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 a significant 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.
Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00PM ET
An interesting Metropolitan Division matchup on Friday night in the NHL when we see the Washington Capitals face off against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Capitals have won three games in a row, which include wins over the Canucks, Islanders and Blue Jackets. The Hurricanes have lost two games in a row, and this drops their season record to 41-14-5.
Marko Nadin
After more than a month on top of the conference, the Carolina Hurricanes are now second in the standings with a 41-14-5 record. After winning four straight games, the Hurricanes have lost the last two against Toronto and Pittsburgh on the road. Now Carolina is opening a four-game home stand with a game against the Capitals. The Hurricanes are still the best team in the league when it comes to goals allowed with only 2.4 per game. Carolina has won 6 of the last 8 games against teams from the Metropolitan Division and the last six games played on Friday.
The Washington Capitals are 8th in the Eastern Conference with a 34-18-10 record and have a 13-point advantage to Columbus. The Capitals have won the last three games and are coming off a 7-2 win over the Blue Jackets. Washington has won the last 4 games against Carolina but that series will come to an end tonight. The Capitals have lost the last 4 games playing without a day off, but have won 5 of the last 7 games as a road underdog. The home team has won 9 of the last 13 games between these two teams.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-166)
On to the next
Recap » https://t.co/ydht5rK04N pic.twitter.com/8b8cOTt9yZ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Washington Capitals are coming into the game off of a big win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday evening. It was their third win in a row after beating the Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders in recent games. This win over Columbus brought their record up to 34-18-10 on the season as they are now 6 games above the .500 mark through their first 62 games of the season. Now they look to pick up a win over one of the top teams in the NHL.
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game with a record of 41-14-5 through their first 60 games of the season. Carolina is one of the top favorites to win the Eastern Conference and potentially even win the Stanley Cup. They are currently sitting in first place in the Metropolitan Division at the moment as they have a four point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins. In their last game they were beaten by the Maple Leafs by a score of 2-3. As for the result of this game, I have Carolina bouncing with a victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-166)
Boston Bruins @ Winnipeg Jets – 8.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Boston Bruins, who on Friday night will face off against the Winnipeg Jets. The Bruins have won five of their last seven games, however, in their last game, they went down to the Wild, 2-4. The Jets have won four of their last five games, and this takes their overall season record to 28-23-10.
Marko Nadin
The Winnipeg Jets are 11th in the Western Conference with a 28-23-10 record. The Jets have won 4 of the last 5 games and are coming off an impressive 7-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Their recent form has brought them within a couple of points from the playoff picture in the West. The Jets have lost 10 of the last 14 games against Eastern Conference teams and the last five games played after a two-day rest. The Jets have played over the total goals margin in 8 of the last 10 games, in the last 8 played on Friday and in 4 of the last 5 home games.
The Boston Bruins are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 37-19-5 record. The Bruins have won 3 of the last 5 games but are coming off a 2-4 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The Boston Bruins have won the last three and 7 of the last 10 games against the Jets. Six of the last ten games between these two teams have ended under 5.5 goals. The Bruins have won 7 of the last 9 road games and 12 of the last 15 Friday games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Over 6 (-120)
“This is a tough league to win in with a full lineup, and now we’re starting to have everybody back in our lineup, and we’re starting to play hockey the way we expected to”
Dave Lowry on the recent on-ice success, getting a healthy roster down the stretch, and more.
WATCH 🔽 pic.twitter.com/H9KJNLmzuy
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) March 17, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Boston Bruins are coming into this game with a record of 37-19-5 through their first 61 games on the season. They are looking to make one final run with their main core of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron this season. Boston is currently sitting in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. However, they do occupy one of the two Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference. Boston is a dark horse team to win the Stanley Cup in my opinion.
The Winnipeg Jets come into this game with a record of 28-23-10 through their first 61 games of the season. It has been somewhat of a disaster of a year for the Jets but somehow they are still in contention for a Wild Card spot, as they are only a couple points out at the moment. If they can get hot at the right time they could potentially make their way into the playoffs. As for the result of this game however, I have the Boston Bruins winning.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-114)
Buffalo Sabres @ Calgary Flames – 9.00PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres are in the middle of their three game road trip when they travel to Calgary and go toe-to-toe with the Flames. The Sabres are playing on two nights in a row, and last time out they lost to the Oilers, 1-6. The Flames have won five of their last seven games, and this takes their overall season record to 37-16-7.
Marko Nadin
The Calgary Flames have made a major leap in the past month and are now second in the Western Conference with a 37-16-7 record. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The Flames are ranked among the top 5 teams in goals allowed, shots on goal allowed and defending power play percentage. Calgary has won 10 of the last 11 games playing after 1 day rest and 8 of the last 10 games against Eastern Conference teams.
