We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move into the final stretch of the season, each division’s ladder has already become well formed. This means that every single win or loss can have a significant impact on the position each team will finish in when the regular season draws to a close, 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 four games on today’s schedule.
Boston Bruins @ Montreal Canadiens – 7.00PM ET
We kick the working week off in the NHL with a game between two teams from the Atlantic Division, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins have won four of their last five games, and this takes their overall record on the season to 38-19-5. The Canadiens have lost four of their last six games, but they did get the win last time out against the Senators, 5-1.
Marko Nadin
The Boston Bruins are fourth in the Atlantic Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 38-19-5 record. The Bruins have won four of the last five games and are coming off a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets. The Bruins have won the last five, and seven of the last ten games against Montreal. Six of the last ten games between these two teams have ended under 5.5 goals. Boston have won the last 6 games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game and 8 of the last 10 road games.
The Montreal Canadiens are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 17-36-9 record. They have lost three of the last five games but are coming off a 5-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens are the worst scoring team in the league with only 2.5 goals per game. They have lost 14 of the last 19 games and 13 of the last 18 games following a win. Montreal has played over the total goals margin in 8 of the last 10 games as a home underdog and in 19 of the last 26 overall.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-230)
Tony Battalio
The Boston Bruins have put together a decent season so far this year. They come into this game with a record of 38-19-5 through their first 62 games of the season. They are in a good spot with only twenty games left in the regular season as they currently hold onto a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston will be looking to make one final run with their main core of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron this season and so far it is going well as they could be a potential sleeper team in the playoffs.
𝘝𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘯’.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/4a6OPkeh60
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 20, 2022
The Montreal Canadiens have been a complete disappointment this season. They come into this game with a record of 17-36-9 on the season as they are far removed from last season’s Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Canadiens are in last place in the Atlantic Division and will likely remain there throughout the rest of the season. As for the result of this game, I have the Boston Bruins getting the victory over Montreal on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-230)
Jeffery Thomas
The Boston Bruins have caught fire as of late, winning four of their last five games, following a 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Taylor Hall scored a power-play goal to break a 2-2 tie late in the 3rd period and then Boston added an empty-net goal to secure their 38th victory of the season. The Bruins’ 81 points has them sitting at 4th place in the Atlantic Division and on Monday they will take on the last place team, Montreal.
Despite being in last place, the Canadiens have managed to split their last 8 games, including a 5-1 win over the Senators on Saturday. Boston has won both meetings this year by a combined score of 10-3 but that was before this recent surge of competitiveness by Montreal we’ve seen. They are no longer the laughing stock of the league and can’t be overlooked, but it’s still an uphill battle for them to truly compete against teams like the Bruins, and I see Boston taking care of business on the road pretty easily.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins -1.5 (+116)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Minnesota Wild – 8.00PM ET
The Vegas Golden Knights kick off a two game road trip tonight with a game against the Minnesota Wild. The Golden Knights have followed up their five game losing streak with winning their last two games in a row, and this takes their overall season record to 34-26-4. The Wild have also won their last two games in a row, and their wins have come over the Bruins and Blackhawks.
Marko Nadin
The Minnesota Wild are fourth in the Western Conference with a 36-20-4 record. They have won 4 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Minnesota is ranked third in the league scoring 3.7 goals per game but are 22nd allowing 3.2 goals per game. The Wild have won 17 of the last 24 games following a win and 7 of the last 10 games when their opponent allows two or less goals in the previous one. Minnesota has played over the total goals margin in 20 of the last 26 home games and in 10 of the last 16 games against conference rivals.
The Vegas Golden Knights are 8th in the Western Conference with a 36-24-4 record. They were on a five-game losing streak before winning the last two games against Florida and Los Angeles, scoring 5 goals in each of those. Vegas has won 7 of the last 10 games against Minnesota including the last three. The Golden Knights have lost 9 of the last 13 games against conference rivals, 5 of the last 7 games as a road underdog and 4 of the last 5 playing after one day rest.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-170)
Tony Battalio
The Vegas Golden Knights held onto first place in their division for the majority of the regular season before being passed up by the Calgary Flames and the Los Angeles Kings. As of right now the Vegas Golden Knights find themselves in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a record of 34-26-4 through their first 64 games of the season. They are starting to drift into dangerous territory and may even miss the Stanley Cup playoffs if they don’t improve soon.
