We are in the thick of the 2021/22 NHL season, and things are certainly heating up! Today there are heaps of games for us fans to sink our teeth into. With so many teams taking the ice, it is going to be an exciting day of NHL action, so you don’t want to miss this.
How will today’s games shake out? Which teams will be in the winners circle, and who will need to bounce back after a loss? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, we are in for some great games! So sit back, relax and if you like to have a bet, then you have certainly come to the right place.
Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the best five games on today’s schedule.
Anaheim Ducks @ Nashville Predators – 8.00PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks kick off their two game road trip when they take on the Nashville Predators on Monday night. The Ducks suffered their first loss of November at the hands of the Hurricanes last time out, but it was only by 1-2. The Predators have had a fairly inconsistent month so far, and they are currently on a two game losing streak, with losses to the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.
Denis Kirilov
The Anaheim Ducks are off to a fantastic start this season in the NHL. They were in an 8-game winning streak before suffering a loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. The Ducks are 4th in the Western Conference and they are one of the highest-scoring teams in the League so far. They will try to keep their good form for as long as possible, since the campaign is long enough and one bad streak might put an end to their hopes. So far, if Anaheim keeps its players healthy they can still rely on their attacking trio – Troy Terry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Adam Henrique.
The Nashville Predators also started this season better than expected, but their two consecutive losses dropped them to 9th place in the West. Now, they will have a chance to make up for their bad road trip to Canada where they suffered defeats to the Maple Leafs and to the Canadiens. The Predators are on a 3-game winning streak at home where they have played just once this month. Their forward, Filip Forsberg, will be the only one missing for the team. However, I don’t think this will be an easy meeting for the Predators as they will face high-flying Ducks who will try to get as much as possible from their top form at the moment. Although the bookmakers favor the Predators, I would suggest picking Anaheim in this one.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (+132)
Tony Battalio
The Anaheim Ducks finally dropped a game in the month of November after nearly three entire weeks. They fell to the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 1-2 in their last game played. Now they will be looking to recover from the small slip up as they start a two game road trip in the Midwest against Nashville. The Ducks have been the hottest team in the league even with the recent loss as they now have a record of 10-5-3 on the year.
Here is the final score graphic @koorsenfire | #NSHvsMTL pic.twitter.com/eK3w4OHSBr
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) November 21, 2021
The Nashville Predators come into this game with the Ducks possessing a record of 9-7-1 on the year which is good enough for a mark of slightly above .500 through their first 17 games. However they have also lost their last two games to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. As for the result of this game, I expect the Anaheim Ducks to jump right back up and put themselves back into the winners column with a big victory in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (+132)
Michael Lantz
The Anaheim Ducks are coming off a hard-fought loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Despite suffering a 1-2 defeat, the Ducks continued to show they can hang with the league’s best and got another goal from breakout player Troy Terry. After a few days of rest, the Southern California team travels over to the “Music City” to take on the Nashville Predators.
The Preds are coming off consecutive losses to the Maple Leafs and Canadiens; this comes after a three-game win streak that kept them in the race early on. They’ve received a great performance from Matt Duchene this season, as the veteran forward has scored 12 goals on the year, and has really blossomed as of late: scoring nine points in the last five games. Nashville has shown this season that a couple of defeats won’t get them down, as they’ve had a couple of win streaks on the year after tough losses.
Are they gearing up for another one? The Ducks are also gearing up for another hot streak. Prior to the Hurricanes defeat, the Ducks had won eight games straight, which has turned them into contenders after a rough couple of seasons. Still, I’ll go to Nashville to play upset here. Since an unconvincing couple of home games to start the season, they’ve played quite well at their barn and I think they have the ability to play spoiler on Monday night.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-160)
Vegas Golden Knights @ St. Louis Blues – 8.00PM ET
The Vegas Golden Knights hit the road in what will be a short two game road trip, and their first stop is against the St. Louis Blues. The Golden Knights are stringing together a very nice month of November so far, winning seven of their 10 games so far, which takes their overall season record to 11-7-0. The Blues on the other hand, are struggling massively in November, winning just three of their 10 games so far, with their season record sitting at 9-6-2.
