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 best five games on today’s schedule.
Montreal Canadiens @ Colorado Avalanche – 7.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Montreal Canadiens, who on Saturday night travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche. The Canadiens have lost seven of their last eight games, and this drops their season record to 8-25-6. The Avalanche are currently on a five game winning streak which includes wins over the Coyotes (twice), Wild, Ducks and Kings.
Denis Kirilov
The runners-up from last season, the Montreal Canadiens, will head to Denver to face off the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night in the NHL. The guests have had an awful season so far as they cannot bounce off the bottom of the Eastern Conference. They are currently dead last with 22 points from 39 matches and they are certain on almost 100% that they will miss the Playoffs. The team will try to go through a quick rebuilding phase as a lot of changes are required in order to get back to their glorious times. Their offensive line has been terrible this season as the only team that has less goals than the Canadiens is the New York Islanders who have played only 32 games.
The favourites for the Stanley Cup continue to amaze us with their performance recently. The Colorado Avalanche top the Western Conference with 57 points from 38 matches. They have won 27 of them as they have lost just once in their most recent 11 appearances in the NHL. The Avalanche are fantastic on both ends, but it seems that their attack is better developed. With players like Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen, and Nathan MacKinnon, the team is a nightmare for their opponents’ goalkeepers. On top of that, they have plenty of possible rotations that can be used in order to rest some of their players. I think the Avalanche won’t have any trouble overcoming the Canadiens as they should easily win by two or more goals on Saturday.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -2.5 (-134)
Tony Battalio
The Montreal Canadiens don’t look to be on track to make a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals this season. They come into this game with a record of 8-25-6 on the season which is among one of the worst in the National Hockey League at the moment. It has been a nightmare season for Montreal and it may be fair to say that they would’ve been nowhere near the Stanley Cup playoffs if there had been a normal schedule last season. They will look to pull off a huge upset over the Colorado Avalanche in this game as they also look to snap a one game losing streak in the process.
Mood after getting four points in two days!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/z73wungSMO
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 21, 2022
The preseason favorites for the Stanley Cup are looking more and more like the correct choice with each passing game. As the Colorado Avalanche come into this game in first place of the Central Division with a record of 27-8-3 through their first 38 games on the year. Colorado has won their last five games and will be looking to make it a sixth straight with a victory in this game on Saturday evening. As for the result of this game, that is exactly what I expect as I have the Colorado Avalanche picking up the victory over Montreal at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-720)
Jeffery Thomas
The Avs come into this game on Saturday against the Canadiens on an 11 game point streak with ten of those being wins. They sit atop the Central Division with a record of 27-8-3. It’s a whole different story for the runners up from last season, as the Canadiens sit 8th in the Atlantic, but are coming off a spirited effort where they took the Vegas Knights to OT before losing. That was another attempt at getting consecutive victories, something Montreal has still yet to do this season.
Backing Montreal this season is one of the least profitable things you can do as a sports bettor and we are not going to start now. The best offense in the league is coming in to face the worst defense in the league, so get ready for goals and more goals for the Colorado side. Their defense is a little leaky at times though so instead of hoping they outscore the Canadiens by 2 or more we’ll just take the team total over because I don’t see the Avs not getting at least 4 in this spot.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche Team Total – Over 4.5 (-112)
Carolina Hurricanes @ New Jersey Devils – 7.00PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes have a quick one game road trip on Saturday night when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Devils. The Hurricanes are playing on back-to-back nights, after facing off against the Rangers on Friday, and in that game they won, 6-3. The Devils are looking to snap their current three game losing streak, as they have losses to the Blue Jackets, Islanders and Coyotes.
