We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move past the mid way point in the season, each division’s ladder has already become well formed. Despite this, 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.
Los Angeles Kings @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Los Angeles Kings, who take on the New York Rangers on Monday night, then the Islanders in their next game. The Kings are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won 3-2, against the Devils. The Rangers have won four of their last five games, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Hurricanes, 3-6.
Denis Kirilov
The New York Rangers continued their dominant performance in the new year in the NHL with a huge 7-3 win over the Arizona Coyotes at home. The team has won its last four games played in Madison Square Garden and they will be looking to make it five in a row against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. The Rangers have been really consistent throughout the first half of the campaign which helped them keep their high position in the standings. Sitting in 3rd place with 58 points from 42 matches definitely gives their fans a lot of hope for the remainder of the season.
The Los Angeles Kings are also slightly better than what the experts were expecting. With their 6th place and 47 points, the team has a real chance to make it to the 2022 NHL Playoffs. However, the situation in their Pacific Division is a bit tighter meaning that they can’t afford to go on a really bad run in the upcoming periods. With a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils, the Kings managed to snap a 3-game losing streak that really came as a relief to their fans. However, I think that the New York Rangers will come on top in the end as not only do they seem the better team, but they have also been the more consistent one recently.
Denis’ NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-164)
Tony Battalio
The Los Angeles Kings will be playing the second game of a back to back in this game. In the first game of the back to back they picked up a victory over the New Jersey Devils by a score of 3-2 on the road. Now they will be looking to string a couple of wins together as they get ready for game two of this lengthy six game East Coast road trip. The Kings are currently in playoff contention as they sit in second place of the Pacific Division only three points behind the division leading Golden Knights. Los Angeles comes into this game right at the .500 mark with a record of 21-16-5 on the year.
Fists were pumped tonight in Jersey ✊ pic.twitter.com/vwY4l21vRQ
— LA Kings (@LAKings) January 24, 2022
The New York Rangers are coming into this game with a record of 27-11-4 in their first 42 games of the season. They will be looking to pick up a huge win and extend their lead in the Metropolitan Division with a victory in this one. New York is coming into this one after picking up a victory over the Arizona Coyotes in their last game. They have now won four of their last five games on the year. As for the result of this game, I have them picking up the victory over the Los Angeles Kings at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-164)
Jeffery Thomas
The Kings pulled out a hard fought 3-2 win on Sunday night over the New Jersey Devils and now head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers on the back to back. It was a big win in their division race, as it inched them within 3 points of the first place Golden Knights. The Rangers come in winners of 4 of the last 5 after taking down the Coyotes on Saturday in what was a bit of a slow start for them. They were down 1-3 in the second period before rattling off 6 unanswered goals to take down Arizona comfortably. New York still sits atop the Metro and will need a win here to keep a nose ahead of Pittsburgh, Carolina, and Washington who are all within 3 points of them.
The Rangers have the rest advantage in this one, and will have the crowd on their side as well. They sit with a home record of 12-3-2 and have scored 13 combined goals in their last 2 on home ice. I see them staying hot at home and taking advantage of a possibly tired Kings defense. Take the Rangers to defend home ice in what could be something like a 4-2 victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-164)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Washington Capitals – 7.00PM ET
The Vegas Golden Knights kick off a four game road trip on Monday night when they take on the Washington Capitals. The Golden Knights managed to snap their three game losing streak last time out, with a win against the Canadiens, 4-3, in overtime. The Capitals will be looking for some more consistency in their play, as they have recently been alternating between wins and losses, which takes their season record to 23-10-9.
Denis Kirilov
The Vegas Golden Knights have been quite disappointing recently, following a 1-5 run in T-Mobile Arena. The team will go on the road for the first time this year as they have already played 8 matches at home. The Golden Knights are coming off a tight 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens after overtime. Occupying 5th place in the Western Conference gives them just enough chances to have a decent head-start before the last race for the 2022 NHL Playoffs.