Denis Kirilov
What the team of Vegas Golden Knights has done recently deserves huge compliments. Even without half of their roster, they managed to pick up 10 wins from their last 13 matches in the NHL. They will have a total of 9 players who will be sidelined against the St. Louis Blues and I believe this will be their biggest issue coming into this game. The Golden Knights are 6th in the Western Conference with 22 points, right ahead of their opponents tomorrow who are 7th with 20 points. The team from Las Vegas found its rhythm in attacking positions and they constantly score at least 3-4 goals.
On the other hand, the Blues are quite healthy as the only key player who won’t be able to play is Brayden Schenn, who is still recovering from an upper-body injury. The team started off the season quite well, but something happened and things went south this month. They hold a 3-7 record in November and they will do their best to try and improve it in its last days. However, the losses against teams like the Dallas Stars and the Arizona Coyotes hurt a lot and won’t be forgotten soon. I will give my prediction based on this premise. Although the Golden Knights are without many of their players, I think they will be able to overcome the challenge in the face of the Blues as they find themselves in a way better form compared to their opponent.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (-126)
Tony Battalio
Vegas is starting a two game road trip in the city of St. Louis on Monday night. Las Vegas has put together an impressive month of November, having won seven of the teams first ten games in the last 23 days. They come into this game with a record of 11-7 after beating the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings to forge a two game winning streak. Now Columbus will be looking to extend that streak to three with a big road victory in this one.
The St. Louis Blues have put together a decent start to the season for themselves as they have raced out to a record of 9-6-2 that included a great October that has been slightly spoiled by a forgettable month of November. During the month of November, the Blues have put together a record of 3-5-2 that has ruined their 6-1-0 start to the season in October. As for the result of this game, with the way both teams have been playing lately I expect the Vegas Golden Knights to pick up a victory on the road in St. Louis on Monday night.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (+126)
Michael Lantz
I was skeptical of St. Louis’ ways after they got off to a hot start. Their schedule wasn’t terribly impressive, and despite having a solid offense and power play unit, their wins weren’t doing it for me. Well, now the Blues have gone winless in their last six, getting zero points in the last five. They’ll look to turn things around against a Vegas Golden Knights team that seems to be headed back to their winning ways after experiencing some injuries early on.
Vegas has won five of their last six, and are thrilled to have Mark Stone back in the lineup, as he’s tallied three points in the four games since his return from injury. Vegas has been resilient, as they’ve enforced a “next man up” mindset, despite having injuries to Stone, and top players Max Pacioretty and Shea Theodore (the latter two are still recovering). These teams seem to be heading in different directions on the season, and despite this one being in St. Louis, the Blues just haven’t shown me enough recently for me to confidently pick them.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (+126)
Ottawa Senators @ Colorado Avalanche – 8.30PM ET
After three postponed games, the Ottawa Senators are back on the ice when they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night. The Senators have only played eight games so far this month, but it gets even worse – they have only won one of them! The Avalanche, on the other hand, are loving November, as they are currently on a four game winning streak.
Denis Kirilov
The Ottawa Senators were forced to take a break from the NHL as many of their players contracted Covid-19 the last week. As if their problems weren’t big enough already, but they also had to play without some of their key players for a couple of games. The team is last in the Eastern Conference with just 9 points out of 15 matches and has one of the worst goal differences in the NHL. Moreover, the Senators are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the League which further negatively affect the situation within the squad.
The Colorado Avalanche were the top favorite for the title in the beginning of the season. However, although they were off to an awful start of the campaign, they still occupy the first spot in the race for the Stanley Cup. They are 10th in the West with 17 points out of 14 games, most of which came in their last 4 matches as the Avalanche won each one of them. Their recent run is further proof why this team shouldn’t be underestimated. For the span of 4 games, they managed to score a total of 24 goals and conceded just 8 goals in their net. For me, this game is a no-brainer and the Avalanche shouldn’t have troubles in getting yet another win in Ball Arena. I’ll also have them cover their spread for a higher value.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (-138)
Tony Battalio
The Ottawa Senators are finally returning to the ice after having their last three games suspended due to issues pertaining to COVID-19. Only time will tell if their time away will help them, as they have put together a pretty disappointing month of November having only won 1 game out of eight total games played this month. They have put together a somewhat disappointing season overall as well as they currently have a record of 4-10-1 on the year. Surely they are hoping the time away from the ice will serve as some sort of reset button for them.
