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.
Anaheim Ducks @ Ottawa Senators – 12.30PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Anaheim Ducks, who on Saturday afternoon take on the Ottawa Senators. The Ducks have won three of their last four games, and this takes their season record to 22-16-8. The Senators had their two game winning streak snapped last time out as they lost to the Hurricanes, 2-3, in a shootout.
Denis Kirilov
The bad entrance into the 2021/22 NHL season took its toll on the Ottawa Senators as they are almost certain to be out of the Playoffs halfway through the campaign. The team trails back in 15th place in the Eastern Conference with just 30 points to their name. However, the Senators continue with their struggles even in the second half of the season which is surely a bad sign for everybody included in their project. The team finds it difficult to keep up their good form for more than 2-3 games which means that they lack not only individual qualities, but also team consistency.
The Anaheim Ducks have been one of the pleasant surprises for the first half of the campaign. They managed to stay in the top 3 in the West for quite some time but they are now back into 6th place after having a hesitant transition into 2022. The team was able to surprise most of their opponents with their sheer offence, but also with their consistent level in defence. I think that the Ducks should be able to withstand the power of the Senators on Saturday. Moreover, Anaheim seems to be picking up some pace after smashing the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins this past week. My pick here goes in their favour as I expect to see a more intelligent play throughout the game from their side.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks
Tony Battalio
The Anaheim Ducks are coming into this game with a record of 22-16-8 through their first 46 games on the season. The Ducks are currently in a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Despite their losing record they are in second place of the Pacific Division as well. They have won three of their last four games and picked up a win in their last game against the Montreal Canadiens on the road. This game against the Ottawa Senators is the fourth game of a five game road trip that will end in Detroit on Monday evening.
Sacré bleu, @tzegras11!#FlyTogether | #VolonsEnsemble pic.twitter.com/cAEeL1cPbV
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) January 28, 2022
The Ottawa Senators are coming into this game with a record of 13-20-4 through their first 37 games of the season. Ottawa has been one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League so far this season. They are in seventh place of the Atlantic Division at the moment and virtually out of the playoff race in a loaded Eastern Conference. In their last game they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 2-3 at home. As for the result of this game, it won’t get much better as I have the Anaheim Ducks picking up the victory on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks
Jeffery Thomas
The Senators will enter this game having earned at least one point in 4 straight for the first time this season. They are coming off a 2-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday, which went to a shootout. They are trying to string some wins together to climb out of the bottom of the Atlantic Division, but it will be hard to keep up the recent success with all the injuries they are dealing with. Ottawa is down 6 forwards now, after losing Josh Norris in the Carolina game. This was after losing their leading scorer Batherson, the game before. It’s going to be tough going forward and they will need guys to continue to step up, which they have up to this point.
Meanwhile, the Ducks were finally getting healthy again, but did lose captain Ryan Getzlaf in their 5-4 win over Montreal. They’ve won 3 of their last 4 and are 2nd in the Pacific Division only trailing Vegas by 1 point. The price on this game honestly shocked me and getting Anaheim at such a great price is something I can’t pass up. They will have a considerable goaltending advantage with Gibson in the net and a lot more offensive weapons. Ottawa is scrappy so they may keep it close but I expect Anaheim to come away with the road win.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks
San Jose Sharks @ Florida Panthers – 6.00PM ET
The San Jose Sharks are in the second game of their four game road trip when they hit the ice against the Florida Panthers, who themselves are wrapping up their two game homestand. The Sharks got a nice win last time out, defeating the Capitals 4-1, which takes their season record to 22-19-2. The Panthers have won four of their last five, including their last two in a row.
Denis Kirilov
The San Jose Sharks will try to surprise everyone by defeating one of the best teams in the NHL at the moment, the Florida Panthers. This will actually be a really tough task, keeping in mind that the Panthers are simply unplayable in their last 8 matches in FLA Live Arena. The team dismantled each single opponent that paid them a visit throughout the last weeks as the most notable names include the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Calgary Flames, and the Dallas Stars. The Panthers is the highest-scoring team in the NHL which comes mainly from their depth and experience in front positions.
