Despite COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the NHL schedule, we are still lucky to have some games on today that aren’t postponed. We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move towards the mid way point in the season, each division’s ladder is starting to take shape. 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 three games on today’s schedule.
Boston Bruins @ Washington Capitals – 7.00PM ET
The Boston Bruins wrap up their two game road trip on Monday night when they take on the Washington Capitals. The Bruins have won four of their last five games, and this takes their season record to 18-11-2. The Capitals are currently on a three game losing streak, with losses to the Devils, Blues and Wild.
Denis Kirilov
The Boston Bruins and the Washington Capitals will go head-to-head in one of the most entertaining games in the NHL. Both teams are fighting for a Playoffs spot this season, but it seems that the Capitals are quite certain, even though more than half of the games haven’t been played. They are 5th overall in the East with 49 points out of 36 matches. Boston might seem to be in a bad spot, but with the number of games they have in hand, the team will accumulate even more points and get close to the top teams in the Conference. They are currently 8th with 38 points out of 31 games. The team has one of the most conservative approaches as they are yet to either score or concede 100 goals this season. The Bruins have been fantastic since the restart of the Regular Season, winning on 4 out of 5 occasions. They only lost to the Minnesota Wild in their last match in TD Garden.
The Washington Capitals are on quite the opposite pole. They are coming into this match on a 3-game losing streak, being defeated by the New Jersey Devils, the St. Louis Blues, and the Minnesota Wild. Oshie and Backstrom continue to be included in the health and safety protocols as they were absent in all these losses. On top of that, Alexander Ovechkin didn’t manage to score a goal in his last 3 appearances for the Capitals. The driving force of the team will have to recharge his batteries before the second half of the season. In my opinion, the Bruins are quite better at the moment and I think they will come out on top in the end, despite playing in Capital One Arena.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-108)
Tony Battalio
The Boston Bruins come into this game with a record of 18-11-2 through their first 31 games on the season. This game against the Washington Capitals will be the second and final game of their short two game road trip. Their 18-11-2 record is good enough for 4th place in a crowded and competitive Atlantic Division. The Bruins have won four of the five games they have played in January. They will be looking for a huge division win in this one as they have a handful of games to make up. Which is why every single point will be important this season.
Scenes from the Sunshine State. 📸 pic.twitter.com/VYyEyy69bl
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 9, 2022
The Washington Capitals come into this game with a record of 20-7-9 though their first 36 games as they were one of the least affected teams by the pandemic. Washington is currently in third place in the Metropolitan Division. However they have struggled recently as they have lost their last three games. However two of those three losses came to tough teams like the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild. As for the result of this game, I have the Capitals picking up the victory at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-111)
Michael Lantz
The Capitals have fallen on some tough times, as they’ve lost three straight games; against teams both good (Blues and Wild) and bad (Devils). They’re hoping it’s just a small skid; they can’t afford to lose games with the Hurricanes and Rangers pulling away from them in the standings and the Penguins fiercely gaining ground. On Monday they’ll face another tough opponent as they host another team making a playoff push in the Boston Bruins.
Boston is coming off a huge 5-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that had major playoff implications. The Bruins got big goals in that game from two of their most reliable offensive stars: Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak—who each scored a pair. They’ll look to keep that offensive firepower going against a Caps team that’s been struggling quite a bit in the new year. Still, despite their big win on Saturday, I don’t entirely trust the Bruins’ consistency, and while the Capitals have been showing a lot of flaws, I expect them to cut this skid soon—at home on Monday night might be the perfect time. I expect it to be close, but I’ll go with one of the NHL’s best offenses, the Washington Capitals to win this game.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-111)
Seattle Kraken @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.00PM ET
The Seattle Kraken hit the road and they travel to Colorado on Monday night to take on the Avalanche. The Kraken haven’t played since December 1, as they have had their last three games postponed, and they are currently on a five game losing streak. The Avalanche are currently on a four game winning streak, which takes their season record to 21-8-2.
Denis Kirilov
The Seattle Kraken will have a really tough visit to Colorado as they will face the favorites for the title this year, the Avalanche. Seattle is still experimenting with plenty of rotations which hasn’t paid off for now. They are second-to-last in the West with 24 points out of 33 matches this season. The team lost its last 5 matches in the NHL, four of which came in their home, the Climate Pledge Arena. The Kraken have managed to surprise some of the best teams in the League during the first half of the campaign, but overall, they are one of the teams that will surely miss the 2022 NHL Playoffs. The team’s focus will be on next year as they will try to figure out how to be competitive enough so that the franchise can achieve some success.
The Avalanche have been just amazing in offense this season. The team from Colorado has scored 135 goals for just 31 games. They have won their last 4 matches in the NHL, defeating some of their direct rivals like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks. Their post-Christmas performance has been nothing short of incredible. The Avalanche will need to keep up that pace in order to get the best possible draw for the Playoffs. Although they are still 4th in the West, their real position should be on top of the table, since they have 5-6 more games to play compared to their top rivals. I think that the Avalanche will easily cruise past the Kraken in their Ball Arena in Denver. I will also recommend picking the option for “over goals” as both teams are capable of securing a high-scoring contest.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -2.5 (+114)
Denis’ NHL Bonus Pick: Over 7 (+120)
Tony Battalio
The Seattle Kraken’s first season in the National Hockey League clearly has not gone according to their plans. They are coming into this game well below the .500 mark on the season, with a record of 10-19-4 through their first 33 games of their inaugural season. They are in last place of the Pacific Division coming into this game and that doesn’t look to be changing any time soon. Seattle is also on a five game losing streak as they will be playing their first game since New Years Day in this one.