The Washington Capitals have been struggling these past days as they only managed to pick up a clean win over the New York Islanders. The rest have been either losses or tight victories after regulation. Alexander Ovechkin continues to be the driving force for his team as he scored two goals in their last match to help them go past the Ottawa Senators at home. They might have been hesitant recently, but in my opinion, they are able to perform on a very high level against teams from the other Conference. That’s why I will trust them to beat the Golden Knights who have been in a lot of trouble lately.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-130)
Tony Battalio
The Vegas Golden Knights are coming into this game with a record of 24-15-2 through their first 41 games of the season. At the halfway point the Golden Knights are in the lead in the Pacific Division, as they hold a three point lead over the Anaheim Ducks. The Golden Knights are currently on a one game winning streak after picking up a victory in their last game. They will be looking for a huge victory in this one as they kick off a four game East Coast road trip against the Washington Capitals.
The previously mentioned Washington Capitals come into this game with a record of 23-10-9 through their first 42 games of the season. They are currently in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division. They will be looking to climb back up the standings as they kick off the second half of the season in this game at home. Star player Alexander Ovechkin will also continue his race to pass Wayne Gretzky for the all time goal mark. As for the result of this game, I have the Washington Capitals beating the Vegas Golden Knights at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-130)
Jeffery Thomas
The Vegas Golden Knights will come into this trying to build on their 4-3 win over Montreal on Thursday. They’ve been on fire on the road as they’ve won their last 6 away from home. An uptick in offense has helped during that road winning streak as they’ve scored 3 or more goals in 5 of those games, while only giving up 12 goals. The Knights sit at 1st place in the Pacific. The Capitals are sputtering a bit, as their record in January sits at 3-5-1 but they have won 3 of their last 5. The last time out for them was a 3-2 comeback win over the Senators on Saturday night. Due to their recent slide, they now sit at 4th in the Metro Division, but are still only 3 points back of the 1st place Rangers.
Vegas comes into this one very banged up with numerous key injuries and it’s hard to not see that playing a factor in the outcome. They also have lost in their last 4 trips to Washington so history would suggest this is a good spot to back Capitals, even though the Capitals can’t seem to string together consecutive wins as of late. But, that’s what I’m taking them to do, as they put together a complete performance at home on Monday and take down the Vegas Knights.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-130)
Montreal Canadiens @ Minnesota Wild – 8.00PM ET
The Montreal Canadiens wrap up their five game road trip tonight when they travel to Minnesota and take on the Wild. The Candiens have lost eight of their last nine games, and this drops their season record to 8-25-7. The Wild have won five of their last six games, with their only loss coming against the Avalanche, 3-4, in a shootout.
Denis Kirilov
The Montreal Canadiens are coming into their match with the Minnesota Wild following two really close games against some of the best teams in the NHL. The Canadian team lost to the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche after overtime. Right before these meetings, they managed to upset the Dallas Stars who have been simply amazing at home this season. However, in the end the Stars took a harsh 5-3 defeat to the Canadiens. Overall, the runners-up from last year have been terrible during this campaign as they hold tight to the 16th place in the Eastern Conference with just 23 points from 40 matches.
The Minnesota Wild, on the other hand, are enjoying a fantastic season so far. The team from the Upper Midwest has been clinical in attack as this was also combined with a great performance at the back. The Wild are currently 4th in the Western Conference with 51 points from 37 matches. They have also been performing pretty well lately, winning five out of their last six games. Keeping in mind that they will play at full strength against an exhausted team of the Canadiens who are short-handed, I think that the Minnesota Wild shouldn’t have any troubles in covering their spread.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild -1.5 (-144)
Tony Battalio
The Montreal Canadiens aren’t going to return to the Stanley Cup finals this season. That is one thing that can likely be guaranteed as we reach the half point of the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. Montreal comes into this game with one of the worst records in the league as they currently sit at 8-25-7 through 40 games. They are dead last in the Atlantic Division, 10 points behind the seventh place team, the Ottawa Senators. They will be looking to break a two game losing streak in this one against the Minnesota Wild.
