Despite COVID-19 continuing to wreak 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 best five games on today’s schedule.
Detroit Red Wings @ Buffalo Sabres – 2.00PM ET
Two Atlantic Division rivals face off against each other in the first game on Monday’s slate. The Red Wings got the victory over the Sabres last time out, and this afternoon they will be looking to make it two from two. The Sabres have won one of their last eight games, and this includes their 0-4 loss to the Red Wings last time out.
Denis Kirilov
Two of the teams who have been struggling recently will face each other on Monday in the NHL. The Buffalo Sabres host the Detroit Red Wings in their KeyBank Center. The guests, however, are slightly ahead of their opponent as they are 9th in the East with 39 points out of 39 games. The Red Wings lost 10 out of their last 14 fixtures in the NHL which further decreased their chances at qualifying for the Playoffs. The team has found it really difficult to make their way through the opposition’s net going scoreless in two of their last 5 appearances.
The Buffalo Sabres managed to snap a 6-game losing streak with a surprising victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday, 4-1. Then, they travelled to Detroit to face the Red Wings who simply whitewashed them, scoring four unanswered goals. They have been the better team on the ice in each one of the three periods as Tyler Bertuzzi, Dylan Larkin, and Lucas Raymond were the key players for the Red Wings’ victory in the end. The Sabres have also been struggling in offense, but their main concern comes from their performance in defense. I think this will be decisive for the outcome of the match as I expect yet another win for the Detroit Red Wings who have proven to us they can handle teams like Buffalo.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Detroit Red Wings (-138)
Tony Battalio
This will be the second straight game that the Detroit Red Wings will be taking on the Buffalo Sabres. The first time around it was the Red Wings who picked up the victory by a score of 4-0 back on January 15th. The win over Buffalo brought the Red Wings record to 17-17-5 through their first 39 games on the season. Now they will be looking to make it two straight over Buffalo in this one, on the road this time around. The win over the Sabres snapped a four game losing streak for Detroit so they will be looking to carry that momentum into this one.
The guys have a message for you!
🗳: https://t.co/lOBLQudphM pic.twitter.com/lFk8S5Ku6L
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 17, 2022
The Buffalo Sabres are coming into this game with a record of 11-20-6 through their first 37 games on the season. They started out the season surprisingly hot, however they quickly came back down to reality as the season progressed. Now they are just looking to salvage the season and use it as progress towards the next few years as it is still a rebuilding year for them. The loss to Detroit was their seventh in the last eight games for them. As for the result of this game, I don’t see it getting much better for them as I have the Red Wings picking up another victory over the Sabres in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Detroit Red Wings (-138)
Jeffery Thomas
These two teams just met in Detroit on Saturday night with the Red Wings picking up a dominant 4-0 shutout over the Sabres in that one. That was actually their 3rd win over Buffalo this season as they will look to move to 4-0 over their division rivals. Buffalo got off to a hot start this season, but they have really struggled with COVID issues and inconsistencies on offense, along with shaky goaltending. That is a disastrous formula and can explain the fall off that they have experienced since that great opening month they had.
It’s hard to go away from the Red Wings in this one, as they’ve dominated the head to head matchup this year and the form of the Sabres has just been abysmal of late. Detroit has more to play for as well as they are currently trying to hang in the Wild Card picture. The Sabres have shown flashes, as they just took down Nashville on the road last week, but I will not overthink this one. Take Detroit to continue their winning ways against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Detroit Red Wings (-138)
Minnesota Wild @ Colorado Avalanche – 3.00PM ET
The Minnesota Wild kick off a two game road trip on Monday afternoon when they take on the Colorado Avalanche, who themselves have one game at home before going on the road again. The Wild are currently on a three game winning streak, and this lifts their season record up to 22-10-2. The Avalanche have won seven of their last eight games, and last time out they won, 5-0, against the Coyotes.
Denis Kirilov
One of the most entertaining matches on Monday in the NHL will be the one between the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have finally reached the long-desired top spot in the Western Conference. They have been the best team in the West this season, having the most dangerous offensive line that isn’t limited to just two or three players. Mikko Rantanen leads the way for Colorado with 19 goals, while Nzaem Kadri and Nathan MacKinnon have the most assists – 35 and 30 respectively. Cale Makar, Gabriel Landeskog, and Andre Burakovsky have proven that they can come up clutch in the most vital moments in the games. All of them have been part of the team throughout most of the matches this season as they helped the Avalanche be such a monster in attack.
