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 five games on today’s schedule.
Florida Panthers @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7.00PM ET
The Florida Panthers kick off a five game road trip on Monday night when they hit the ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Panthers are currently on a three game winning streak, with wins over the Jets, Golden Knights and Sharks. The Blue Jackets are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won, 6-3, against the Canadiens.
Denis Kirilov
The Florida Panthers have been playing on a whole new level throughout January. The team managed to dismantle some of their greatest rivals like the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Edmonton Oilers, the Dallas Stars, and the Vegas Golden Knights. All of these examples were simply one-sided games from the very beginning as the Panthers scored plenty of goals throughout the process. They come in 1st place in the Eastern Conference after winning their last three matches in the NHL. The team has accumulated 67 points from 45 matches as they will surely secure their Playoffs spot soon.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been performing quite inconsistently in the first half of the campaign. The team was struggling against the top rosters, while at the same time beating the likes of the Seattle Kraken, Buffalo Sabres, and the Arizona Coyotes. Their instability resulted in 5th place in the Metropolitan Division with 41 points as they are 16 points shy of the Washington Capitals, meaning that the Blue Jackets will need to make something incredible in the remainder of the season, if they want to qualify for the Playoffs. First and foremost, they will need to go past the Florida Panthers which I doubt to be possible under the current circumstances. Hence, I will trust the guests to cover their spread, expecting them to whitewash the weaker opponent.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+104)
Tony Battalio
The Florida Panthers come into this game as the best team in the National Hockey League in my opinion. Through the first few months of the season they have looked like Stanley Cup contenders all year long. They come into this game with a record of 31-9-5 through their first 45 games of the season. Florida is currently on a three game winning streak after picking up wins over San Jose, Vegas, and Winnipeg. This game will be the first game of a five game road trip for the Panthers that will extend into mid February. Florida is currently in first place in the Atlantic Division with a three point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The equalizer ☑️ pic.twitter.com/zjbUIjVqo5
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 30, 2022
The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game off of the first leg of a back to back on Sunday night. In their game on a Sunday they came away with a 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on the road. The win over Montreal extends the Blue Jackets winning streak to two games after they beat the New York Rangers at home on January 27th. Columbus will need to continue to string wins together if they want to get themselves back into playoff contention in a competitive Eastern Conference. As for the result of this game, I have the Blue Jackets winning streak coming to an end, as I have the Florida Panthers picking up the victory on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-245)
Jeffery Thomas
The Panthers will be leaving the friendly confines of the FLA Live Arena to travel to Columbus on Monday night to face the Blue Jackets. They are coming off a 5-4 overtime win over San Jose Saturday night, a game where they needed to rally from down 2-4 in the 3rd period. That was their 9th win in the last 11, and they hold the top spot in the Atlantic Division, 3 points ahead of the Lightning. The Blue Jackets will be on the second half of a back to back after a 6-3 win over league’s worst Montreal on Sunday. That was their second straight win, and makes it the CBJ’s first winning streak since November 22-26.
It’s been a really rough season for Columbus, who is 5th in the Metro with 41 points, which is 16 behind the 4th placed Capitals. This is a tough spot overall for Columbus, who are coming in after a game in Montreal the night before and will welcome in the more rested Panthers. These Panthers have won the last 7 games of this series and the last 5 have been by at least two goals, including a 9-2 drubbing a couple weeks ago. The Cats are 2nd in the league in goals per game and against a struggling defense this could spell disaster. Do not overthink this and just take Florida on the spread line as this will be a beat down.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+104)
Vancouver Canucks @ Chicago Blackhawks – 7.30PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Vancouver Canucks on Monday when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks. The Canucks have lost four of their last five games, and three of those losses have come in either overtime or a shootout. The Blackhawks are in a similar boat, losing five of their last six, and this takes their season record to 16-21-7.
Denis Kirilov
The Vancouver Canucks are struggling a lot with injuries at the moment as this was the primary reason for their shaky performance recently. The team from Canada lost 4 out of its last 5 games in the NHL in which they only scored 9 goals. This led to their drop to 12th place in the overall standings in the West which further diminished their chances of reaching the Playoffs. However, they are still in the battle, but they will need to be consistent above all as they will have to perform better than teams like the Edmonton Oilers, the San Jose Sharks, and the Calgary Flames.