Denis Kirilov
The Carolina Hurricanes will have an easy at first sight visit to New Jersey on Saturday. The Devils have been struggling throughout the first part of the current season and playing against the Hurricanes won’t be an easy task for them. They lost their last three matches in the NHL to the likes of the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, and the Arizona Coyotes. Sitting in 13th place with just 33 points is definitely not a good sign for the remainder of the campaign. They have a total of six players who will miss the match due to an injury or COVID-19.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been nothing short of amazing this season. Coming into this game off three straight wins against teams like the Vancouver Canucks, Boston Bruins, and the New York Rangers, has surely boosted their confidence. This helped them negate the effect of the previous two losses they suffered and got back to 3rd place in the East with 56 points. Their defence is what makes the difference in their matches as they barely concede 2 goals on average. I think that against a bad defending team like the Devils, the Hurricanes will be able to punish most of their mistakes and take yet another convincing win for the record.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (+148)
Tony Battalio
This will be the second game of a back to back for the Carolina Hurricanes. It will also be a quick one game road trip for the team after playing at home in their previous game. In the first leg of their back to back on Friday evening they beat the New York Rangers by a score of 6-3. The game was out of reach quickly as Carolina led 2-0 going into first period intermission. The win brought their record on the season to an impressive 27-8-2 through their first 37 games of the year. It also extended their winning streak to three games, and now they will be looking to make it four straight with a victory in this one. As well as increase their lead in the Metropolitan Division.
The New Jersey Devils come into this game with a miserable record of 14-19-5 through their first 38 games on the season. They will be looking to dig themselves out of the bottom half of the Metropolitan Division by picking up some much needed wins as the season crosses the halfway mark. However it doesn’t not look to be promising for the Devils as they already come into this game on a three game losing streak. As for the result of this game, I don’t expect them to break the losing streak as I have the Carolina Hurricanes picking up the victory over New Jersey on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-170)
Jeffery Thomas
This is the second leg of a back to back for the Canes as they come off a dominant 6-3 win over the New York Rangers on Friday night. That makes it 3 in a row for Carolina, and they are outscoring their opponents 17-5 in that span. They sit first in the Metro and will be taking on the Devils in this one, who are the last place team in the division. They are reeling after a disappointing loss to the Coyotes, which makes 3 straight losses in a row. To make matters worse all three of the teams (Blue Jackets, Islanders, and Coyotes) are under .500. Sitting at a record of 14-19-5, they will look to get a huge upset over a division rival in this one.
Another matchup of two teams heading in the wrong direction and it’s just a huge mismatch. The Canes are owners of the best defense in the league. Even on the back to back they should be able to limit the Devils’ attack and hold them to under 3 goals. Pair that with their top 10 offense and I see this as another comfortable win for Carolina to add to their winning streak.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-170)
Arizona Coyotes @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Arizona Coyotes, who travel to play the New York Rangers on Saturday after playing the Islanders yesterday. The Coyotes lost that game with the Islanders, 0-4, and this takes their season record to 10-25-4. The Rangers had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Hurricanes, 3-6.
Denis Kirilov
The Arizona Coyotes have found their rhythm for the first time this season. They took two back-to-back victories with a big margin over the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils. The team has been struggling throughout the whole 2021/22 NHL campaign, but it seems that they can surprise some opponents here and there. However, in their most recent match they fell miserably against the New York Islanders. Overall, the Coyotes have been terrible this season with some periodic positive moments.
The New York Rangers, on the other hand, surprised a lot of experts with their consistency and high level of play. The team currently sits in 4th place in the Eastern Conference having 56 points from 41 matches. Unfortunately for their fans, a loss in their last game against the strong Carolina Hurricanes snapped their momentum as they will need to try to get it back as soon as possible. In my opinion, the Rangers are one of the most experienced and consistent teams in defence and they will be a really tough matchup for the struggling Coyotes. I think that the Rangers will have to win this as the team is notorious for its strength in Madison Square Garden. My pick here goes in favour of the hosts as I will trust them to cover their spread for the match.
Denis’ NHL Pick: New York Rangers -1.5 (-122)
Tony Battalio
The Arizona Coyotes have been one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League so far this season. In this game they will be playing the second game of a back to back and in the first game, things didn’t exactly go their way. They were clobbered by the New York Islanders in a game where they failed to even record a goal, as they ended up losing by a score of 0-4. The loss dropped their record on the season to a miserable mark of 10-25-4 through their first 39 games of the season. Up until this loss they had won their previous two, so they will look to get back into the winners column in this one.