Josty got a little friendly fire last game.
Tough guy look?#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/6UWtmcEdex
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 21, 2021
The Colorado Avalanche came into the 2021-22 National Hockey League season as potential favorites to unseat the two time defending champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they have not lived up to those expectations quite yet. Colorado comes into this match up with Ottawa possessing a record of 8-5-1 on the year, which puts them slightly above the .500 mark through their first 14 games. As for the result of this game, while Ottawa will surely be the more rested team, I still expect the Colorado Avalanche to pick up the victory in this game and spoil the Senators return to the ice.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (-138)
Michael Lantz
After two tough losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Colorado Avalanche are now winners of four straight, in which they’ve had goals galore, outscoring opponents 24-8. Even more impressive: it’s all been without Hart Trophy contender Nathan MacKinnon, who will continue to miss time with a lower body injury. The Avalanche get another chance to go on a scoring spree as they face an Ottawa Senators team that’s 4-10-1.
The Senators had gone winless in six straight before a 6-3 victory on November 13th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately, they followed that up with a 0-4 loss to the Calgary Flames. Things won’t get any easier for the team from Canada’s capital, as they face a very hot Avalanche team. The Sens do have a silver lining in Drake Batherson, as the 23 year old is leading the teams in points and looking quite good for years to come. Unfortunately, he won’t be enough to take down the Avalanche in Colorado. I’ll expect the Avs to provide a similar hurt as they did to the Seattle Kraken on Friday night.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (-138)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Winnipeg Jets – 8.30PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins end their three game road trip in Winnipeg when they take on the Jets. The Penguins have been a little inconsistent in November, but they are currently on a two game winning streak, so they will be looking to build on that. The Jets are currently on a two game losing streak, with losses to the Oilers and Canucks.
Denis Kirilov
The Pittsburgh Penguins are finally almost 100% healthy and they will look to get as much as possible from that opportunity. They have won their last two games without conceding a single goal. The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens fell victim to their high-level performance on both ends. Sidney Crosby scored his first goal for the season against Montreal, while players like Jake Guentzel and Kristopher Letang continue to keep their top form. The team is 12th in the Eastern Conference, but they are just 1 point away from the 7th place, so it shouldn’t be a problem for them to get a spot in the top 10 soon.
The Winnipeg Jets started off the season in high fashion as they were in top 3 at a certain point. Right now, they are 5th in the West with 22 points out of 17 games. They lost their two most recent matches against the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks. The Jets are one of the teams that rarely loses by a large margin as they either lose after overtime/penalties or they get outclassed in the regular time by a single goal. They are surely a team to watch this year as they have the potential to compete with the best out there. However, I think they will suffer a third consecutive defeat against the Penguins on Monday night.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (+105)
Tony Battalio
Pittsburgh will be making their final stop along their three game road trip in Winnipeg, as they will be hoping to ground the flight of the Jets. They have put together a two game winning streak after a back and forth start to the month of November as they are starting to show the slightest bit of consistency. They come into this game with a record of 7-6-4 as they look nowhere close to the Pittsburgh Penguins of old at the moment. However they will be looking to cap off an undefeated road trip on Monday with a victory here against the Jets and they are hoping it will continue to turn the season around in the right direction.
The Winnipeg Jets come into this game with a record of 9-4-4 on the year which is slightly above the .500 mark. They have strung together a pretty average November as well, having compiled a record of 5-2-2 over their first nine games played this month. If Vancouver can find a way to fix their current issues they could easily be a playoff team come late February. As for the results of this game, I look for the Pittsburgh Penguins to extend their winning streak to three games and pick up a big road victory that will cap off their short three game road trip with a record of 3-0-0.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (+105)
Michael Lantz
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had their ups and downs to start the 2021-22 campaign. After a surprisingly good start to the season (in which they were without both Sidney Crosby and Evengi Malkin), the team started to fall on some inconsistent times. Now, Crosby is back in the lineup, which appears to be just the boost the Pens needed as they’ve tallied consecutive shutouts against the Canadiens and Maple Leafs. They now look to come into Winnipeg, to face a Jets team that’s trying to recreate their winning ways.
