Free NHL Picks Today for Monday, October 18th, 2021

Free NHL Picks Today for Monday, October 18th, 2021
Mon 18th October 2021

We are so excited that the NHL is back, and today there are four games that get our full attention. There are eight teams taking to the ice today, and none of them have won all their games, so it is already getting crucial for their season that they get this win on the board.

What will today’s games bring? Which teams will have the ability to get the all important win on the board? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, we are in for some great games! So gear up, sit back, relax and watch. 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 four games on today’s schedule. 

Seattle Kraken @ Philadelphia Flyers – 7.00PM EDT

The Kraken are on the road when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s been a complete mixed bag for the first three games of the Kraken’s season, with their record currently standing at 1-1-1. The Flyers on the other hand, have only played one game, and their record currently stands at 0-0-1, where they lost to the Canucks in a shootout.

Denis Kirilov

The Philadelphia Flyers are welcoming in Wells Fargo Center, the newest addition to the NHL, the Seattle Kraken. The Flyers began the season with a tight loss against the Canucks after penalties. The team from Philadelphia managed to make a comeback in the last 5 minutes of the game, after scoring 2 goals in the span of just 65 seconds. However, the Canucks came up clutch in the penalty shoot-out and closed out the match.

On the other side, the Kraken made some decent opening fixtures as the games were close and they managed to come up with the victory against the Predators. They also performed on a high level against the title contenders, the Vegas Golden Knights. I think that this team will focus on its defensive positioning in their first season in the NHL and when the players adapt to each other’s different playing styles, then they will look for more offensive plays with more open space in the back. That’s why I will choose the under for this game.

Denis’ NHL Pick: Under 6.0 (-108) 

Tony Battalio

Seattle sits at 1-1-1 following an OT loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Philadelphia comes into this game at 0-0-1 after losing a shootout to the Vancouver Canucks. The Flyers are averaging 4 Goals scored and 5 Goals against after only playing one game on the season. Seattle is averaging around 3 a game while giving up an average of 3 a game as well. 


Brandon Tanev leads the way in scoring for the Kraken with 3, he will look to continue that against a Philadelphia team who couldn’t seem to stop anything the other night against Vancouver. Meanwhile for the Flyers, four different players got on the board in their season opening game and several more recorded an Assist or two. This is a home game at the Wells Fargo Center for Philadelphia, so that is why I’m giving them the edge in this one.

Tony’s NHL Pick: Philadelphia Flyers (-142)

Michael Lantz

In this Monday night matchup, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol returns to Philadelphia where he was the head coach for a turbulent 3+ years. After three games, his Seattle Kraken are going through the trials and tribulations of a brand new NHL team, as they try to find their feet in the NHL. Each of their games has ended in a one point differential; they fell short in Las Vegas and Columbus while emerging victorious in Nashville.  So far they’ve had highs on both ends of the puck, and ultimately look like a team that just needs to get a bit more comfortable playing together before breaking out.

Philadelphia lost their lone game at home this year as they fell short against the Vancouver Canucks in overtime. The Canucks absolutely tormented Philly in the 2nd period, outscoring them 4-1, but the Flyers were able to fight back and tie the game, forcing an OT before ultimately losing. After a bumpy start, it looked like Philadelphia was putting it together in the final period. They’ll carry over their late game momentum to crack the Kraken’s streak of one game victory, as I expect Seattle to start feeling fatigue after four road games in less than a week. 

Michael’s NHL Pick: Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 (+172)

New York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM EDT

The New York Rangers travel to Toronto to take on the Maple Leafs in what is set to be a very interesting clash. The Rangers have a mixed bag to start off their season, with their record currently standing at 1-1-1, and last time out they finally managed to get a win, beating the Canadiens, 3-1. The Maple Leafs currently have a record of 2-1-0, and they are coming off a 3-1 victory against the Senators. 

Denis Kirilov

The New York Rangers travel across the border to Canada to face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in their Scotiabank Arena. Both teams have their hopes high for the Stanley Cup, but it’s going to be a long journey before they can think of lifting the trophy. Toronto began the season better than their rivals as they managed to get 4 points after 3 games, while the Rangers lost their games against the Capitals and the Stars, but managed to secure a win against the Canadiens, which resulted in them getting 3 points from these games.