The Chicago Blackhawks is another team that has been struggling throughout this campaign. Not only that, they faced a lot of trouble in the beginning of the season, but they also transferred this unstable performance into 2022. They remain 14th in the West with 39 points from 44 matches, which puts them 18 points shy of 4th place in the Central Division. The team’s focus has been set onto making a smooth transition in-between the different seasons as they will look to make a decent finish to this one meaning that they will need some victories here and there in order to keep up a good form. That’s why I think they will be able to outplay the Canucks on home ice on Monday.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (-115)
Tony Battalio
The Vancouver Canucks are having an up and down year as they’ve failed to establish any type of momentum. They come into this matchup with a record of 19-19-6 through their first 44 games on the season. Vancouver currently finds themselves in seventh place of the Pacific Division at the moment. As they will need to string some victories together to climb back into the playoff conversation. Vancouver is currently having a rough time when they hit the ice as they have lost four of their last five games, including a loss in their last game against the Calgary Flames.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a rough start to the season, and while they have gotten better as the season has progressed, they are still one of the weaker teams in the National Hockey League this season. They come into this game with a record of 16-21-7 through their first 44 games on the year. Chicago is currently in seventh place in the Central Division. Much like their opponents in this one, the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago has also lost four of their last five games on the season. As for the result of this game, I look for the Blackhawks to pick up the victory in the battle of these seventh placed teams.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (-115)
Jeffery Thomas
The Canucks will travel to Chicago to face the Blackhawks after a 0-1 overtime loss to the Flames on Saturday night. It was another struggle on offense, as they only mustered up 1 shot on goal in the first period and 15 on the whole game. They rank near the bottom of the league, with 2.43 goals per game, and have only scored 4 times in their past 4 losses. They’ve tailed off after going 7-0-0 in their first seven games under new head coach Bruce Boudreau, and have gone 4-4-4 since. That has dropped them to seventh place in a highly competitive Pacific Division. Chicago will also be coming in trying to bounce back after a loss. They fell 4-6 on Friday night to the Avs after getting down 0-3 and getting the deficit down to 1 three different times. They are 1-3-2 in the past 6 and have allowed at least 4 goals in 4 of those games, including the lone win.
The Canucks have only managed to win 3 of their last 10 games but when you zoom out they have been pretty impressive away from home. Their record in the last 4 road games is 3-0-1, and 8-3-2 if you take it back to the past 13. They’ve also dominated the series against Chicago, winning 9 of these teams past 12 meetings, including 4 of their last 6 trips to Chicago. I’m banking on that history to continue in this matchup of two struggling teams, give me the Canucks.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Vancouver Canucks (-104)
New Jersey Devils @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.30PM ET
The New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs will play each other in back-to-back games, and this Monday night game is the first. The Devils come into this game on a four game losing streak, which takes their season record to 15-23-5. The Maple Leafs are on a three game winning streak and this includes wins over the Islanders, Ducks and Red Wings.
Denis Kirilov
The New Jersey Devils travel to Toronto in an attempt to make one of the biggest possible upsets on Monday night. The guests will arrive in Canada on a 4-game losing streak that marks their huge issues on offence. The Devils managed to score only 6 goals in these matches as they had quite enough chances to score, but were denied eventually. The team trails back in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with just 35 points from 43 games, meaning that they will be out of Playoffs contention pretty soon.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will most likely make the Knockout Stage, but they will still need to put in a bit more effort in order to secure their spot. The Canadian team sits in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division and they will try to contest the top seeds from the Lightning and the Panthers. However, with this task being pretty hard to be accomplished, such games are “a must-win” for the Maple Leafs. Therefore, I will trust them to cover their spread in the match and I will hope that they won’t disappoint their fans.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (-142)
Tony Battalio
The New Jersey Devils are coming into this game with a record of 15-23-3 through their first 41 games of the season. They have had a rough year and are likely all but eliminated from the playoffs at this point, unless a spectacular turnout occurs. They find themselves in eighth place of the Metropolitan Division at the moment. The Devils are currently on a four game losing streak at the moment, and they will be looking to break that streak in this game. This will be the third game of their road trip that they have yet to win on as they are currently 0-2-0 after losing to Carolina and Tampa Bay.