Before a gritty 1-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers last week, the Winnipeg Jets had won three-in-a-row and were starting to look like a legitimate threat in the Western Conference. Instead of following the point they earned in Edmonton with a return to the win column, they lost against a poor Vancouver Canucks team 2-3. Now they’ll host a Pittsburgh team that’s starting to shape up nicely on both sides of the puck. Even though Pittsburgh seems like they should be the pick based on recent success, I’ll go with Winnipeg, who’ve been pretty lights out on their home ice as of late.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Winnipeg Jets (-126)
Carolina Hurricanes @ San Jose Sharks – 10.30PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes are in the middle of their six game road trip and they face off against the San Jose Sharks in the final game on Monday night. Despite being on a significant road trip, this hasn’t slowed down the Hurricanes, who are currently on a four game winning streak. The Sharks are coming off tough back-to-back losses against the Blues and Capitals, where they only managed to score one goal overall.
Denis Kirilov
The last game for Monday night in the NHL will put up the Carolina Hurricanes against the San Jose Sharks. Both teams were off to a fantastic start this season, but the latter had to overcome unanticipated Covid-19 problems. This led to the Sharks’ decline as they fell to the 11th place in the Western Conference. However, they are not far away from the top spots, but losing 6 out of their last 8 games really took its toll on the team. The team still struggles as they suffered some unpleasant losses against rivals like the Jets, the Avalanche, the Blues, and the Capitals.
The Carolina Hurricanes are, without a shadow of a doubt, the best team in the NHL at the moment. They have recorded 14 wins out of 16 games and they have been quite dominant in doing so. The key to their success lies in the balance within the team. The Finnish duo in front positions, Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, compliments the American duo, Anthony DeAngelo and Vincent Trocheck, while Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas further complete the team. The game will be interesting to watch, but I still think it will go Carolina’s way.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-162)
Tony Battalio
The Carolina Hurricanes have reached the mid way point of their long six game road trip as they will head to San Jose to play the Sharks on Monday night. They have put together a four game win streak as well, as they will be looking to continue this road trip with five victories over the course of six games. The Hurricanes have been one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League so far this season having put together an record of 14-2-0 through their first 16 games of the year. They are certainly one of the front runners to capture the Stanley Cup trophy later on this season.
A lot of homestand left. pic.twitter.com/qvM5THxxHu
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) November 21, 2021
The San Jose Sharks come into this game against Carolina with a record of 8-8-1, which puts them slightly below the .500 mark through their first 17 games of the year. They are currently in the middle of a four game home stand, as following this one they will host a pair of Canadian teams in Ottawa and Toronto before hitting the road to end the month. They also come into this game on a two game losing streak that will be no easy task to break against who most consider the NHLs best team right now. As for the result of this game, I expect the Carolina Hurricanes to extend their winning streak to five games and continue this long road trip with another victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-162)
Michael Lantz
After being 7-4-1 just two weeks ago, the San Jose Sharks have taken a big step back, losing four of their last five and giving up good chunks of goals along the way. Their heralded goalie combo of Adin Hill and James Reimer have both had their struggles, but the San Jose offense has also been stale (aside from a 4-1 win over Minnesota), only scoring four total goals in those four losses. They’ll look to turn things around, but it might have to wait, as they host the 14-2 Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night.
Carolina are in the midst of a four-game win streak, including some big road wins, in which they’ve cruised through Las Vegas and California, beating the Golden Knights, Ducks, and Kings. They continue to work their way north as they face off against a struggling San Jose Sharks squad. Despite the recent struggles for the Sharks on defense, this one should be a great goalie battle as the Sharks (hopefully) will start Reimer and the Carolina Hurricanes will have early Vezina candidate Frederik Andersen on their end. Ultimately, I think Carolina prevails as they’ve shown no fear on the road, whereas the Sharks have been subjected to a lot of frustration.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-162)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