“We’ve had games where we haven’t played a full 60. It’s a good lesson for us, and we’ll move on.”
Mika + Kreider: https://t.co/rgwh69Qoqx
Coach Gallant: https://t.co/imu96Ln3pl pic.twitter.com/Yuchiklt14— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 22, 2022
The New York Rangers come into this game off of a back to back of their own. In their game last night they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 3-6. The Rangers have still put together a great season despite that loss as they come into this game with a record of 26-11-4 through their first 41 games this season. The loss to Carolina snapped a three game winning streak for the Rangers. In this one they will be looking to get straight back into the winners column against a much weaker Coyotes team. As for the result of this game, that is exactly what I expect as I have the Rangers picking up the victory on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-360)
Jeffery Thomas
The Coyotes will continue their road trip when they head to New York to take on the Rangers on Saturday. Both teams will come into this one on the second half of a back to back, and having dropped the first half. For the Coyotes it was a 0-4 defeat at the hands of the gritty Islanders. The Rangers’ loss was to the Carolina Hurricanes in a 3-6 game that was never a contest.
Both teams are spearheaded by their goaltending, in fact the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin is the favorite to win the Verona trophy right now. The Coyotes’ Karel Vejmelka is their lone bright spot and due to these facts I expect us to see a low scoring contest, one goal contest on Saturday.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-132)
Detroit Red Wings @ Nashville Predators – 8.30PM ET
The Detroit Red Wings hit the road for one game when they travel to Nashville to take on the Predators. The Red Wings are one of the many teams that are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they lost to the Stars, 4-5, in overtime. The Predators managed to snap their four game losing streak last time out, with a win over the Jets, 5-2.
Denis Kirilov
The Nashville Predators found a way out of the tough situation they were in with a victory over the Winnipeg Jets. This snapped a 4-game losing streak that began with a disappointing performance against the Buffalo Sabres at home. The Predators will need to pull it together in order to make the best out of the fact that there is simply nobody who is sidelined for the team. They are currently 2nd in the Western Conference with 53 points from 42 matches, but they are still far away from being safe for the Playoffs. The Predators proved to be one of the most clutch teams in the NHL this season as they won numerous nail-biting games.
The Detroit Red Wings have been playing very well this season considering their abilities and ambitions. They are 9th in the East with 42 points from 41 matches when everyone thought they would be somewhere around the bottom of the table. However, it’s clear that they are weaker than the top teams in the NHL, but with players like Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Lucas Raymond, they managed to form a great attacking line that punished numerous opponents. However, I think that the Predators will come on top against the Red Wings and I suggest going with their win in regular time.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Moneyline 3-way – Nashville Predators (-150)
Tony Battalio
Much like the rest of the teams featured in the Saturday slate, the Detroit Red Wings will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one. The first game didn’t go their way as they fell 4-5 to the Dallas Stars in overtime. Now they will be looking to bounce back against another Central Division team, the Nashville Predators. Detroit is having an average up and down season as they have really failed to establish any type of lasting momentum up until this point. They come into this game with a record of 18-17-6 through their first 41 games on the season.
The Nashville Predators are one of the better teams in the National Hockey League at the moment, as they come into this game with a record of 25-14-3 through their first 42 games on the season. The Predators currently find themselves in second place of the Central Division as their season has crossed the halfway mark. They are currently on a one game winning streak as well. They will be looking to extend that streak with a big victory in this one. As for the result of this game, that is what I expect as I have the Predators picking up the victory over Detroit.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-235)
Jeffery Thomas
Here we have the Detroit Red Wings, another team playing on a back to back. They had a tight contest on Friday night at home that they dropped to the Dallas Stars in overtime 4-5. It will be a tough spot as they head right on the road to Nashville for a matchup with the Predators. The Predators, who are 3rd in the Central, at 25-14-3, got a much needed rebound win at home on Thursday against Winnipeg. They are right in the thick of the playoff race, having a much better season than many expected coming into this year. These two teams previously met this season, and it was a 5-2 victory for the Preds as they will look for the season sweep in this one.