Didn’t let up 😤#LeafsForever | @LGCanada pic.twitter.com/BcSNsolBJe
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 30, 2022
The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this game with a record of 27-10-3 through their first 40 games of the season. They have been the best team north of the border this season. The Maple Leafs are currently in third place of the Atlantic Division and occupying one of the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs are currently on a three game winning streak and have won four of their last five as well. As for the result of this game, I have the Maple Leafs picking up the win over New Jersey in this one at home on Monday evening.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-360)
Jeffery Thomas
The host Leafs will be looking to extend their winning streak to 4 in the opener of a back to back against the struggling Devils. In their last game, they scored 5 goals in the third period (two empty net) while erasing a 2-4 deficit on Saturday to take down the Detroit Red Wings. The Devils have lost 4 straight on their end, after a 1-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. They’re hoping to turn things around, having 7 losses in their past 8, with 5 of them coming by one goal.
This is not the game for New Jersey to turn things around though in my opinion. With their anaemic offense, traveling north of the border to take on the Leafs who are 10th in the league in scoring, it’s going to be a struggle to keep up in this one. Toronto also has a 9-2 record in their past 11 home games and on Monday night they will make it 10-2, when they take care of the spiraling Devils comfortably.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (-142)
Edmonton Oilers @ Ottawa Senators – 7.30PM ET
The Edmonton Oilers are in the middle of their three game road trip and on Monday night they face off against the Ottawa Senators. The Oilers have won their last four games in a row, which includes wins over the Flames, Canucks, Predators and Canadiens. The Senators have lost their last two games, which includes a 2-3 shootout loss to the Hurricanes, and a 1-2 loss to the Ducks.
Denis Kirilov
The Edmonton Oilers will try to keep their winning momentum against one of the weakest teams in the NHL this season, the Ottawa Senators. The Oilers managed to win their last four matches as they simply demolished the Montreal Canadiens in their most recent meeting, 7-2. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl enjoyed some decent performance recently as they are now in the chase of Jonathan Huberdeau who surpassed them in the individual rankings. The Oilers still have a lot more work to do before they relax, since the team is still out of the top 4 in the Pacific Division.
The Ottawa Senators will most probably miss on the Playoffs this season as it’s only a matter of time before this news will be official. The Canadian team didn’t find the correct recipe throughout the season which made them stumble around the last spots in the Eastern Conference. They are currently in 15th place with just 30 points from 38 matches. What is even more interesting is the fact that the Senators defeated the Oilers in their last meeting, 6-4, in a match dominated by Edmonton who suffered a comeback from 3-1 in the last period. However, I think the roles will be switched this time as the guests should be able to take their revenge.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-215)
Tony Battalio
The Edmonton Oilers have been completely underwhelming so far this season. They are hoping that signing Evander Kane through the rest of the year will pay off and allow them to get themselves back into the playoff picture as the second half of the season gets underway. The Oilers come into this game with a record of 22-6-2 as they are only four games above the .500 mark which is unacceptable when you have two of the best players in the world on your team. They will be looking to extend their current four game winning streak with a victory in this one over the Ottawa Senators.
The previously mentioned Ottawa Senators come into this game as one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. They are currently 13-21-4 as they are eleven games below the .500 mark at the moment. The Senators are currently on a two game losing streak after back to back losses to Carolina and Anaheim at home. As for the result of this game, I don’t look for it to get much better for the Senators either, and I have the Edmonton Oilers picking up the victory in this one on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-215)
Jeffery Thomas
It was January 20th, and the Oilers were just handed their 7th straight loss at the hands of the Panthers, 0-6 and things looked like they were going downhill very fast. But ever since then, it’s been an amazing turnaround, as they’ve rattled off 4 straight wins and are right back in the thick of the playoff race. The most recent win, was a 7-3 rout of the Canadiens, which was their highest scoring output of the season and their largest margin of victory. The Oilers had 14 different players register a point in the game. The hard-nosed Senators fought hard again, in a 1-2 loss to Anaheim on Saturday. They outshot the Ducks 45-20 but could only muster that lone goal by Tyler Ennis. It’s been a struggle on offense, as ever since the loss of two of their top 3 scorers (Josh Norris and Drake Batherson) they have only scored 3 goals in the past 2 games.