The Minnesota Wild dropped down to 5th place in the West. This was as a result from their 5-game losing streak right around Christmas. The team lost the grip and suffered losses to some of their direct potential rivals including the Vegas Golden Knights, the Dallas Stars, and the St. Louis Blues. However, Minnesota found its way back to winning games after defeating the Boston Bruins one week into 2022. Then, they wrapped up their schedule with 2 more wins ahead of their meeting with the Avalanche. Their performance on the road has been quite decent from the beginning of the season as they occupy 4th place in the Conference in these specific rankings. I expect to see a match with plenty of goalscoring opportunities and I won’t be surprised if they surpass 7 or 8 goals in the game. My pick here is “over”.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-114)
Tony Battalio
The Minnesota Wild come into this game with a record of 22-10-2 through their first 34 games on the season. Just a few short weeks ago they were the top team in the National Hockey League. But since then they’ve been passed by multiple teams, including a couple inside of their own division. They currently sit in fourth place in the Central Division behind Nashville, St. Louis, and their opponents in this one, the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota comes into this one on a three game winning streak after victories over Anaheim, Washington, and Boston. Now they will be looking to pick up a fourth straight victory over the Avalanche in this one.
The Colorado Avalanche were the preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup title. Now as the season progresses towards the halfway point they still look like one of the main contenders to win the championship. They come into this game with a record of 24-8-3 through their first 35 games on the season. They are currently in the driver’s seat of the Central Division, holding a lead due to tiebreakers with Nashville, as both teams currently have 51 points. The Avalanche has won their last two games and I look for them to make it three straight with a victory over Minnesota in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-220)
Jeffery Thomas
The Avs come into this one winners of 7 of their last 8 games and have put in at least 4 goals in each of those games. They will also come into this one at full force, as they just got back Gabriel Landeskog, one of the best forwards in the NHL, after a 3 game absence. There’s just no stopping this offense right now as they have five players among the top 25 scorers in the league. The Wild will come into this game well rested as this will be just their second game since January 8th. They come in with a very impressive 22-10-2 record and will be looking for a statement victory over another Stanley Cup contender. They are also coming in boasting a dominant offense that is averaging 3.68 goals a contest.
As you can tell I am setting this up as another bet where we will be looking towards the total. If I was going to pick a side, I would lean towards the Avalanche but there is no value in that as they are currently -220 favorites in this one. The Avs haven’t taken their foot off the pedal when it comes to scoring and don’t expect that to change Monday. The Wild should also put up goals at will, as the previous four games before the Avs faced the lowly Coyotes, they were giving up almost 4 goals a game. In a very entertaining game Monday, this one will easily clear the 6.5 total.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-114)
Los Angeles Kings @ San Jose Sharks – 4.00PM ET
The Los Angeles Kings travel to San Jose to take on the Sharks on Monday afternoon. The Kings are currently on a four game winning streak, after defeating teams like the Red Wings, Rangers, Penguins and Kraken. The Sharks are currently on a two game losing streak, after suffering tough losses to the Rangers and Penguins.
Denis Kirilov
The Los Angeles Kings face off the San Jose Sharks in a battle between teams who will most likely fight for their Playoffs spot until the end of the Regular Season. The Kings have found their rhythm recently winning four straight games which include victories over the New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins at home. This streak helped the Kings jump to 6th place in the West as they are 2nd in their Pacific Division, only behind the Vegas Golden Knights. The Kings have been one of the top performing teams in defense that is clearly seen in their last matches. The team only conceded 4 goals in its last four fixtures.
The San Jose Sharks have been quite hesitant in their most recent performance losing two matches in a row. The Sharks failed the task against the same exact teams that lost to the Kings in one of their last endeavors in the NHL. The Rangers took a 0-3 win, while the Penguins outplayed them in overtime, 1-2. The Sharks’ offensive line has been struggling recently scoring just a single goal in their last 120 minutes on the ice. On top of that, the team has scored 4 or more goals just twice in their last 13 appearances. I think that the Sharks will get outplayed on Monday as the Kings are slightly more experienced, but they are far more disciplined in defensive positions which will help them keep their composure throughout the game.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Los Angeles Kings (-118)
Tony Battalio
The Los Angeles Kings enter this one with a record of 20-13-5 through their first 38 games on the season. They currently find themselves in second place in the Pacific Division, which outside of Las Vegas has been somewhat disappointing. Los Angeles has won their previous four games and six out of their last seven games as well dating back to late December. This will be the second and final game of a quick two game road trip for the Kings. They will be looking for a big road win against a divisional rival in this game.
