We are in the thick of the 2021/22 NHL season, and things are certainly heating up! Today there are heaps of games for us fans to sink our teeth into. With so many teams taking the ice, it is going to be an exciting day of NHL action, so you don’t want to miss this.
How will today’s games shake out? Which teams will be in the winners circle, and who will need to bounce back after a loss? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, we are in for some great games! So sit back, relax and if you like to have a bet, then you have certainly come to the right place.
Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the five games on today’s schedule.
Edmonton Oilers @ Buffalo Sabres – 7.00PM ET
The Edmonton Oilers continue their road trip when they take on the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night. The Oilers continued their good start to the season in November, as they have only dropped one game, while winning four so far, taking their season record to 10-2-0. The Sabres are on the other side of the spectrum, losing all four of their games so far in November, which takes their season record to 5-5-2.
Denis Kirilov
One of the best teams in the NHL at the moment, the Edmonton Oilers, will face off a team that is struggling recently. The Buffalo Sabres are looking at a potential 6-game losing streak if they don’t stop the Oilers somehow. They defeated a strong team once in their 12 games and that was the Tampa Bay Lightning who lost 5-1 to them. In the rest of their matches, they have been either beaten by a better team or they managed to get the victory over mediocre teams like the Coyotes and the Canucks. However, their main problems come from their performance under pressure. Most of their matches were narrow and in most cases their opponents found a way to get the win by the slimmest of margins.
The Edmonton Oilers are the leader of the Western Conference with 20 points out of 12 games. They are 10-2 from the start of the season and they are looking to keep their momentum as much as humanly possible. They outplayed the Boston Bruins in TD Garden on Thursday and they are ready for more. This will be their second consecutive away game out of 4, as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will try to get the best out of their small road trip. I think they might face difficulties in tomorrow’s challenge, but I am sure they have the knowledge and the skills to overcome them. This further makes me choose them to cover their spread as I am looking for even more value in this prediction.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers -1.5 (+144)
Tony Battalio
Edmonton picked up a big win against the Boston Bruins on Thursday by a score of 5-3. Boston managed to hold potential MVP Connor McDavid to zero goals but the Oilers still found a way to score five and come away with a win. With that win Edmonton improved to 10-2-0 on the year as they have got off to a fantastic start this season. It breaks a one game losing streak by Edmonton as through 12 games on the year they still have yet to drop back to back contests. Now going into the second game of a back to back they will be looking to add another win and continue their blazing start to the 2021-22 NHL season.
Earning everything.#LetsGoBuffalo | @BCBSWNY
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 12, 2021
As for the Buffalo Sabres, they have been exceeding people’s expectations all season long. They are currently 5-5-2 on the year through their first 12 games. However their early season magic may have started to wear off as they have lost their last five games by a combined score of 22-13 against a mix of good and bad teams. They will be looking to bounce back against one of the NHLs elite teams so it will not come easy, even at home.
As for the result in this one, I look for the Oilers to continue their impressive play and beat the slumping Sabres handily. McDavid should also find his way back on the scoresheet in this one as well. Not only do I look for the Oilers to win, they should be able to cover the spread in this game as well.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers -1.5 (+144)
Michael Lantz
The Oilers further proved their dominance in this 2021-22 season as they took out a Boston Bruins team that was undefeated at home, winning 5-3. They started the game down 2-3, but exploded for three goals in the final period to stun at the TD Garden. This was in large thanks to Leon Draisaitl, who after a rare off game against the Red Wings (he had zero points and zero shots) came back to life and had two goals and an assist. Now Edmonton travels up to Buffalo to face a slumping Sabres team.
The Sabres started off the season as one of the league’s great surprises as they went 5-1-1 through seven games. But they look more like the lottery team they’ve been in recent years in their last five, now sitting at 5-5-2. A lot of that has to do with them missing Victor Olofsson, who before a tissue injury, was leading the team in points. With a hungry Oilers team coming to town, I don’t expect things to get easier for them. The Sabres have lost three of their five straight by more than one goal. With Edmonton’s all-star offense being on the ice, I’ll pick the Oilers to cover.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers -1.5 (+144)
Philadelphia Flyers @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00PM ET
The Philadelphia Flyers are on the road for two games, and their first stop will be against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers have been a little inconsistent so far this month, but will need to play their best against one of the top teams in the league. The Hurricanes have a season record of 10-1-0, and in their previous game they got an overtime victory against the Lightning, 2-1.