📂 Videos
└📂 Practice
└📂 The Good Stuff
└📂 Wholesome Des pic.twitter.com/x5rZHtIYck— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 21, 2022
The Minnesota Wild are another team that has been on the top of their division for a while before falling back down the ladder. However, they didn’t have as big of a crash as the Vegas Golden Knights have had. Minnesota comes into this game with a record of 36-20-4 through their first 60 games of the season. The Wild are currently in third place in the Central Division and could be a potential sleeper pick to win the championship this season. As for the result of this game, I have Minnesota getting the victory over Vegas.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-170)
Jeffery Thomas
The Vegas Golden Knights stepped up big time the last two games with their backs against the wall getting a 5-3 win against the Florida Panthers followed by another win on Saturday over the Los Angeles Kings. It was looking like they were heading towards losing their spot in the playoffs after losing five straight, but rookie goalie Logan Thompson has carried them to two big wins to give them a little cushion in the Western Conference wild-card race. Now they will embark on a huge week, where they will face four Central Division foes, so it’s imperative for them to string together good results that translate to points. The first of those games will be this one against the Wild who were also in a slump but have bounced back to go 4-1-1 in their last six games.
All four wins have been credited to goalie Cam Talbot but it’s still been a struggle for the Wild keeping the puck out of the net. They rank at the bottom half of the league in goals allowed so it’ll be interesting to see if they make a move for a goalie ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. Both teams have a bit of positive momentum coming into this matchup but still are in different positions. The Knights are still dealing with plenty of injuries and are in a packed part of the schedule, while the Wild are healthy and comfortable at home. This is game four of a nine-game homestand for Minnesota and I expect them to take advantage of a Vegas team that hasn’t been too consistent recently. I like this home spot for the Wild.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-170)
Edmonton Oilers @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.30PM ET
The Edmonton Oilers kick off the new week with a two game road trip, and their first stop is Colorado when they face off against the Avalanche. The Oilers are on a roll, winning their last five games in a row, against the Capitals, Lightning, Red Wings, Sabres and Devils. The Avalanche have won their last three games, and this takes their record on the season to 44-13-5.
Marko Nadin
The Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the league with a 44-13-5 record. The Avalanche have won the last three games with two of them being shutdowns and the last one a 5-3 win over San Jose. The Avalanche are the second-best team in the league with 3.8 goals scored per game, scoring 5 goals in each of the last two games against Edmonton. The Oilers are a much better team than the current standings say and will put on a fight against the Avalanche. Both teams are focused on the offensive game and this game will definitely go over the total goals margin. Colorado has played over the total goals margin in 6 of the last 8 games following a two day rest.
The Edmonton Oilers are seventh in the Western Conference with a 35-23-4 record. The Oilers have won the last 5 games and are coming off a 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. Edmonton is ranked seventh in the league with 3.4 goals per game and fourth with 25.4% of power play conversion. The Oilers have won 11 of the last 15 games playing after 1 day rest and 5 of the last 7 games when their opponent scores 5 or more goals in the previous game. Edmonton has played over the total goal margin in 4 of the last 5 games and in 5 of the last 6 games playing after 1 day rest.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-142)
Tony Battalio
The Edmonton Oilers are one of the most talented teams in the league, but they had an extremely slow start to the season. Now they have recovered and are starting to emerge as the Stanley Cup contender they should have been all season long. They come into this game with a record of 35-23-4 through their first 62 games of the season. They are currently in third in the Pacific Division and are getting hot at the perfect time to make a deep run in the playoffs.
