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.
Minnesota Wild @ Buffalo Sabres – 7.00PM ET
The Minnesota Wild wrap up their short two game road trip on Friday with a game against the Buffalo Sabres. The Wild are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won, 5-4, against the Flyers. The Sabres put an end to their six game losing streak last time out, with a win over the Maples Leafs, 5-1.
Marko Nadin
The Buffalo Sabres are coming off one of the biggest wins this year as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-1 on Wednesday. Despite that, the Sabres are having a disappointing season as they are 15th in the Eastern Conference with a 17-30-8 record. The win over the Maple Leafs was Buffalo’s first after six straight losses. The Sabres are among the five worst defensive teams in the league as they allow 3.5 goals per game on 34.3 shots per game. The Sabres have won 3 of the last 4 games against Minnesota but have lost the last five against Western Conference teams.
The Minnesota Wild are fourth in the Western Conference with a 32-17-3 record. Minnesota was on a four-game losing streak before defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 last night. The Wild have the third best offense in the league scoring 3.7 goals per game. Minnesota has won 11 of the last 15 games against Eastern Conference teams and 7 of the last 10 games against teams with a losing record. They have also won 16 of the last 23 games as road favorites. Minnesota will use this one to get closer to the second place in the West.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-196)
Tony Battalio
The Minnesota Wild will close out their two game road trip with the second game of a back to back against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday evening. In the first game of their back to back they picked up a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on the road. The win over Philadelphia improved Minnesota’s record on the season to 32-17-3 through their first 52 games of the year. They are currently in third place in the Central Division at the moment.
Colin Miller practiced in a gold non-contact jersey today, marking his second straight day skating with the team as he recovers from an upper-body injury.
Read more: https://t.co/ICYgQrzsKT pic.twitter.com/OXFqW3hpgZ
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 4, 2022
The Buffalo Sabres had a shockingly hot start to the season. However, it only took a couple weeks for them to snap back to reality and fall back down the ladder into the bottom of the league like they are used to. Now Buffalo comes into this game with a record of 17-30-8 as they are 21 games below .500 through their first 55 games of the season. Their 17 wins has them in seventh place in the Atlantic Division at the moment and they will likely remain towards the bottom of the standings for the rest of the season. As for the result of this game, I have Minnesota getting the win over Buffalo.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-196)
Jeffery Thomas
The Minnesota Wild will be on the back-to-back in this game after a thrilling 5-4 win over the Flyers on Thursday. The two teams alternated goals all game with the Wild trailing at 4 different times in the game but got the equalizer at the 12:41 mark in the 3rd period and then what ended up being the game-winning goal 25 seconds later. That win snapped a four-game losing streak the Wild were on and they’ll look to keep the winning going in this matchup with Buffalo. The Sabres got a day off Thursday after upsetting the Maple Leafs 5-1 as a +300 underdog.
Toronto had a full house for the first time since December 11 and got to witness their team lose to Buffalo who hadn’t won in their last 6 games. 40 year old goalie Craig Anderson turned back the clock, making 29 saves in the victory and getting his seventh win on the year. We all know the Wild are the better team here, but they’ve just been in really bad form lately. They weren’t perfect in the win over the Flyers either, giving up 4 goals to one of the worst teams in the league. The over is 10-2 in the Wild’s last twelve games on no rest and is 5-0 in Buffalo’s last five games as a home underdog. All trends point to another high scoring battle, so I like the over a lot.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-110)
Detroit Red Wings @ Tampa Bay Lightning – 7.00PM ET
Two teams in the Atlantic Division will clash on Friday night when we see the Detroit Red Wings take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Red Wings have won two of their last four games, and this takes their season record to 24-24-6. The Lightning are playing again tonight, after playing the Penguins last night, in a game they lost, 1-5.
Marko Nadin
The Tampa Bay Lightning are third in the Eastern Conference with a 35-11-6 record. The defending champions have won five of the last six games and are coming off a 1-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Lightning are scoring 3.5 goals per game which ranks them seventh in the league despite the fact that they are 20th in shots on goal. Tampa Bay has won 5 of the last 6 games without a day off. They have won 48 of the last 66 home games and 60 of the last 78 games against Atlantic Division rivals.
The Detroit Red Wings are currently tenth in the Eastern Conference with a 24-24-6 record. The Red Wings have lost 3 of the last 5 games but are coming off a 4-3 overtime win over the best team in the conference, the Carolina Hurricanes. Detroit has won 4 of the last 5 games against conference rivals and 6 of the last 8 games after two days rest. The Red Wings play especially bad on Fridays as they have lost 26 of the last 35 games. Also they have won only 22 of the last 78 games against teams with a winning record.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-375)
Tony Battalio
The Detroit Red Wings are coming into this game, six games below the .500 mark with a record of 24-24-6 through their first 54 games on the season. They are currently sitting in the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Division, and double digit points behind the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Detroit has had an average season full of ups and downs as they have failed to generate any type of positive momentum throughout the majority of this season. If they can get hot at the right time they have a real shot of making a late season push for the playoffs.