Denis Kirilov
The Philadelphia Flyers will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in one of the most intriguing games on Friday night in the NHL. The Flyers are coming into this match after a disappointing 0-3 defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs in front of their home crowd. They had their chances throughout the game, but Jack Campbell denied them each single time. The team has one of the best defensive lineups in the League as they have conceded just 2.55 goals on average. The only team with better statistics in terms of defense is the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers hope to make the Playoffs and they seem to have the missing pieces to the puzzle this time.
Alongside the Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes was the other NHL team with an impressive run in the beginning of the 2021/22 season. They have been dominating the league in their opening 9 games, winning most of them by a big margin. The Hurricanes have been a nightmare for each team up until the game against the Florida Panthers who went on defeating them 2-5. However, Carolina found a way to recover from this loss and outplayed the Tampa Bay Lightning after overtime in their last fixture. They are certainly a hidden gem as players like Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov are eager to make a name for themselves in the NHL. That’s probably the main reason why I will go with the Hurricanes at the moment. I think they are riding the wave and are not willing to stop anytime soon.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-192)
Tony Battalio
This one is the complete polar opposite of the game that will close out the Friday slate. As the Hurricanes and Flyers are both very good teams this season who have shown potential Stanley Cup title glimpses through the seasons first handful of weeks. The Philadelphia Flyers come into this one at 6-3-2 as the month of November has been a little bit sloppy for them after a fast start to the year. This is also the beginning of a quick two game road trip for the Flyers, as the second stop is a game in Dallas on Saturday night, so they will be looking to salvage at least a point in this one.
As for the Carolina Hurricanes, they are 10-1-0 on the year and coming off of a win in overtime against the two time defending champs in their last game. This is the start of a quick two game homestand that includes a game against St. Louis on Saturday as well, so much like Philadelphia, they will be looking to walk away with at least one point.
As for the result of this game, I expect the Carolina Hurricanes to pick up a huge home victory before the second night of their back to back on Saturday against St. Louis. While the Flyers are no slouch by any means, they will be playing in a hostile environment and come into this game on a bad run of form so I do not think they have what it takes to pick up a win here. However I still expect a competitive game and do not see Carolina covering the spread so the moneyline is the safer bet here.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-192)
Michael Lantz
After starting the season 9-0-0, the Carolina Hurricanes took a tough loss to the (at the time) 10-0-1 Florida Panthers last week, but they bounced back nicely beating the deafening Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lighting, in a gritty 2-1 OT win. They get another tough matchup as they face the Philadelphia Flyers at home.
After the Flyers started the season looking like an offensive juggernaut (including five goals and a win against the Edmonton Oilers), they’ve cooled off massively on offense since that game, scoring only 1.5 goals per game in their last six. Still not too many complaints, as they sit at 6-2-2 and have played great defense, including against a good Washington Capitals team last Saturday.
Still, they got blanked by the Toronto Maple Leafs 0-3 on Wednesday night and will be looking to not make that a pattern against teams they’d potentially have to face in the postseason. As good as the Canes have been, I’m still not terribly convinced with them and their wins—they’ve beaten some great opponents, but have also kept it close with some bad ones. I’ll go for my upset pick here and take the Flyers.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Philadelphia Flyers (+158)
Washington Capitals @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7.00PM ET
The Washington Capitals wrap up their short two game road trip when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals are looking to build on their two game winning streak on Friday night, and their season record currently stands at 7-2-4. The Blue Jackets have a decent winning streak of their own, currently at three, which takes their season record out to 7-3-0.
Denis Kirilov
After the long-awaited Stanley Cup in 2018, the Capitals’ performance kind of declined. They have been a decent team in the Regular Season, but when it came to the Playoffs, they have lost three times in the First Round. They couldn’t manage to focus on reaching their peak exactly in the spring and we’ve seen it on numerous occasions where their form starts declining at the end of the season. I think the situation might be quite similar this time as well. It seems that they want to secure their Playoffs spot as soon as possible and then hope that the team can transform this performance into the deciding matches ahead of the NHL Finals. However, they are coming into this game with a 2-game winning streak, defeating the Sabres and the Red Wings.
When somebody mentions the Columbus Blue Jackets, almost no one thinks of them as a tough team that can withstand the strength and the power of some of the biggest and well-known teams in the NHL. They were founded in 2000 and up until 2019, they hadn’t had a win in a Playoffs series. By sweeping the Tampa Bay Lightning in the First Round, they became the first team to win a series 4-0 against an opponent that has won the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best regular season team. The Blue Jackets are definitely looking better than ever as they will continue chasing their goal of reaching the NHL finals for the first time. They have won 7 out of their 10 opening games and they are looking to build on this performance. I think tomorrow’s game against the Capitals will serve as a great example of where the Blue Jackets really are at the moment. I believe Columbus won’t lose this one, at least not by a huge margin.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets +1.5 (-230)
Tony Battalio
The Columbus Blue Jackets are sitting at 7-3-0 right now and have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2021-22 NHL season thus far. This will be their first game since Saturday night while the Washington Capitals will be coming off of a back to back, so the Jackets will have the advantage of freshness. However, too much time between games can also be a negative as well. The Blue Jackets enter this one on a three game winning streak having beaten New Jersey and then Colorado two games in a row. So they will be looking to extend their streak to four against an impressive Capitals team.