When I look at this one, all I see is an underwhelming offensive output from the Red Wings. Nashville will have the rest advantage, on top of already being one of the best defensive teams in the league with a great goalie. That win over Winnipeg will likely have them back in good spirits, and as the team with more to play for, they will see this as a great opportunity to stack wins. Take the home team in this one.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-235)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ San Jose Sharks – 10.30PM ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning wrap up their three game road trip on Saturday night when they take on the San Jose Sharks. The Lightning come into this game as the second leg of their back-to-back, on Friday they took on the Ducks and lost 1-5. The Sharks have lost three of their last four games, and this drops their season record to 21-18-2.
Denis Kirilov
After losing 1-5 to the Anaheim Ducks, the Tampa Bay Lightning will look to get back on the winning track. This loss snapped a 4-game winning streak as they continued to be 2nd in the Eastern Conference with 59 points from 42 matches. The defending back-to-back champions from Tampa have shown us that they won’t give up without a battle this year as they are able to still compete alongside the best. Steven Stamkos, Alex Killorn, and Corey Perry still have a lot to prove to the NHL, aiming for the third consecutive Stanley Cup. Victor Hedman has been playing simply amazing in defense as his help towards the Lightning’s attack has been unparalleled.
The San Jose Sharks will try to work on securing a Playoffs spot first as they seem to be in a really tough Pacific Division with the likes of the Calgary Flames, the Vancouver Canucks, and the Edmonton Oilers who surely deserve a place in the bracket as well. Currently, the Sharks are 4th in their Division in the East with 44 points from 41 matches, but the Flames are two points behind them with 6 games in hand. The team from San Jose has been struggling recently, losing three of its last four matches in the NHL. Their offense has been missing since the beginning of 2022 as only in their 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings, the Sharks managed to score more than 3 goals in a single game. However, I think that the Sharks will be able to surprise Tampa who might be off to a bad streak following their 4-goal loss to the Ducks.
Denis’ NHL Pick: San Jose Sharks (+130)
Tony Battalio
The Tampa Bay Lightning are coming into this one after getting knocked around in the first game of their back to back last night. The Anaheim Ducks controlled the game nearly the entire time and came away with a multi goal victory over the two time defending Stanley Cup champions. Now Tampa Bay will be looking to pick up a bounce back victory in the second game of the back to back. Through their first 42 games of the season the Lightning are sitting at 27-10-5, as they are tied for first place in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers. The loss to Anaheim snapped a four game winning streak for the Lightning, so Tampa will be looking to recover that momentum immediately.
Back at it tomorrow.
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 22, 2022
The San Jose Sharks come into this game with a record of 21-18-2 through their first 41 games of the season. It has been an up and down year for San Jose as they have failed to establish any type of momentum to ride for a while, and they have seemingly just traded wins and losses throughout the first half of the season. San Jose will be looking to break a one game losing streak in this game as well. However I don’t expect them to pick up the victory in this one, as I have the Lightning picking up the win on the road over San Jose.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-156)
Jeffery Thomas
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be looking to bounce back after a shocking 1-5 loss to Anaheim. They were thoroughly dominated throughout that game from the opening puck drop and I’m sure they are happy they get a game the next day to avenge that loss. Their opponent will be the Sharks who sit 21-18-2, and much like the Ducks are fighting for playoff positioning, so they can not be taken lightly. However, they aren’t in the best of form, as they’ve lost 3 of 4.
It’s hard to watch the performance by the Lightning on Friday night and turn around the next day and back them but that’s what the best play in this game is. They have the track record and pedigree to be trusted in this situation to bounce back in a big way and I think will look to jump out in front early and put San Jose away convincingly. I see a 5-2 victory for the defending champs in this one so I will be taking them on the puck line.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (+164)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
