Free NHL Picks Today for Saturday, December 16th, 2023

Our free NHL picks are out for Saturday, December 16th 2023! Make sure you check our NHL picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NHL picks for the best games on today’s schedule!

Vancouver Canucks @ Minnesota Wild – 2PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a quality start to the regular season for the Vancouver Canucks and they will look to keep the momentum rolling here on Saturday night south of the border against Minnesota. It was a long and lengthy rebuilding process for the Vancouver Canucks, but it has finally paid off throughout the early part of the season as they look to be one of the best teams in the league. They were to maintain that narrative throughout this game on Saturday night against Minnesota, as they look to further establish themselves as a legitimate contender with the Western Conference this season. Vancouver comes into this game as one of the first teams in the league to break the 20 win mark and they are 10 games above .500 through their first 30 games of the season as well. They will be looking for victory number 21 here on Saturday night on the road against Minnesota as they look to keep the momentum rolling throughout the rest of December.

Almost every single season the Minnesota Wild tend to be one of the top contenders within the Central division and the Western Conference. However, that is not been the case throughout the early part of the regular season as they have struggled right out of the gate and they are looking to recover throughout the rest of December to get things rolling in the right direction in 2024. Picking up a victory in this game at home against a solid Vancouver Canucks team would be a huge step in the right direction from Minnesota if they can get the job done here on Saturday night. Minnesota comes into this game with 16 losses through their first 27 games of the regular season and they will look to grab a much-needed victory here on Saturday night at home against Vancouver to get things going in the right direction. However, I don’t see that happening as I look for the Vancouver Canucks to head south of the border and pick up the victory on the road here in this one.

New York Rangers @ Boston Bruins – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

The New York Rangers are off to a quality start to the regular season and they will keep the momentum rolling throughout this game on Saturday night against the Boston Bruins.  New York comes into this game 12 games above the .500 mark through their first 28 games of the regular season and they will look for their 21st victory of the season here at TD Garden on Saturday night. For the last several years, they have been one of the top contenders within the Eastern Conference, but they have been unable to break through the glass ceiling and win the Stanley Cup or even play for a Stanley Cup over that span. That is a narrative they will be looking to change throughout this season and a victory in this game on the road in Boston would go a long way in establishing them as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season. They will look to grab their second consecutive victory of the season after defeating the Anaheim Ducks in their previous game. 

The Boston Bruins have been one of the best teams in the league throughout the last several seasons, and last year, they set a single season record for most victories in a regular season. They have gotten off to an even better start to this season as they look to keep the momentum rolling throughout this game on Saturday night at home against the New York Rangers. They will look to pick up another victory and further establish themselves as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup title this season, as well as continue to increase their lead on top of the division and the Eastern Conference heading into the back half of December. Boston comes into this game 10 games above the .500 mark through their first 28 games of the season and they will look for their 20th victory of the year here on Saturday night at home. That is exactly what I expect as I look for the Boston Bruins to grab the win here on Saturday night over the New York Rangers at TD Garden, in one of the best games of the evening. 

Colorado Avalanche @ Winnipeg Jets – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

Colorado is having a quality start to the regular season and they will look to go north of the border to Winnipeg to pick up a crucial victory here on Saturday night against another one of the top teams in the league. They are only two years removed from winning these Stanley Cup finals and they will look to return to the mountain top with a consistent regular season throughout the year. They come into this game as one of the best teams in the Western Conference and they are currently in first place of the Central division coming into this one on Saturday night against Winnipeg. As this is going to be a battle for first place between these two quality teams here on Saturday night in Canada. Colorado comes into this game seven games above .500 through their first 29 games of the regular season and they will look for their 19th victory of the year here on Saturday night on the road against Winnipeg. 

Winnipeg Jets come into this game, looking to put themselves in a position to take over first place in the Central division with a victory here on Saturday night against Colorado. It has been a fantastic start to the regular season for the Winnipeg Jets and they will look to keep the momentum rolling throughout this game on Saturday night at home against one of the other top teams in the league. Winnipeg is having an incredible start of the year, and they come into this game with plenty of momentum as they have picked up four victories and their previous five games including a three goal win on the road in Los Angeles last time on the ice. They will look to replicate that performance as they return home to Canada to face Colorado here on Saturday night and that is exactly what I expect as I look for Winnipeg to pick up the victory at home here in this game. 

Dallas Stars @ St.Louis Blues – 8PM ET

Tony Battalio

The Dallas Stars are off to a solid start to the regular season and they will look to keep the momentum rolling here in St. Louis on Saturday night. Dallas has been one of the most consistent teams in the conference over the last several years but they have yet to make a playoff run and they are hoping that this year is the year that they can change that narrative. As long as they remain healthy and consistent throughout the regular season, they should have a quality opportunity to make a playoff run in the Western Conference this season. They come into this game to gain ground on Winnipeg and Colorado here on Saturday night as they currently sit in third place of the Central division, behind two of the best teams in the league throughout the early part of the year. Dallas comes into this game with 17 victories through their first 28 games of the regular season and they will look for their 18th win of the year here on Saturday night.

Over the last decade plus the St. Louis Blues have been one of the most consistent teams in the league but they are off to a rough start to the regular season this year. They will look to pick up a quality victory at home against the Dallas Stars to get things rolling in the right direction to kick off the second half of December. They come into this game hovering right below the 500 mark through their first 29 games of the regular season and they will be looking to pick up their 15th victory of the year and get right back to .500 where they quality performance here on Saturday. They have been a tough team to beat at home despite the rough start to the season and they will look to maintain that narrative with the quality performance here on Saturday night against Dallas. However, I don’t see that happening as I look for the Dallas Stars to come on the road and pick up a comfortable victory over the St. Louis Blues here in this one.

Florida Panthers @ Edmonton Oilers – 10PM ET

Tony Battalio

It’s been a quality start to the regular season for the Florida Panthers and they will look to keep the momentum rolling north of the border in Edmonton here on Saturday night. They will look to pick up a solid road victory against one of the hottest teams in the league at the moment, as they look to maintain their momentum throughout the rest of the calendar year. For the last several seasons, Florida has been a legitimate contender, but they have yet to reach their ultimate goal of playing for or winning a Stanley Cup title. That is something they will be looking to change this season as long as they are healthy and consistent. If they can maintain that consistency and remain healthy throughout the year, then they have a chance to go into the postseason as one of the favorites to bring home the championship. Florida comes into this game five games above the 500 mark through their first 29 games of the season and they will look for their 18th win of the year here on Saturday night in Edmonton.

Despite a slow start of the year, the Edmonton Oilers have regrouped, and they come into this game to pick up a solid victory at home over the Florida Panthers. Connor McDavid has gotten healthy after getting injured throughout the early part of the regular season, and his injury really put Edmonton behind the eight ball. That is no longer the case and now they are at full strength, and they are starting to build up plenty of momentum coming into this game on Saturday night against the Florida Panthers. Edmonton comes into this game one game below the .500 mark through their first 27 games of the season and they will look for win number 14 here on Saturday night to get back to .500. This would be a huge momentum boosting victory for them here on Saturday night against one of the top teams in the league when they face Florida. That is exactly what I expect as I look for Edmonton to pick up the victory here at home on Saturday night to grab their 14th win of the season.

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