The San Jose Sharks, on the other hand, are battling for their spot in the Playoffs as of now. The team falls behind the Calgary Flames in the Pacific Division, but they still have a lot of hope that somebody from the Ducks and the Kings will have a worse ending to this intriguing season. However, the situation within their Division is quite difficult as the Canucks and the Oilers might also participate in the battle. I think that they might have a good chance, if they manage to improve their efficiency in attack. However, I don’t believe they will be able to stop the Panthers, so I will go with a win with at least a 2-goal margin for the home team in FLA Live Arena.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Florida Panthers Cover
Tony Battalio
The San Jose Sharks are having an up and down season as the season crosses the halfway point. The Sharks come into this one barely floating above the .500 mark on the season with a record of 22-19-2 through their first 43 games. The Sharks are currently in the middle of the pack of the Pacific Division as they find themselves in fifth place at the moment. In the first game of their road trip they picked up a huge win over Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Now they will be looking to make it two wins in a row when they head to the sunshine state to play the Florida Panthers.
The previously mentioned Florida Panthers come into this game with one of the best records in the National Hockey League. They are currently 30-9-5 through their first 44 games of the season. They are in first place of the Atlantic Division as they hold a two point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning as of today. They will be going for a third straight win in this game against the San Jose Sharks after beating Winnipeg and Vegas in their previous two contests. As for the result of this game, I expect them to get that third straight victory as I have the Florida Panthers beating the Sharks at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers
Jeffery Thomas
San Jose will make the trip down to Florida to take on Panthers following a 4-1 win over the Caps in their last game. It was a great effort from former Panther, goalie James Reimer, who played for Florida from 2016-2019. It’s a bit of a homecoming, as their coach Bob Boughner also coached Florida, which was from 2017-2019. They will be looking for a big win against their former club as they are right in the thick of the wild card race in the Western Conference, with a record of 22-19-2. The Panthers are the league leaders in points, with 65 and have tallied 8 straight homes, taking their home record now to 22-3-0 which is tied for most home wins through 25 games in league history.
They have also reached 30 wins, quicker than any other squad in Panthers history so they are just knocking out records game by game it seems. Their last game, in fact, was a comfy 4-1 win over Vegas, where they netted goals in each period. It is hard enough to get me to pick against the Panthers in any circumstance, but you definitely won’t get me to do it when they are at home. This is a historic team on home ice and that definitely will not be stopped by this Sharks team on Saturday evening. San Jose is 1-7 in their last 8 as underdogs and it will become 1-8 as Florida beats them down and covers the puck line for us. This will get ugly early and stay ugly in what I could see being a 6-1 win.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Detroit Red Wings – 7.00PM ET
Two Atlantic Division rivals face off against each other on Saturday night when the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs are currently on a two game winning streak after beating the Islanders and Ducks. The Red Wings are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they won in a shootout, 3-2, against the Penguins.
Denis Kirilov
The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night in one of the most fierce battles in the Eastern Conference in the NHL. The Canadian team has been on top of its game in November, but later on, they had to go through several tough periods. However, in the end, they came in 6th place before their fixture against the Red Wings as they have the advantage of having played less games than the surrounding teams. This means that if they go on a spree right now, they will be able to climb to the top 3 in the East. Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and John Tavares are definitely ready to lead their team to new heights.
The Red Wings have been considered one of the teams that will be out of the Playoffs in the beginning of the season. However, they proved many people wrong with their performance, but at the end of the day, it is most likely that they will still miss the knockout phase. They have lost three consecutive matches in the NHL recently against the Dallas Stars, the Nashville Predators, and the Chicago Blackhawks. In my opinion, they will struggle against the Maple Leafs as well, as they have seven players who will be sidelined for the match. Hence, my pick will go in favor of the Canadian team, hoping that they will be able to cover the spread.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs Cover
Tony Battalio
The Toronto Maple Leafs have quietly put together a decent season so far this year. They come into this game with a record of 26-10-3 as they are 13 games above the .500 mark on the season. Toronto is currently in third place of the Atlantic Division, however their chances of winning a division championship this season are likely near zero as they trail the Florida Panthers by ten points as the second half of the season is getting underway. However, they are still likely to make the playoffs, which makes the trade off worth it depending on who you ask. They will be looking for a third straight victory in this game as well.