The Buffalo Sabres have picked up their form lately but this season is far from successful for them as they are 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 20-33-8 record. After winning back-to-back games against Vegas and Toronto, the Sabres lost the last one, 1-6 to the Edmonton Oilers. Buffalo has lost the last three and 5 of the last 6 games against Calgary. They have also lost 6 of the last 8 games against Western Conference teams.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-430)
Hear from head coach Don Granato following tonight’s loss to Edmonton. pic.twitter.com/r79zMxGvGg
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Buffalo Sabres are playing the second game of a back to back. In the first game of their back to back, they were beaten by the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 1-6. The loss to Edmonton dropped their record to 20-33-8 through their first 61 games of the season. Buffalo has been one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League over the last few seasons. That is unlikely to change in the next several years as well, as they are one of the most dysfunctional franchises in all of professional sports.
The Calgary Flames have been one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League over the last several months. They come into this game with a record of 37-16-7 through their first 60 games of the season. They are in first place of the Pacific Division after storming past the Vegas Golden Knights over the last month of the season. They currently hold a seven point lead over the Los Angeles Kings. As for the result of this game, I have the Calgary Flames getting the victory in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-430)
Florida Panthers @ Anaheim Ducks – 10.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Florida Panthers, who on Friday night in the NHL will face off against the Anaheim Ducks. The Panthers are playing on back-to-back nights and in their last game they lost to the Golden Knights, 3-5. The Ducks will be hoping for a good game in front of their home crowd, to put an end to their current five game losing streak, which has dropped their season record to 27-25-11.
Marko Nadin
The Anaheim Ducks are 12th in the Western Conference with a 27-25-11 record but are only 4 points behind the Dallas Stars who stand in the last place that leads to the playoffs. The Ducks have lost the last 5 games, most recently 3-4 in overtime against the New York Rangers. Anaheim is ranked 22nd in the league in goals per game and shots on goal per game. Anaheim has lost 5 of the last 6 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 4 of the last 5 games coming after a road trip of 7 or more days.
The Florida Panthers are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 41-14-6 record. The Panthers have won 6 of the last 8 games and are coming off a 3-5 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Florida has won the last two games against Anaheim with the last one being played in 2020. The Panthers are the best team in the league with 4.1 goals per game and 36.7 shots on goal per game. Florida has won 6 of the last 8 road games and 4 of the last 5 games playing without a day off.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-235)
Coach Eakins spoke after practice with an update on Max Jones and looking ahead to tomorrow’s matchup with Florida. #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/BinDGalkhh
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 17, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Florida Panthers have been one of the top teams in the National Hockey League this season. They come into this game with a record of 41-14-6 through their first 61 games of the season. They are in first place of the Atlantic Division at the moment as they hold a slim lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning heading into the final stretch run of the season. They are one of my personal favorites to win the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Florida is currently on a one game losing streak.
The Anaheim Ducks have had a confusing season as they have been up and down throughout the year. They come into this game with a record of 27-25-11 through their first 63 games of the season. They are currently sitting in sixth place in the Pacific Division and will likely end up missing out on the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. They are currently on a five game losing streak that has virtually put the final nail in their coffin for their season. As for the result of this game, I have the Florida Panthers getting the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-235)
Colorado Avalanche @ San Jose Sharks – 10.30PM ET
The final game in the NHL for Friday night will see the Colorado Avalanche travel to San Jose and take on the Sharks. The Avalanche have lost four of their last seven games, and this takes their overall season record to 43-13-5. The Sharks are another team that will be playing two nights in a row, and in their game last night, they were shutout by the Kings.
Marko Nadin
The Colorado Avalanche still have the best record in the league as they stand at 43-13-5. They are coming off back-to-back shutdown wins over Colorado and Los Angeles. The Avalanche are the second-best scoring team in the league with 3.8 goals per game and are ranked 8th allowing 2.8 goals per game. Colorado has won 5 of the last 6 games against San Jose. They have won the last 6 games playing after 2 days of rest and 11 of the last 15 road games. Colorado has played over the total goals margin in 6 of the last 7 games against teams with a losing record.
The San Jose Sharks are currently 13th in the Western Conference with a 26-26-8 record. They have lost 5 of the last 7 games and are coming off back-to-back losses to Florida and Los Angeles. The Sharks score only 2.6 goals per game which ranks them 28th in the league. They have lost 12 of their last 16 games overall, 7 of the last 10 home games and 8 of the last 11 against conference rivals.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-295)
We’re back at it tomorrow at home. pic.twitter.com/vt8y21nnAE
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 18, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Colorado Avalanche have had the best record in the National Hockey League for quite a while now. They come into this game as favorites to win the Stanley Cup trophy much like they were the preseason favorites as well. They are currently 43-13-5 through their first 61 games of the season. They will be looking to close out the Central Division sooner rather than later as they have been continuously pulling away from the pack as of late. They currently hold a 14 point lead over the St. Louis Blues.
The San Jose Sharks will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one when they take on the Avalanche at home. In the first game of their back to back, the Sharks were shutout by the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday evening by a score of 0-3. It has been a rough year for San Jose as they started out somewhat decent before completely bottoming out and ending up towards the bottom of the league. As for the result of this game, I have the Colorado Avalanche getting the easy win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-295)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