Last chance to vote @Logancouture into the 2022 #NHLAllStar Game ⭐️
You know what to do ➡️ https://t.co/idGm0aStA1 pic.twitter.com/pxxdaYqNMj
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 17, 2022
The San Jose Sharks come into this game with a record of 20-17-2 through their first 39 games on the season. It has been an up and down year for the Sharks as they are barely floating above the .500 mark on the year. They are currently in fourth place in the Pacific Division. They are on a two game losing streak after dropping games to the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, both at home. This game against Los Angeles will be the fourth and final game of a four game home stand that hasn’t gone well for the Sharks, as they have gone 1-1-1 so far. I don’t think the road trip will get much better for San Jose, as for the result of this one I have the Kings picking up the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Los Angeles Kings (-118)
Jeffery Thomas
The Los Angeles Kings (20-13-5) enter this game on a 4 game winning streak after taking down the Seattle Kraken 3-1 on Saturday, and have triumphed in 10 of their last 14. They will look to close out this short 2 game road trip with a victory over their division rival. The San Jose Sharks (20-17-2) sit 3 points behind the Kings so they will be extra motivated in this head to head matchup Monday. They are struggling mightily offensively as they have only netted 1 goal in the past two games. Not surprisingly they have also dropped both of those games, to the Rangers and Penguins.
This will be an encounter of two evenly matched teams that are both led by their defensive units. I see the Kings being able to limit the Sharks’ offense that has already been struggling to put the biscuit in the basket. I can see this one going either way but do not see it going over the 5.5 total, as this will be a low-scoring game controlled by both defenses.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-120)
Nashville Predators @ St. Louis Blues – 8.00PM ET
The Nashville Predators will face off against the St. Louis Blues on Monday night in the NHL. The Predators are on a surprising two game losing streak, after losing to the Sabres and Bruins. The Blues had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, courtesy of the Maple Leafs, 5-6.
Denis Kirilov
The Nashville Predators will pay a visit to St. Louis as they will face the Blues in what promises to be a very exciting contest between two high-performing squads. The St. Louis Blues still occupy the top spot in the Home Standings in the Western Conference. They have won 15 out of 21 matches in Enterprise Center which makes their opponent be really cautious when going on the road against the Blues. Their offensive line has been among the best in the NHL this season as a lot of players have already contributed with plenty of goals and assists.
On the other hand, the Nashville Predators have been the top performing team on the road in the Western Conference. They won 13 out of 22 games, but lost their last visit to Boston, 3-4. The Predators remain 2nd in the current overall standings with the same exact number of points as the leader, the Colorado Avalanche, both having 51 points. However, the team has struggled in its last two meetings in the NHL, surprisingly losing to the Buffalo Sabres at home and losing to the Boston Bruins in TD Garden. In my opinion, the St. Louis Blues will be able to take advantage of this instability within the Predators that was felt lately and they will take yet another win at home this season.
Denis’ NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-134)
Tony Battalio
Much like the Minnesota and Colorado game, this is another huge Central Division clash on tap for Monday evening slate. The Nashville Predators enter this one tied for first place in the Central Division, as they will be going up against the third placed Blues. The Predators are 24-8-3 through their first 35 games coming into this one. After starting out the month of January 5-0-0, Nashville has lost their last two games to the Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. They will be looking to break that streak with a huge road victory in this one.