“I thought our guys did a real good job of showing up and playing the right way.”
Recap: Pickard’s strong play in goal helps #RedWings top Penguins, 3-2 in shootout: https://t.co/s4KP8IVsJ8 pic.twitter.com/RReXmqdgmP
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) January 29, 2022
The Detroit Red Wings will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one. In the first game of the back to back they took the Pittsburgh Penguins down to the wire. As the game was tied deep into the third period. Despite pushing the Penguins to the brink and picking up a victory it doesn’t make up for the disappointing season the Red Wings have put together so far this year. As they come into this one with a record of 19-19-6 through their first 44 games of the season. As for the result of this one, I don’t expect the Red Wings winning ways to last long as I have the Toronto Maple Leafs getting the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs
Jeffery Thomas
Detroit will be on the back to back in this one after a shocking shootout win Friday night over the suddenly slumping Pittsburgh Penguins. They held the Pens to only 2 goals just 48 hours after allowing 8 goals to the Chicago Blackhawks. This game against Toronto is the start of a 3 game home stand, as they will look to build on this momentum. Detroit is 5th place in the Atlantic with a record of 19-19-6 coming into Saturday. Toronto on the other hand, has a much better record of 26-10-3, and sit 11 points over their division rivals, the Red Wings.
They have found the net 133 times on the season, which is good for 13th in the league, while also sporting the 4th best defense. The Leafs are coming off a 4-3 win over Anaheim, a game where they converted 3 of their 4 power plays into goals. Detroit is coming off a nice win on Friday but it’s still hard to overlook their struggles on the year and just how overmatched they are in this one. These are the types of teams the Leafs usually take care of as they are 4-1 in their last 5 against a team with a losing record. I see that trend continuing, as they are the much better team with the rest advantage so this should be a pretty straightforward victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs
Vegas Golden Knights @ Tampa Bay Lightning – 7.00PM ET
The Vegas Golden Knights wrap up their four game road trip on Saturday night when they face off against the Tampa Bay Lighting. The Golden Knights have gone 1-1-1 in their road trip so far, and their season record currently stands at 25-16-3. The Lightning have won six of their last seven games, with their only loss coming against the Ducks, 1-5.
Denis Kirilov
The Vegas Golden Knights are experiencing some tough moments right now as they have lost tons of games throughout the last couple of weeks. The team from Vegas has been struggling in offensive positions, since they were only able to score just 2-3 goals on average in their most recent meetings in the NHL. They suffered losses to the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers which will definitely have a negative impact on the whole squad. However, the victories over the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens might have offsetted this bad run recently.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will do their best to defend their back-to-back titles in the NHL, but this year it will be really difficult for them with all these teams that are hungry for glory. Starting off with the goal-scoring machines, the Avalanche and the Panthers, all the way down to the more conservative and strategic teams like the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes, this season really promises to be quite unpredictable. However, I believe they will make a good second half of the season in order to secure an easier opponent for the first couple of rounds in the Playoffs. I think the Lightning will be able to come on top on Saturday and that’s why I will recommend picking them.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning
Tony Battalio
The Vegas Golden Knights come into this game sitting in first place in the weakest division in the National Hockey League. They are currently in the driver’s seat of the Pacific as they hold a one point lead over the Anaheim Ducks at the moment. The Golden Knights are currently 25-16-3 through their first 44 games on the season. They will be looking to break a two game losing streak in this one after losing to Carolina and Florida in their previous two contests. However Vegas will have to play some great hockey as they will be up against a red hot Tampa Bay team in this one.
The two time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning seem to have their sights set on a three peat as the season progresses past the halfway mark. After a slow start, the Lightning have turned up the heat and come into this game with one of the best records in the league. They are currently in second place of the Atlantic as they trail the Florida Panthers by just two points. The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this one with a record of 29-10-5 through their first 44 games of the season. They will be looking for a third straight victory with a win in this one as well. As for the result of this game, that is exactly what I expect as I have the Lightning picking up the win over Vegas at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning
Jeffery Thomas
These two sides have the exact opposite results in their last 2, as Tampa enters on a 2 game winning streak and Vegas comes in losers of 2 straight. The defending champion Lightning showed their metal in their last game, which was a hard fought, back and forth 3-2 win over the Devils. They netted the winner at 11:55 in the 3rd, 1 minute after New Jersey had tied it. The win helped in their efforts to keep pace with the Florida Panthers, who are ahead in the Pacific Division by 2 points. Speaking of the Panthers, that was Vegas’ opponent in their last game, a game that they lost 1-4 on the road.
