1.5 (-208)
Game Totals Pick – Over 6.0 (-110)
San Jose Sharks @ Minnesota Wild – 8:00 PM ET
San Jose has split their first two series of the season, winning both of their games in shootouts. That includes a 2-1 victory over St. Louis on Wednesday. Goaltending has been the key for this team as they have given up five goals in each of their two losses.
Martin Jones has had the bulk of the work early on, posting a 3.08 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage. Tomas Hertl is having a solid start to the season, scoring three of the team’s 13 goals and has six total points.
Don’t blink…
Bones with the @JagermeisterUSA Shot of the Game last night! pic.twitter.com/Gt5olynfsw
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 21, 2021
Minnesota is 3-1-0 with their only loss of a 1-0 shutout to Anaheim on Monday. The Wild responded to the loss with a 3-2 victory. All four of their games have been decided by one goal.
The Wild have allowed nine goals, the third fewest in the division. Cam Talbot has a 2.27 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. Kaapo Kahkonen made his first start of the season on Wednesday and allowed two goals on 26 shots.
NHL Pick – Minnesota Wild (-161)
NHL Spread – San Jose Sharks +1.5 (-194)
Game Totals Pick – Under 5.5 (-105)
Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars – 8:30 PM ET
Nashville opened with a pair of victories over Columbus before losing to Carolina on Monday night. The contest scheduled for Tuesday was postponed. The Predators are getting some solid goaltending early on, allowing seven total goals.
Surprisingly, it has been Juuse Saros who has been the star in net, posting a 1.50 GAA and a .959 save percentage into starts. Nashville has only scored 10 goals this season, led by Filip Forsberg who has three.
One more night. #GoStars pic.twitter.com/t5siaJsOMt
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) January 22, 2021
This will be the opening contest for Dallas. They have not had any games scheduled to this point, so they are a bit of a mystery as to what the team is going to offer this season. Ben Bishop returns as the primary goalie.
Bishop started 43 games last year, going 21-16-4 with a 2.50 GAA. Tyler Seguin returns after leading Dallas in scoring with 50 points in 69 games. Denis Gurianov had a 20-goal campaign last year and will have an opportunity to improve upon that this year.
NHL Pick – Nashville Predators (-110)
NHL Spread – Nashville Predators -1.5 (-331)
Game Totals Pick – Over 5.5 (-105)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Arizona Coyotes – 9:00 PM ET
Vegas has been the cream of the NHL early on, winning all four of their contests. It has been outstanding goaltending that has led the way as the Golden Knights netminders have allowed seven total goals to this point. Marc-Andre Fleury has been brilliant, posting a 1.51 GAA a .933 save percentage.
Robin Lehner has been nearly as good with a 2.01 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Vegas comes in at +9 in the goal differential thanks to 16 goals scored. Mark Stone has seven points to lead the NHL. Nine players on the Knights have at least three points.
💻 DeBoer: It’s not going to be a typical road trip. It’s going to be a moving version of the bubble we had in Edmonton. Our group is going to be diligent and we hope we can avoid the virus. pic.twitter.com/mICUtrWpk6
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 21, 2021
Arizona has won this season and have already lost two games to Vegas. They have scored 12 goals but have allowed 16. Darcy Kuemper has been the primary goaltender early on, but has a 4.08 GAA and a .879 save percentage. Jakob Chychrun leads the team in points with five. Phil Kessel has four goals for the Coyotes.
NHL Pick – Vegas Golden Knights (-161)
NHL Spread – Vegas Golden Knights -1.5 (+353)
Game Totals Pick – Over 5.5 (-110)
Colorado Avalanche @ Anaheim Ducks – 10:00 PM ET
After losing their first game of the season, Colorado rebounded to win the last two contests. They play Thursday night against Los Angeles and this article was written before the conclusion of that contest. Colorado has 12 goals while allowing only six thus far.
Philipp Grubauer has been outstanding early on with a 2.01 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Nate MacKinnon leads the team with five points. The Avalanche have a goal differential of +6, second best in the division.
We’re back at it in less than 24 hours.
Let’s #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/xY050bwW0Q
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 22, 2021
Anaheim has lost three of their first four games. Goal scoring has been a problem for them in recent history and continues into this season as they have just six goals through the first four games.
They have allowed only 10, but you are not going to win games when you cannot score yourself. John Gibson has a solid 2.03 GAA and a .937 save percentage. Of the six goals scored by Anaheim, Max Comtois has three of them.
NHL Pick – Colorado Avalanche (-213)
NHL Spread – Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+422)
Game Totals Pick – Under 5.5 (-105)
The 2021 NHL season is here! If you want to catch up with all the latest information, make sure you visit our NHL hub page.
*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of Bet365.