Let’s talk about last night….😊
We’re back at it tomorrow: https://t.co/Kn6EFNCerA pic.twitter.com/X7WgWp6VDa
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 24, 2022
The previously mentioned Minnesota Wild come into this game with a record of 24-10-3 on the season. Just a few short weeks ago they were the top team in the league but now they find themselves in fourth place in the Central Division. They are behind St. Louis, Nashville, and Colorado who are all Stanley Cup contenders as well as Minnesota themselves. The Wild will come into this one looking to extend their two game winning streak. As for the result of this game, I have the Minnesota Wild doing exactly that, as I think they will pick up the win at home over Montreal.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-350)
Jeffery Thomas
The Canadiens are the worst team in the league, but have been competitive of late as they’ve got a 3 game point streak going, with a win and 2 overtime losses. Taking the Avalanche to overtime, was something nobody could’ve seen coming and it shows they can still put up professional efforts from time to time and can’t be totally overlooked. The Wild come in after sweeping the Blackhawks. Minnesota is finding a nice groove of late, as they have won 5 of their last 6 games and their last 3 at home. Sitting at 24-10-3 with 51 points, they are 4th in the Central Division.
The Wild are prone to one goal games so facing a frisky Montreal team that could be gaining a little confidence may be a trap for all bettors looking to take them to win on the puck line. For that reason I’m not even going to risk that and just take a play on the over as the Wild will be able to get at least 4 on the league’s worst defense and with the Canadiens being competitive as of late they may get 2-3 themselves. There’s no value in backing Minnesota as a -350 favorite so just take the value on the over, in what should be a fast paced and up and down game.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (+100)
Chicago Blackhawks @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.00PM ET
The Chicago Blackhawks are in the middle of their three game road trip, and on Monday night they travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche, who themselves are in the middle of their three game homestand. The Blackhawks are currently on a three game losing streak, which includes losses to the Kraken and Wild (twice). The Avalanche have won six games in a row, and this takes their season record to 28-8-3.
Denis Kirilov
The Chicago Blackhawks will have a tough visit on Monday as they will face the Colorado Avalanche who have lost just once in 2022. The Blackhawks had just found their rhythm winning four straight games and then they went on to lose the next three. They were defeated by the Seattle Kraken and twice by the Minnesota Wild. This surely took its toll on their overall rankings as they continue to be 14th with 37 points from 41 matches. However, the Blackhawks are still in a striking position for the Playoffs which will definitely motivate them even more to get these crucial points.
The Colorado Avalanche have been undoubtedly the best team so far this season. The top favorites to win the Stanley Cup lead the Western Conference with 59 points from 39 matches. Their goal difference is also incredible as they scored 165 goals, while conceding only 118 goals. The team is currently on a 10-1 run with their only loss coming against another big Playoffs contender, the Nashville Predators. In my opinion, the difference in both teams’ quality and level of play will be decisive for the outcome of the match. Hence, I am eager to take the Avalanche in the first period against the Blackhawks who have been struggling against top-tier teams.
Denis’ NHL Pick: First Period Winner – Colorado Avalanche (-104)
Tony Battalio
The Chicago Blackhawks started out the season as one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. As the season has progressed they have slowly crawled their way back and are attempting to bring themselves back to .500. But they are running out of time as the season is crossing the halfway mark. They come into this game with a record of 15-19-7 through their first 41 games of the season. The Blackhawks are currently on a three game losing streak that they will be looking to snap with a victory in this game over the Colorado Avalanche on the road in Denver.
The previously mentioned Colorado Avalanche come into this game as one of the best teams in the National Hockey League at the moment. They were the preseason Stanley Cup favorites and they are living up to that hype as the season is crossing over into the second half of the year. They are currently in first place in the Central Division and come into this game with a record of 28-8-3 through their first 39 games of the season. As for the result of this game, I have them adding another win as I look for them to pick up the easy win over the Blackhawks at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (-132)
Jeffery Thomas
The Avs are on a very impressive run as they have won 6 straight, and are on a streak of 15 straight home wins, which is where they will be on Monday night. Their last time out they needed a shootout to take down the Canadiens, who are widely regarded as the worst team in the league. It’s possible the mighty Avs are getting tired legs, as this will be their 7th game in 11 days, but this is still a very winnable game for them. The Blackhawks are coming off back to back losses to the Wild, the second of which was in overtime after blowing the lead. That was a tough blow to their playoff push and they’ll look to get a statement win against a possibly vulnerable Colorado team.