WELL DESERVED 👏
Rick Nash, the @BlueJacketsNHL all-time leader in goals scored, will have his No. 61 jersey retired in March.
(via @emilymkaplan) pic.twitter.com/yUeXM7Qju1
— ESPN (@espn) November 11, 2021
As for the previously mentioned Washington Capitals, they came off of a win against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night in a game where Alexander Ovechkin failed to score. The Capitals are 7-2-4 following last night’s victory however they have got off to a rough start in the month of November only winning two of their five games played. I look for this game to be a very competitive match up between two potential Eastern Conference playoff teams. When the final buzzer sounds, I think both of these teams will be locked at two or three goals a piece so my pick for this one is that this matchup will head to an overtime period.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Overtime – Yes (+300)
Michael Lantz
After the Columbus Blue Jackets were banged up against the New York Rangers on October 29th, 0-4, they’ve been on an absolute offensive tear. They’ve scored 14 goals in the last three games, and have gone 3-0 against some great opponents including the always lethal Colorado Avalanche in back-to-back contests. On offense, they’ve been led by young stars Oliver Bjorkstrand and Patrik Laine, while offseason addition Jakob Voracek has been quite the facilitator with ten assists. They hope to keep their win streak going as the Washington Capitals come to town.
After the Capitals were blanked, 1-2, by the Flyers last week, they bounced back with a 5 goal performance against the Buffalo Sabres and then a 2-0 shutout performance against a very talented Detroit Red Wings offense. With the Capitals streaking on defense and the Blue Jackets streaking on offense this one should be a lot of fun. But defense wins games, so I’ll go with the Caps to edge out Columbus in a close one.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-138)
Calgary Flames @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM ET
The Calgary Flames continue their mammoth road trip when they travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs. The Flames have not started the month of November off well, as they have won only one of their five games so far, which brings their season record to 7-3-3. The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, have only lost one game out of five so far this month, bringing their season record to 8-5-1.
Denis Kirilov
After suffering a defeat in the Canadian derby against Montreal, Calgary will have a shot at another team from Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Calgary Flames started off the season a bit hesitant, losing to the Oilers and the Ducks. However, later on, they recorded 6 straight wins which put them at the top of the table. That’s exactly where they are right now even after losing 4 out of their last 5 games. Calgary can be considered a top-tier team mainly due to their remarkable defense. They have conceded on average 2.31 goals per game which is amongst the best when it comes to this factor of the game. They are also looking good in front positions with Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been fantastic the last couple of days as they are on a 6-1 run defeating some of the best teams in the NHL, including the Philadelphia Flyers, the Boston Bruins, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Vegas Golden Knights. They have been quite dominant in these victories which further support their current top condition. Auston Matthews is slowly, but surely, leveling up his game and he is eager to fight for another goal-scoring award. William Nylander, Mitchell Marner, and John Tavares further scares the opponent’s defense as many goaltenders have already conceded numerous goals from them. However, I think this will be a different game, an electrifying one, and whoever finds a way to the goal first is highly likely to win the match. Something tells me that this team will be the Calgary Flames as the Maple Leafs will once again break under pressure in front of their home crowd at Scotiabank Arena.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (+128)
Tony Battalio
Calgary comes into this game after blowing a 2-1 lead and giving up three unanswered goals to the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night in a 2-4 loss. Now they will look to quickly bounce back against another fellow Canadian team in the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flames come into this contest with a record of 7-3-3 as they are off to a decent start this year. However the month of November has not been kind to them thus far as they have dropped four of their last five contests, all coming in the last eleven days. If they want to regain momentum and break their skid they will have to find a way to pull off a big win on the road. Every point will be important as they are in the middle of a seven game road trip that kicked off on Thursday in Montreal.