After 40.#PITvsTBL | #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/qJs6eJOKGh
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 4, 2022
The two time defending Stanley Cup champions are coming into this game after playing the first night of a back to back on Thursday night. That game did not go well for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they were demolished by the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 1-5 on their own home ice. Now following the loss, Tampa Bay will come into this game with a record of 35-12-6 through their first 53 games of the season. They will be looking to pick up a bounce back win over the Detroit Red Wings at home. As for the result of this game, that is exactly what I expect to happen as I have the Tampa Bay Lightning getting the win over Detroit.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-375)
Jeffery Thomas
The Lightning had a flat performance at home against Pittsburgh on Thursday, losing 1-5 in what was supposed to be a marquee matchup of Eastern Conference powerhouses. They were quickly in a hole, going down 0-2 six minutes into the game and it just wasn’t their night. The Penguins were constantly in front of the net attacking and Tampa’s goalie Vasilevskiy faced 39 shots. Pittsburgh tied Tampa with 76 points after the win. Their division rival Red Wings sit 3 spots below them in the standings with a record of 24-24-6.
They have had a couple days off after their huge home win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Lucas Raymond scored a power-play goal with eight seconds left in overtime to snap the Canes 5-game winning streak. Now Detroit will be looking to take down another Stanley Cup Contender on Friday night. Detroit in recent history has had a huge problem playing on the road and that can be a big problem going against a Tampa team that is very strong at home. With the embarrassing loss on Thursday, I expect the Lightning to see this as a great opportunity to get back on track and they should win it in a rout.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -2.5 (+116)
New Jersey Devils @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
The New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers, both from the Metropolitan Division, will come together on Friday night in the NHL. The Devils have traded losses and wins in their last five games, and this takes their season record to 19-30-5. The Rangers have won three of their last five, and they did manage to get the win over the Blues, 5-3, in their last game.
Marko Nadin
The New York Rangers are currently 6th in the Eastern Conference but have only six points less than the leading Carolina Hurricanes. The Rangers have a 34-15-5 record and have won 3 of the last 5 games. They are coming off a 5-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. The Rangers have won the last 7 games against New Jersey scoring at least 4 goals in the last 4 games and shutting them down twice in the last seven games. New York has won 21 of the last 27 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 18 of the last 24 home games.
The New Jersey Devils are 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 19-30-5 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games but the two wins were over Pittsburgh and Vancouver by 5 goals differential each. The last time the Devils defeated the Rangers was in February 2021 and they lost the next seven games. New Jersey has lost 19 of the last 26 road games and 8 of the last 10 games against conference rivals. Eight of the last 10 games between these two teams have gone over the total goals margin.
Marko’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-178)
Tony Battalio
It’s been a rough season for the New Jersey Devils thus far. They come into this game against their division rivals with a record of 19-30-5 as they are 16 games below .500 through their first 54 games of the season. They are currently in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division and already virtually eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs with less than 30 games to go in the regular season. New Jersey is currently on a one game losing streak after losing their last game to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road.
The @RWJBarnabas Save of the Week goes to this big stop by Daws!
And a special shoutout to Emilio Pensado for always going out of his way to help others. pic.twitter.com/kev3dsbcSs
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) March 3, 2022
The New York Rangers have been one of the biggest surprises of the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. They come into this matchup in third place in the Metropolitan Division, only six points behind the first place team, the Carolina Hurricanes. New York comes into this contest with a record of 34-15-5 through their first 54 games of the season. They are currently on a one game win streak after defeating the St. Louis Blues in their last game by a score of 5-3. As for the result of this game, I have the New York Rangers picking up the victory over the New Jersey Devils at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-178)
Jeffery Thomas
The Rangers got one day of rest after a very hard fought win over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday at home. After going up 2-0 late in the 2nd period, they gave up three quick goals in less than 2 minutes to fall behind 2-3. They responded with a three goal period themselves in the 3rd to walk away victorious 5-3. The win holds them firmly at the 3rd spot in the Metro Division, just 3 points back of the Penguins for 2nd place.
New Jersey sits 4 spots behind them in the division with a record of 19-30-5 and had a couple days off after a tough 3-4 loss to the Blue Jackets. This opening line seems a little bit odd, and I expect this price to get a bit steeper for the Rangers who will have no issues winning this game. New York is 18-6 in their last 24 home games, 38-13 in their last 51 games as a favorite, and 21-8 in their last 29 as a home favorite, so it all points to a big win here for Igor and company.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-178)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins wrap up their three game road trip in Carolina on Friday night when they take on the Hurricanes. The Penguins extend their winning streak to three in a row, and they have wins over the Rangers, Blue Jackets and Lightning. The Hurricanes have dropped their last two games, and this takes their season record to 37-12-5.