Both teams will have some players that will be sidelined for the upcoming fixture. These are Kaapo Kakko and Ryan Strome for the Rangers, while Petr Mrazek, Ian Scott, and Alex Steeves will be missing for Toronto. The team from Canada is having a hard time playing against the Rangers at home as they recorded just 2 wins in their last 8 games in Scotiabank Arena. It’s a tendency that the Leafs are picking easy wins at home against the weaker teams, while they are having troubles against the better teams. Hence, I will be looking for an upset in this game and will choose the Rangers.  

Denis’ NHL Pick: New York Rangers (+166) 

Tony Battalio

Toronto hosts fellow Eastern Conference team the New York Rangers in this one. This will already be game 4 for both squads in this young 2021-22 campaign. Less than a week in, that amount of games has to be taxing on both of these teams. Toronto enters this game with a 2-1 record having beat the Ottawa Senators, 3-1, in their last game. New York enters this game with a 1-1-1 record after beating the Canadiens, 3-1, as well on Saturday night. Both of these teams could meet down the line in the playoffs in early 2022.
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Leading the way for the Maple Leafs in scoring is William Nylander who has scored 2 Goals and also has 2 Assists for a total of 4 Points recorded in 3 games. As for the New York Rangers, Chris Kreider leads the way with 3 Goals, he has failed to record an Assist so far. Being that this is a home game for the Maple Leafs, they should hold a slight advantage. Injuries have also already caught up to both teams as well. This should likely be the best game of the evening and I’m going with Toronto due to the home ice advantage.

Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-198)

Michael Lantz

After getting lit up by the Washington Capitals in their first game of the year, the New York Rangers have started to look a lot better in their last two games and a lot of that can be attributed to defending Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, who has been locking down opposing players on defense while contributing big plays on offense. He’ll have his work cut out for him Monday night, as the Rangers face the 2-1 Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The Maple Leafs have used home-rink advantage to their fullest in the two games they’ve played at Scotiabank Arena. They’ve only allowed one goal in each of those match-ups and hope to continue that streak against a Rangers club with plenty of offensive upside. Toronto has looked just okay on offense, but they’ve also been missing a major ingredient: Auston Matthews. One of the league’s premier scorers, Matthews has missed the first three games as he is recovering from a wrist surgery. He’s supposed to play, and will add a major boost to the offense. Still, I’ll follow the trend set by Toronto in these first three games: no goal total has amounted to over five in a game. So, even with a hot Rangers team in town and Matthews back in the squad, I’ll go with the under.

Michael’s NHL Pick: Under 6.5 (-122)

Anaheim Ducks @ Calgary Flames – 9.30PM EDT

The Anaheim Ducks are up against the Calgary Flames, who will have the home ice advantage. The Ducks have played two games so far this season, with a record of 1-1-0, and last time out the Ducks lost to the Wild, 1-2. This game will be just the second of the season for the Flames, with their record currently standing at 0-1-0, as they lost their first game of the season to the Oilers, 2-5.

Denis Kirilov

The Ducks started their 2021/22 NHL season with a huge upset away from home against the Winnipeg Jets. However, in their second game they suffered a 2:1 defeat against the Minnesota Wild, after a goal that had been scored in the dying seconds of the match. The team isn’t struggling with injuries so far as only Roman Durny and Ryan Kesler are sidelined and they will try to use that to their advantage, as long as it stays like that.

On the contrary, the Calgary Flames began their season with a devastating loss (5:2) against the Edmonton Oilers. They will surely be looking to compensate for their bad performance as soon as possible and this fixture looks like a good opportunity for this to happen. The Calgary Flames will be fighting for a spot in the Playoffs this year and they will need to get the most out of such games. Hence, the 3-way moneyline victory for Calgary Flames seems like an attractive option.

Denis’ NHL Pick: Moneyline 3 Way – Calgary Flames (-125) 

Tony Battalio

The Anaheim Ducks have already opened some eyes on this young season and could be a few seconds away from 2-0 at this point. Instead they will enter this game at 1-1 after losing to Minnesota following a late goal. This will be the second game of a Canadian double header, along with Toronto and New York. Calgary enters this one at 0-1 after falling to the Oilers, 2-5, on Saturday. 