The St. Louis Blues come into this game with a record of 22-11-5 through their first 38 games on the season. The Blues lost in their last game as they couldn’t overcome a barrage of goals from the Toronto Maple Leafs as they would go on to lose by a score of 5-6. However it was their first loss after a three game winning streak so they are hoping it doesn’t turn into a bad run of form for them. I don’t see them winning this one over the Predators as I have Nashville picking up the victory over the Blues in St. Louis.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (+112)
Jeffery Thomas
This is shaping up to be one of the best games Monday night as two Central Division heavyweights will match up in St. Louis. These two met previously on November 11th, where the Preds came out on top with a 4-3 overtime victory. However, Nashville comes into this one on a 2 game losing streak after a couple bad outings against the Sabres and Bruins. For the Blues, this game will be wrapping up a 5 game home stand, where they are currently 3-1. Last time out though, was the worst outing of the stand as they were blitzed by the Leafs for 6 goals, while they scored 5. They have good feelings coming into this one though as at Sunday practice, they welcomed back 3 key players from the COVID-list (Vladimir Tarasenko, Brayden Schenn and Colton Parayko). All three should be in the lineup Monday night against Nashville.
This will be a tightly contested game of division rivals jockeying for position atop the Central. Both teams are coming in off a loss, but in this one I have to back the team that has been playing better hockey of late and that is the St. Louis Blues. I believe they are the better team on both sides of the puck and will ride the momentum they’ve built on this home stand and with the backing of their home crowd pull out a close victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-134)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Vegas Golden Knights – 10.00PM ET
The final game on Monday night’s slate will see the Pittsburgh Penguins face off against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Penguins have won 12 of their last 14 games, and this lifts their season record up to 22-10-5. The Golden Knights have been struggling as of late, winning just one of their last five games.
Denis Kirilov
The Pittsburgh Penguins will face off the Vegas Golden Knights in the last game on Monday in the NHL. The two teams have been performing quite well throughout the first part of the current campaign. The Golden Knights are 4th in the Western Conference with 48 points out of 39 matches, while the Penguins are 7th in the East with 49 points out of 37 games. Pittsburgh will play their sixth away game in a row on Monday. They have won 12 out of their last 14 matches which helped them climb the leaderboard in the Eastern Conference. The team has been playing on a high level in defense, while its attack has been clinical as well.
The Vegas Golden Knights have been suffering recently as they lost 4 out of their 5 games in 2022. All of these matches were played in T-Mobile Arena, with the sole win coming against the New York Rangers. It was, however, followed by a surprising loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and a tough defeat to the Toronto Maple Leafs after penalties. The team has been slightly short-handed lately as some of its players have been sidelined due to injuries. On the other side, the Penguins lost a part of their roster as they tested positive for COVID-19. I think this game will be a tight one that will go all the way down the wire and it will be a low-scoring one.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Under 6 (-105)
Tony Battalio
The Pittsburgh Penguins started off the season slow before Sidney Crosby made his return to the lineup. Now they have really picked up their level of play and have established themselves as a potential Stanley Cup championship contender this season. Pittsburgh is coming into this game with a record of 22-10-5 through the first 37 games of the season. They are currently in fourth place of the Metropolitan Division and still fresh off the heels of a long winning streak. After getting their streak snapped by Dallas they have rebounded to win two of their last three as they will be looking for another big win in this one.
💻 DeBoer on Pittsburgh: They’re playing at a very high level. They’ve been one of the best teams in the league record-wise over the last two and half months. pic.twitter.com/jgU0y9kJtT
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 16, 2022
The Vegas Golden Knights come into this game in first place of the Pacific Division. They are coming into this game with a record of 23-14-2 through their first 39 games on the season. However Vegas has hit a slump as of late, as they have lost their last two games and four out of their last five. As for the result of this one, I don’t think it will get much better for the Golden Knights in this one, as I have the Pittsburgh Penguins picking up the victory in Vegas on the road on Monday evening.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-104)
Jeffery Thomas
Vegas will come into this contest having not played in almost a week after a couple postponed games in Canada. The last couple games they have played though were defeats at the hands of the Blackhawks and Maple Leafs. If we go even further back than that, they’ve lost 4 of 5 games this entire month. They have not been in good form lately as you can see and will get a Penguins team that is looking to have a strong end to their 6 game road stand. They are currently 3-2 on this roadie and have held a lead in every game of it. These two teams are both in the thick of it in their playoff races as they both are sitting at 48 points.
If you are Vegas, this is the exact team you do not want to be facing off a 6 day layoff, and as a team that is already struggling. The Penguins are playing great hockey as of late and I expect them to impose their will defensively against the Knights and slow them down on Monday. Take Pittsburgh to win this one and continue their momentum.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-104)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