Marko Nadin
The Carolina Hurricanes are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 37-12-5 record. After winning five straight games, the Hurricanes have dropped the last two, against Detroit in overtime and 0-4 last night in Washington. Carolina is the best defensive team in the league allowing only 2.4 goals per game. Carolina has won 4 of the last 5 games against Pittsburgh and won 4-3 in Pittsburgh earlier this season. The Hurricanes have won the last 5 Friday games and the last four against division rivals. They have also won 18 of the last 24 games against teams with a winning record.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 33-14-8 record. They have won 3 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins have won 6 of the last 7 Friday games and 4 of the last 5 games without a day off. Pittsburgh has won 17 of the last 22 road games and 23 of the last 32 games overall. Pittsburgh has played under the total goals margin in the last 4 road games. The visitor has won 5 of the last 7 games between Carolina and Pittsburgh.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-154)
Tony Battalio
Both of these teams are coming off of the first night of back to back games. There could not have been more different outcomes for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes however. As Pittsburgh took down the two time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 5-1 on the road. Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes were blanked by the Washington Capitals on the road by a score of 0-4. This game will be a battle between the leading team in the Metropolitan Division and the second place team in the Metropolitan Division.
The numbers from DC pic.twitter.com/cG7lI9SCny
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 4, 2022
The Carolina Hurricanes are currently on top of the division with a record of 37-12-5 through their first 54 games of the season. They hold a three point lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins at the moment. The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game with a record of 34-14-8 through their first 56 games of the season, as they will be looking to close the gap between them and the Hurricanes with a second win over a top team in the NHL in two straight nights. As for the result of this one, I have the Penguins getting the victory on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (+128)
Jeffery Thomas
The Penguins got a statement victory on Thursday over the defending champion Lightning and now get another tough test on Friday against the Hurricanes. The Lightning win was by a score of 5-1 and Evgeni Malkin had a goal and two assists in the game. Tristan Jarry only faced 21 shots, stopping 20 of them and it was just a dominant effort all around, and a much needed confidence boost for the Pens as we get closer and closer to the stretch run of the season.
The Canes were also in action on Thursday, getting shutout on the road in Washington against the Capitals. It was their second straight loss and it snapped a seven game points streak they were riding. This could be a playoff preview we witness on Friday night and those usually are tight, defensive, lower-scoring battles but I think we’ll get goals much like we did in the February 20 matchup just a couple weeks ago. That game was 4-3, and with Carolina being shut out Thursday, they’re due for some goals in this one. Give me the over in what will be a very entertaining battle.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-112)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Anaheim Ducks – 10.00PM ET
The final game on Friday night in the NHL will see the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Anaheim Ducks. The Golden Knights are another team that is playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they lost to the Bruins, 2-5. The Ducks have won three of their last five games, with their wins coming over the Canucks, Sharks and Bruins.
Marko Nadin
The Anaheim Ducks are tenth in the Western Conference with a 26-21-9 record. The Ducks have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins. Anaheim has won only 2 of the last 13 games against Western Conference rivals and 12 of the last 51 games against teams with a winning record. The Ducks don’t play well on Friday as they have lost 20 of the last 26 games. Five of the last seven games between these two teams in Anaheim have ended over the total goals margin.
The Vegas Golden Knights are sixth in the Western Conference with a 30-21-4 record. They are going through a difficult period of the season as they have lost 3 of the last 4 games. The Golden Knights are coming off a 2-5 loss to the Boston Bruins. Vegas has won 8 of the last 10 and 19 of the last 23 games over Anaheim. Vegas has also won 7 of the last 8 games as road favorites and 19 of the last 26 games without a day off. The Golden Knights have not seen much success against conference rivals lately as they have lost 8 of the last 11 games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (-126)
Tony Battalio
The Vegas Golden Knights have enjoyed a somewhat successful season as they have spent most of it on top of the Pacific Division. However, now they’ve been passed up by the Calgary Flames and Los Angeles Kings as the season heads towards its stretch run. Vegas comes into this game with a record of 30-21-4 after losing game one of a back to back on Thursday evening against the Boston Bruins. Now Vegas will be looking to bounce back against the streaky Anaheim Ducks on the road on Friday evening.
Getting ready to take on VGK tomorrow. 📸#FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/STddsnO1nr
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) March 3, 2022
The previously mentioned Anaheim Ducks are coming into this game with a record of 26-21-9 as they are four games below the .500 mark through their first 56 games of the season. They have been one of the hardest teams to predict this season as they have gone on long winning streaks and long losing streaks as well. They are currently in fifth place in the Pacific Division only three points behind the fourth place team which just so happens to be their opponent in this one. As for the result of this game, I have the Ducks getting the win over the Golden Knights.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (+105)
Jeffery Thomas
Both the Ducks and Vegas Knights will come into their Friday matchup off games against the Boston Bruins. Vegas will be on the back-to-back after playing Boston on Thursday at home, losing 2-5. It’s been a rough stretch for them, losing six of eight but they still hold on to that second wild card spot in the West, leading the Dallas Stars by 1 point. The Ducks matchup with Boston came on Tuesday, with them pulling out the victory 4-3 in Anaheim.
This game has a lot of playoff implications with Anaheim chasing Vegas for that second wild card spot. They are 3 points back and have played one more game than the Knights so they have to feel like this is a great opportunity to close the gap and I like them to get it done as the home team and the more rested one. The home team is already 3-0 when these two teams have met so far this year and we’ll make it 4-0 on Friday.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (+105)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