The Colorado Avalanche were the preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup Championship. However they got off to a surprisingly slow start, before picking up steam as the season has progressed. Now as we get closer to the halfway point, they are playing like the preseason favorites they were chosen to be. They come into this game with a record of 21-8-2 through their first 31 games on the year. As for the result of this game, I have them picking up the win on home ice over the newest team in the league.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-400)
Michael Lantz
Following in the expansion footsteps of the Vegas Golden Knights was never going to be easy for the Seattle Kraken. The Golden Knights raised the bar for what an expansion team can do, and the expectation was that the Kraken would follow that blueprint. They haven’t, instead going down the route of previous expansion teams by struggling early on. With the next two NHL drafts being absolutely stacked, the Kraken are looking toward the future, but on Monday they’ll play a team that’s very much in the now, as they take on the NHL’s best offensive team, the Colorado Avalanche.
The Colorado Avalanche have been an absolute thrill to watch. They’re averaging the most goals per game, and in their last four games, they’ve averaged five goals a game, including putting up a five spot against the league’s Vezina front-runner, the Maple Leaf’s Jack Campbell. Mikko Rantanen racked up four points in that game, as the team has gotten incredible production from him, Nathan MacKinnon, Nazem Kadri, and Gabriel Landeskog, lately as their a four-headed monster on that ice. They’ll continue to terrorize, with the last place Kraken as their next victim. I’ll pick them to easily cover in this one as they should have their way with one of the league’s worst defenses in Seattle.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -2.5 (+114)
New York Rangers @ Los Angeles Kings – 10.30PM ET
The third and final game on Monday night’s slate will see the New York Rangers take on the Los Angeles Kings. The Rangers have won four of their last five games, which includes wins over the Lightning (twice), Oilers and Ducks. The Kings have won three of their last four games, and this takes their season record to 17-13-5.
Denis Kirilov
The New York Rangers have enjoyed some really great matches recently. They won 4 out of their last 5 games in the NHL as they defeated the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Anaheim Ducks. The team sits in 4th place in the East with 50 points out of 36 fixtures. They are surprisingly high in the standings, but this is mainly due to their fantastic play in defense from the beginning of the season. On top of that, they usually take the upper hand in the clutch moments, which got them some narrow victories.
The Los Angeles Kings have managed to bounce back after having a shaky November. They are currently 8th in the Western Conference with 39 points from 35 matches. The team resembles their upcoming opponent as they also like to play conservatively. They have won 3 out of their last 4 games, which help them go past the Oilers and the Sharks. This will be their first meeting with the Rangers, as the host has taken the victories in 7 out of their last 9 matches. I think that it will be different tomorrow as the team from New York is more consistent and doesn’t have as many missing players as the Kings. My preferences go in favor of the Rangers as I would expect an easy win from them, secured early in the game.
Denis’ NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-108)
Tony Battalio
The New York Rangers are coming into this game with a record of 23-9-4 through their first 36 games on the season as they were virtually unbothered by the COVID-19 postponements. The Rangers have been victorious in four of their last five contests dating back to the end of the month of December. In their last game they picked up a big win over the Anaheim Ducks by a score of 4-1. They will be looking to make it a second straight win with a victory in this one. As they are currently in the middle of a lengthy road trip. They are sitting in second place in one of the best divisions in hockey as well, tied with the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan.
Jordan Spence’s journey to the NHL was far from typical.
Learn more about the well-traveled LA Kings prospect on this episode of In The Pipeline, presented by @SoCalGas! 🇦🇺🇯🇵🇨🇦🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/w316XaiL1v
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 9, 2022
The Los Angeles Kings are coming into this game with a record of 17-13-5 through their first 35 games on the year. Much like their opponent in this game, they may have had a couple games affected by the COVID-19 situations, but not nearly as many as some other teams in the National Hockey League. They are currently sitting in fourth place in the Pacific Division. However as for the result of this game, I have the Kings losing and failing to defend home ice advantage. I have the New York Rangers picking up the win in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-108)
Michael Lantz
The New York Rangers continue to prove their for real: on Saturday night they stifled the Anaheim Ducks 4-1, dominating on both sides of the puck. Now they sit at 50 points, just a hair behind the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Metropolitan Division. They hang around Southern California through Monday to take on the Los Angeles Kings tonight. The Kings have continued to stick around the playoff picture, currently sitting in fourth place in the Pacific Division. They had a huge win on Saturday, as they took out an exhilarating Detroit Red Wings team 4-0, thanks to big performances from veterans Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty.
It’s been fun to watch this Kings team continue to thrive around a veteran squad that’s led by Brown, Doughty, and Anze Kopitar. They look to make possibly one final playoff run together, as on Monday they’ll face the team they beat for the 2013-2014 Stanley Cup, the New York Rangers. While you can’t count this Kings team out against anyone, the Rangers are looking like one of the league’s best teams right now. Adam Fox is making a run at another Norris Trophy on defense and on offense they’re getting big games from a variety of players, including Artemi Panarin, who returns from COVID protocol on Monday and should be active to play against the Kings. Because of their dynamic play, I’ll pick the Rangers to pick up another Southern California win.
Michael’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-108)
If you’re looking for more NHL news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your ice hockey needs!
*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