This is a very streaky Blackhawks team and we can see the good side of them on Monday Night as they have the rest advantage. They lost 4 straight, before winning 4 straight and now are riding a 3 game losing streak. The Avs have won 15 straight at home but the last 5 of those have been one goal games and I think we will see that again on Monday if not an outright loss finally. Take the Blackhawks on the puck line as I think they keep it tight throughout with a Colorado team who is due to regress at some point.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks +1.5 (+108)
St. Louis Blues @ Calgary Flames – 9.00PM ET
The St. Louis Blues wrap up their three game road trip on Monday night when they take on the Calgary Flames. The Blues are playing on back-to-back nights after facing off against the Canucks last night, and this was a game they won, 3-1. The Flames will be looking to get back on track after losing five of their last six games, and this takes their season record to 18-12-6.
Denis Kirilov
The St. Louis Blues will have a tough visit to Calgary as they will play the Flames who simply demolished one of the top teams in the NHL in their last match, the Florida Panthers. However, they have been struggling these past weeks following a tough period in December. They have lost 9 and won just three games in their last 12 appearances which had a huge negative impact on their position in the table. From being a top 3 team in the West, they are now 9th with 42 points from 36 games. However, they have one of the best defensive lines in the NHL which can come crucial in the second half of the campaign.
On the other hand, the St. Louis Blues have been playing on a very high level from the very beginning of the season. This helped them keep their high position in the overall standings as they continue trailing back in 2nd place with 55 points, being only behind the Colorado Avalanche who have been unstoppable so far. The Blues’ success has been recognized mainly in Enterprise Center since they have been one of the best home-teams this campaign. However, their performance on the road has been slightly clumsy and I think this might help the Flames in their goal to find the right way back to the winning path. Hence, I will recommend choosing the home team in this electrifying game on Monday night in the West.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-128)
Tony Battalio
This game has the potential to be the best one of the evening. As the St. Louis Blues travel north of the border to take on the Calgary Flames. In what should be a highly competitive matchup between these two great teams. The Blues will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one after a hard fought game with Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. The win over Vancouver improved the Blues record on the season to 25-11-5 through their first 41 games on the year. Now they will be looking to pick up a fourth straight victory with a win over Calgary in this one on the road.
“Just think the best part is knowing the schedule. The players are programmed for that schedule in terms of their whole preparation.”#Flames head coach Darryl Sutter on the upcoming busy stretch. pic.twitter.com/UMCDtpjlbE
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 23, 2022
The Calgary Flames come into this one with a record of 18-12-6 through their first 36 games of the season. They have had a roller coaster of a season that has featured both lengthy winning and losing streaks. Which is why they are sitting dead even at .500 as the midway point of the year approaches. Calgary will be looking to snap a bad run of form in this one as they have lost 4 of their last five games on the year. However, as for the result of this game I can’t see that happening as I have the St. Louis Blues picking up the victory over the Calgary Flames on the road in Alberta.
Tony’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+106)
Jeffery Thomas
The Flames will host the surging Blues here, who will be on a back to back after the beating Canucks on Sunday night. That was their 7th victory in the month of January to only 2 losses. The Flames on the other hand are headed in the opposite direction as they have dropped 5 of 7 in January and are trying to stay afloat in the playoff race.
The Blues are playing some great hockey at the moment and I don’t see this Flames team slowing that down. They are climbing the Central Division and can overtake the Preds for sole possession of 2nd place with a win here so they should be a motivated bunch. The Flames will eventually get back on track but not here. Take the team in better form, which in this case is the road team
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+106)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