Both teams could use a win here, Anaheim is already looking to add to what could be a shockingly good season and Calgary would love to get back on track following a loss in their opener. With the Flames having a home game it will give them a slight advantage for the Ducks to overcome. However, I still think Anaheim finds a way to pull out another shocking win. That’s why I will be taking them to win as the underdog. I recommend picking the moneyline to increase your winning value.

Tony’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (+154)

Michael Lantz

Through two games, the Anaheim Ducks have been a pleasant surprise—especially on defense. In their first game they took the visiting Winnipeg Jets to town, winning 4-1, and on Friday night they barely lost to a visiting Minnesota Wild team, 2-1. Their defense has been impressive, but can they keep it up against a Calgary Flames team with plenty of firepower? 

The Flames didn’t exactly come to play in their lone game of the season. In a derby of Alberta, they got handled by the rival Edmonton Oilers 5-2. In that game, their star players Johnny Gaudreau and Matty Tkachuck combined for one point (Tkachuck assisted one goal), while other forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane put the puck through the net for Calgary. I expect the offense to come together at home, and break down a Ducks team that’s been quite good defensively, but is still the youngest team in the league.

Michael’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-184)

St. Louis Blues @ Arizona Coyotes – 7.00PM EDT

The St. Louis Blues travel to Phoenix to take on the Coyotes in what will be just the Blues second game of the season. The Blues won their first game, 5-3, against the Avalanche. The Coyotes have played two games this season, but are still looking for their first win, last time out, they lost to the Sabres, 1-2, in a shootout.

Denis Kirilov

The St. Louis Blues are travelling to Phoenix to face the Arizona Coyotes for their second game of the season. In their opening fixture they managed to defeat the bookmakers favorite for the title, Colorado Avalanche. This surely gave them even more motivation to build on this victory for the future. The team is looking in great shape and most importantly it is not struggling with injuries. The only player that is missing so far is their 27-year-old forward, Oscar Sundqvist, who has a knee injury.

On the other hand, the Arizona Coyotes opened their season with a devastating 8:2 loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets away from home. On top of that, they lost their second game against the Buffalo Sabres (2:1 after penalties). The team will be struggling this year and each single point will be accepted as a success from the management. They are expected to be on the bottom of the table after the Regular Season and such fixtures will be pretty tough for them. Therefore, I will go with the rational choice and pick the St. Louis Blues as the winner of the game after 60 minutes of play.

Denis’ NHL Pick: Moneyline 3 Way – St. Louis Blues (-115)

Tony Battalio

The Blues come into this matchup at 1-0-0 after beating the Stanley Cup favorites, the Colorado Avalanche, 5-3. Meanwhile the Arizona Coyotes come in limping at 0-1-1 following losses to Columbus and Buffalo. Arizona has already given up 10 Goals on the young season, so if things do not change quickly, they will not win many games this season. 
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Despite this one being a home game for Arizona, after their first two performances this year, it would be difficult to convince anyone why they should bet on them. St. Louis looks to be the easiest choice of the night along with the over which is only set at 5.5 Goals. St Louis should have no problem following up a 5 Goal performance against a much weaker Coyotes team.

Tony’s NHL Pick: St Louis Blues -1.5 (+146)
Tony’s Bonus Pick: Over 5.5 (-114)

Michael Lantz

This may be an overreaction, but through one week, the Arizona Coyotes have looked like the NHL’s worst team. They were slaughtered 8-2 by a Columbus Blue Jackets team that’s been toward the bottom of a lot of analyst’s preseason rankings. They followed that performance with a 2-1 OT loss to the team that was almost unanimously predicted to be the worst in the NHL: the Buffalo Sabres. Luckily, the Coyotes finally get back to the desert for their home debut where they’ll attempt to get a fresh start on the season.

Meanwhile the St. Louis Blues are coming off a hard earned victory against the Colorado Avalanche on the road. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a gritty win for a team that’s trying to emulate the success that won them a 2019 Stanley Cup. On paper, the Blues should be able to handle an Arizona team that’s looked abysmal, but the Coyotes are going to have to win some games—will this be their opportunity against a Blues team that may be riding a little high? I think like the Blues first game of the season, this one will be a bit messy, so I’ll go for the under.

Michael’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-106)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of FanDuel.

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