The Oilers are seemingly turning a corner, and this is a great spot for them to keep the winning streak going. Edmonton still suffers from suspect defense and goaltending, but against this Ottawa team that is currently lacking any offensive punch, those flaws should be concealed. This is also an opportunity for revenge as Ottawa beat them 6-4 earlier this month when they were going through their downward spiral. This is a totally different team right now and I’m expecting a strong offensive output here that the Sens won’t be able to keep up with.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-215)
Anaheim Ducks @ Detroit Red Wings – 7.30PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks wrap up their five game road trip on Monday night when they travel to Detroit and take on the Red Wings. The Ducks have gone 3-0-1 so far this road trip, and will be looking to finish off strongly. The Red Wings have lost four of their last five games, with their only win coming over the Penguins, 3-2, in a shootout.
Denis Kirilov
The Anaheim Ducks will travel to Detroit to face off the Red Wings who have lost their last three matches at home. The hosts suffered consecutive defeats to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Dallas Stars. The instability in their performance and the lack of consistency takes its toll on the Red Wings who slowly, but surely slip away from the top 4 in the Atlantic Division in the East. Their biggest issue is the discipline and efficiency in defense as they will need to work on that in the off-season, if they would like to be competitive enough throughout the upcoming campaign.
The Anaheim Ducks have been magnificent before the Christmas break as the team even managed to occupy the top spots in the Western Conference. After a hesitant performance in January, the Ducks are now 6th with 54 points from 47 matches. Sonny Milano and Ryan Kesler are absent for the team which shouldn’t really be such a huge problem for them. I think that they will make the best out of the instability within the Red Wings’ defense and I will recommend picking the Ducks in this cross-conference battle.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (-105)
Tony Battalio
The Anaheim Ducks have been up and down all season long and still find themselves in playoff contention due to the weakness of the Pacific Division. They are currently in second place in the division sitting behind the Vegas Golden Knights. The Ducks come into this game only a single point behind Vegas for first place in the Pacific Division despite being one game below the .500 mark on the year. They come into this game with a record of 23-16-8 on the season. The Ducks will be looking to extend their two game winning streak in this one.
That moment when you realize you actually pulled it off in a game.#FlyTogether | @MonsterEnergy pic.twitter.com/FQrbA8IeeZ
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 29, 2022
The Detroit Red Wings are in the same boat as the Anaheim Ducks, the only difference is they play in a much more difficult division and have to perform above expectations to get into the playoffs. The Red Wings come into this game with a record of 19-20-6 through their first 45 games on the season. The Red Wings are currently on a bad run of form as they have lost four of their last five games on the year. They currently sit in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. As for the result of this game, I have the Anaheim Ducks beating the Detroit Red Wings on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (-105)
Jeffery Thomas
This is the finale of a five game road trip for the Ducks, who are currently 3-0-1 on the trip, with wins over Boston, Montreal, and Ottawa. The most recent win was the one against Ottawa, which was a 2-1 victory back on Saturday afternoon. In that game, goalie John Gibson had a season high 44 saves. The Red Wings will come in with a much needed day off, after a tough 4-7 loss to Toronto, in a game where they allowed five unanswered goals in the 3rd period. That was the second leg of a back to back and it was clear the tired legs got the best of them by the end of that game. Detroit is 1-3-1 over the past 5 games and fell a game below .500. They will be trying to avoid a loss in this one, which would have them fall 2 games below .500 for the first time this season.
These teams met earlier this month, with the Ducks coming out on top, 4-3 in a shootout. These teams have been heading in different directions, as Anaheim has been scoring goals in bunches, while Detroit has been giving them up in bunches. We used to be able to back the Wings at home, but even that has tailed off, with them dropping 4 of their last 5 home games. I don’t see that trend stopping here as they are just in too big of a slump to trust them, so give me the Ducks to close out their road trip strong, making a big statement heading into the All Star break.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (-105)
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.
Watch the clock