📍Rocky Mountain Way#LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/I4I2ZVFcsP
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) March 21, 2022
The Colorado Avalanche have the best record in the National Hockey League this season. They come into this game as the current Stanley Cup favorites as well. They are only a couple of weeks or so away from locking up the Central Division as they started the season slow but caught fire throughout the year. They enter this game with a record of 44-13-5 through their first 62 games of the season. As for the result of this game, I have the Colorado Avalanche getting the win over the Oilers at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-205)
Jeffery Thomas
Edmonton was in the midst of a three-game losing streak before they got a win on March 9th over the Washington Capitals. From then on they won four more games in a row and will carry a league-best five-game winning streak into a tough road test against the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs have their own winning streak going, winning three straight, outscoring their opponents 11-3 during that span.
Two of the wins have been shutouts and they now hold a 16 point lead in the Central Division over the second place Blues. Two hot teams meeting up in what should be a very entertaining battle on Monday and I think it sets us up for a shootout. Colorado has scored 3 or more goals in five of their last six games and the Oilers are averaging over 5 goals in their last five games. Give me the over with these great offenses clashing.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-142)
Nashville Predators @ Anaheim Ducks – 10.00PM ET
The fourth and final game on Monday night in the NHL will see the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks face off against each other. The Predators have won six of their last eight games, including last time out where they were too good for the Maple Leafs, winning 6-3. The Ducks have continued to slide down the rankings, as they are currently on a six game losing streak.
Marko Nadin
The Anaheim Ducks are 12th in the Western Conference with a 27-26-11 record. They have lost the last 6 games and are coming off a 0-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. The Ducks score 2.8 goals per game while allowing 3.1. They have lost 12 of the last 17 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals, 23 of the last 30 games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game and 14 of the last 17 against teams from the Western Conference. The Ducks have played over the total goals margin in 11 of the last 15 games as underdogs.
The Nashville Predators are fifth in the Western Conference with a 36-22-4 record. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 6-3 win over Toronto. The Predators are ranked 11th in the league with 3.3 goals and 2.8 allowed goals per game. Nashville has won 6 of the last 10 games against Anaheim. They have won 4 of the last 5 games against teams from the Western Conference and 40 of the last 55 against teams with a losing record. Nashville has played over the total goals margin in 20 of the last 26 road games and in 6 of the last 7 games against teams with a losing record.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Over 6 (-106)
Tony Battalio
The Nashville Predators come into this game with a record of 36-22-4 through their first 62 games of the season. They were on top of the Central Division at one point this season. Now they are currently sitting in fourth place in the division. However, they do currently hold onto a wild card spot in the Western Conference at the moment. They will be looking to finish the year strong and get into the postseason.
A Golden Moment we’ll never forget.
Renew today –> https://t.co/9jQODGVJX3 pic.twitter.com/RwTIjsDvP0
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) March 20, 2022
The Anaheim Ducks are coming into this one with a record of 27-26-11 through their first 64 games of the season. They have been up and down all season long and have gone on several winning and losing streaks and are currently in sixth place in the Pacific Division. They likely won’t make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, and for the result of this game, I don’t have them getting the win as I’m taking the Predators on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-170)
Jeffery Thomas
The Nashville Predators have won six of their last eight games and will now head to Anaheim to take on the Ducks. On Saturday, Nashville took care of business against the Maple Leafs by a score of 6-3 for their 36th win on the season. The Preds’ 76 points has them sitting at 4th place in the Central Division. Anaheim is in 6th place in their Pacific Division and have been practically knocked out of the playoff contention due to their current six-game losing streak. They have been outscored 11-25 during this span and are coming off a shutout loss to the Florida Panthers.
The struggles have been mighty but hopefully getting Saturday and Sunday off is enough to get them to regroup and turn this bad form around. Two teams heading in totally different directions makes this one of the simpler picks on the Monday slate. Nashville will be on the road but it shouldn’t be a problem as they have won two of their last three road games and Anaheim has lost two of their last three at home. These teams also just met on March 10 when the Preds got a convincing 4-1 victory. Except a similar result and give me Nashville to win this one in regulation.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Moneyline (3-way) – Nashville Predators (-105)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