As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they are currently 8-5-1 on the year as they have started to recover from a slow start to the season. They have picked up victories in six of their last seven games, including getting off to a 4-1-0 start in the month of November. This will be a quick one game home stand for Toronto as they will hit the road for a game before coming back home for three straight later this month. As for the result of this game, I expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to pick up a hard fought victory at home. So the safer bet in this game is the Maple Leafs moneyline.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-154)
Michael Lantz
In a showdown between two of the game’s best offenses, the Calgary Flames visit the Toronto Maple Leafs in what should be a marquee game on Friday night. So far, November hasn’t been kind to the Calgary Flames. After winning six straight to end October, the Flames had two OT losses to the Predators and Stars who are both inferior to the Flames. Luckily Calgary bounced back with a huge 6-0 win against the New York Rangers. But, that only lasted one game, as they were blanked by a San Jose Sharks team that didn’t even play James Reimer and then things got worse as they lost to a terrible Montreal Canadiens team 2-4 on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile Toronto has won five of their last six, and are performing like a team that’s finally ready to move past the first round of the playoffs since 2004. Unfortunately for this showdown against the Flames, they’ll be without captain John Tavares who has a lower-body injury. Of course eyes will be on Auston Matthews to perform, but they’ll also be focused on William Nylander to be his right hand man. While Tavares was out on Wednesday, Nylander did just that, scoring two goals in a big 3-0 victory over Philadelphia. I expect Toronto to continue to perform on offense against a struggling Calgary D, but I also think Calgary gets back into the rhythm, as they did last time after they lost consecutive games. Give me the over.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Over 6 (-105)
Arizona Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks – 8.30PM ET
The final game on Friday night will see the Arizona Coyotes up against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Coyotes are the doormat of the NHL so far, and have only won once in 13 games, which was against the Kraken two games ago. The Blackhawks aren’t really doing much better, with their record standing at 3-9-2, but they do have some momentum coming into this game, as they have won two games in a row, against the Predators and Penguins.
Denis Kirilov
This will be a game between the worst teams in the Eastern Conference so far. The Blackhawks managed to bounce off the bottom of the table with 3 wins in their last 5 matches, while the Coyotes are still struggling to pile up victories as they have just 1 as of now. The long-awaited moment came against the Seattle Kraken in the most dramatic fashion, scoring the winning goal with just 1 minute left on the clock. The Coyotes have issues on both ends; they have conceded the most goals in the League and they have scored the least goals as well. They will need to work on this, if they would like to put an end to this “punching bag” period.
On the other hand, the situation in Chicago becomes brighter and brighter with each single passing day. They are in a 2-game winning streak, defeating both the Predators and the Penguins after regular time. For me, their best match of the season was against the Carolina Hurricanes where they led by 3-1 at some point in the 2nd quarter, but they didn’t manage to keep this advantage. However, their performance was like a team that should be fighting for the Playoffs and not being stuck at the bottom. Although I don’t think they will make the Playoffs this year, the team is looking somewhat decent with Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. I am inclined to believe that they will win this matchup with ease and that’s why I will go with their spread.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks -1.5 (+124)
Tony Battalio
This is a game between two of the National Hockey League’s worst teams. The truth is sometimes these games with two horrible teams turn out to be the most interesting to watch. That is exactly what I expect in this one as the Arizona Coyotes take on the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center as both teams have a combined W-L record of 4-23 so far this season. Despite the slow start, the month of November has been kind to the Blackhawks so far as they have picked up all three of their victories in the last eleven days. While Arizona’s only victory has come against the newest NHL expansion franchise, the Seattle Kraken, also in November.
Stick taps to the Cat for winning October’s @BMOHarrisBank POTM 🏒👏 pic.twitter.com/45JtTPACJa
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 11, 2021
As for the result of this game, I expect a ton of goal scoring or a lack of scoring and not much defense or pretty play. It could be nothing but an offensive display between both teams or it could be terrible offensive play where the goalies aren’t tested much. When the final buzzer sounds I think the Chicago Blackhawks will come out on top of this one. Despite being terrible themselves they are still much better than the Arizona Coyotes so far this season. So the safer bet in this game is the Blackhawks moneyline.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (-210)
Michael Lantz
In what could be labeled as the “Battle for Shane Wright”, two of hockey’s worst go at it on Friday night as the Arizona Coyotes face the Chicago Blackhawks. Luckily for Chicago fans, the Blackhawks have been looking a bit better as of late. After starting the season 0-7-2, they’ve won two of their last four and even kept it close to the Carolina Hurricanes on 11/3, losing 3-4. After an embarrassing start to the season both on and off the ice, this team is hoping they can keep trending upward.
Meanwhile the Arizona Coyotes were thrilled to get their first win of the year last Saturday as they came from behind to beat the Seattle Kraken 5-4. The Coyotes showed they could have a little fight in what has otherwise been an abysmal year. A week ago I would’ve taken the Coyotes in this matchup—they had close losses to good teams like the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. But with Chicago starting to look a little more comfortable, I’ll pick them in this battle of the bottom dwellers.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (-210)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