They went up 1-0 in the 1st period and it was all Florida from there, as they couldn’t get anything going that night. That’s been the case recently, as they have now lost 7 of their last 10, but still sit atop the Pacific Division with a record of 25-16-3. This is another price that I saw as a pretty good discount. I think the Lightning win this one, as they’ve been playing better hockey of late, and the missing guys for Vegas has just been too much to overcome. Tampa Bay has their eyes set on a 3-peat and statement wins like this, over 1st place teams will remind the league that the Cup still goes through them.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning
New Jersey Devils @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00PM ET
The New Jersey Devils and the Carolina Hurricanes, both from the Metropolitan Division, will come together on Saturday night in the NHL. The Devils will be looking to turn around their current three game losing streak, after going down to the Kings, Stars and Lightning. The Hurricanes are currently on a two game winning streak, and this takes their season record to 29-9-2.
Denis Kirilov
The New Jersey Devils will try their luck against the best defending team out there, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils have been struggling both in offence and in defence which resulted in their unattractive 12th place in the Eastern Conference. They have collected 35 points for 42 matches which is far away from being enough, making them almost certain to miss the Playoffs. Moreover, the Devils have some issues with injuries as Dougie Hamilton and Michael McLeod will be sidelined against the Hurricanes on Saturday night. This will surely have a huge impact on their performance as Hamilton is one of their starting and most experienced defenders.
The Carolina Hurricanes are looking to prolong their decent run at home after winning three straight matches against the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights, the New York Rangers, and the Vancouver Canucks. The team from Raleigh has been playing on a very high level in defence as they rarely concede more than 3 goals. However, in their last meeting in New Jersey, the Devils managed to drop 7 goals against the Hurricanes, winning the match, 7-4. The situation was similar to what it is, now with the tiny difference that we will be at PNC Arena which hugely benefits Carolina. I think the better team will take revenge this time and they will dismantle the Devils at home.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes Cover
Tony Battalio
The New Jersey Devils are going to have their hands full in this one, as they are set to take on one of the top teams in the National Hockey League on Saturday evening. The Devils haven’t been having the best season as they come into this matchup with a losing record, they are 15-22-5 through their first 42 games and they are currently on a three game losing streak as well. They will be looking to break that streak in this game but it will take a near perfect 60 minutes of hockey for that to even be remotely possible.
Tomorrow 🟢 pic.twitter.com/BbjM3wPqwD
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) January 29, 2022
The Carolina Hurricanes have established themselves as a legit credible threat for the Stanley Cup so far this season. They come into this game with a record of 29-9-2 through their first 40 games as they are in first place of the Metropolitan Division in a three way tie with the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins. Carolina will be looking for a third straight victory in this game as well. As for the result of this contest, that is exactly what I expect as I have the Carolina Hurricanes picking up the victory over the New Jersey Devils at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes
Jeffery Thomas
We just saw these teams match up a week ago and it was the Devils who came out with the 7-4 victory. A big caveat however, is that the Canes ran out their backup goalie in that one and with the day off it’s expected they should have their main man Anderson in this one. That will make a big difference as the Canes have revenge on their minds and will be riding high on confidence. For the 29-9-2 Hurricanes, that game was their only loss in their past 6. Ironically, for the Devils that game was their only win in their past 7. They have also lost 4 straight on the road, which doesn’t bode well for them with this one being away from home.
The Hurricanes are 7-0 in their last 7 games on one day’s rest, 8-2 in their last 10 at home and they’ve also scored 3 or more in 9 of the last 10. I say all that to point out that this is one of the hottest teams in the league and an extra motivated bunch who is chasing down New York and Pittsburgh for first place in the Metro. As I mentioned before, their lone hiccup in the past 6 was a loss to these Devils so I expect them to come out fired up and to control this one from start to finish. I’m picking the Canes to win on the spread in what should be a blowout victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
