We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move into the final stretch of the season, each division’s ladder has already become well-formed. This means that every single win or loss can have a significant impact on the position each team will finish in when the regular season draws to a close, so you mustn’t miss any of the action!
Here at SportsTips, we are just as keen on the NHL as you are! We spend 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.
St. Louis Blues @ Nashville Predators – 12.30PM ET
The St. Louis Blues are on the road for just one game on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Nashville Predators. The Blues put an end to their four-game losing streak last time out, as they got the win over the Rangers, 6-2. The Predators will be hoping for more of the same this afternoon, as they have won their last three games, including wins over the Sharks, Stars, and Ducks.
Marko Nadin
The Nashville Predators are fourth in the Central Division and sixth in the Western Conference with a 33-20-4 record. They are coming off three straight wins, most recently 4-1 against the Anaheim Ducks. The Predators are the sixth-best defensive team in the league allowing only 2.7 goals per game. Nashville has won 4 of the last 5 games against Eastern Conference teams, 14 of the last 18 games after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game, and 15 of the last 20 games following a win. Nashville has won 5 of the last 6 games against St. Louis.
The St. Louis Blues are third in the Western Conference with a 33-17-3 record. After dropping 4 straight games, the Blues bounced back against the New York Islanders, winning 6-2. The Blues are fifth in the league scoring 3.5 goals per game while defensively they allow 2.7 goals per game. The Blues have won 5 of the last six games in the Pacific Division and 10 of the last 12 games against Western Conference teams. St. Louis has won 11 of the last 16 games played after a one-day rest.
Marko’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+105)
Tony Battalio
The St. Louis Blues come into this game with a record of 33-17-7 as they are nearly double-digit games above the .500 mark through their first 57 games of the season. With less than 30 games to go on the year, the Blues find themselves in second place in the Central division. However, their hopes of winning the division at this point seem to be slim to none as Colorado has built up a comfortable 14 point lead over the Blues. St. Louis is currently on a one-game winning streak after getting a win over the New York Rangers at home by a score of 6-2 in their last game.
Successful duck huntin’ pic.twitter.com/iIkOpGkWQD
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) March 11, 2022
The Nashville Predators come into this Central division matchup with a record of 33-20-4 through their first 57 games of the season. The Predators currently find themselves sitting in fourth place in the Central division. However, they do hold onto the top Wild Card spot in the Western Conference at the moment. Nashville is currently on a three-game winning streak at the moment. As for the result of this game, I have the Nashville Predators who got the victory at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-126)
Jeffery Thomas
The St. Louis Blues have been very streaky over the past few weeks with a four-game winning streak followed by a four-game losing streak. On Thursday the Blues snapped that losing streak in New York against the Rangers so they’re hoping that’s the start of another extended winning streak but this road test in a Saturday afternoon game against Nashville will be a walk in the park. The Predators come in winners of their last three games, outscoring their opponents 14-2 in that span. On Thursday the Preds hosted the Anaheim Ducks and won by a score of 4-1 on the back of Matt Duchene’s 3 points (two goals and an assist). Duchene now has six goals and two assists in his last four games and now sits one goal shy of his career-high of 30, which he set back in 2015-16 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
It was a quite slow start to the Blues Eastern road swing, but they bounced back in a big way against the Rangers and we have to wonder if that was just a one-game thing. I tend to believe they can turn the corner and get out of the slump for good but not on the road in Nashville against the Predators who have been a very tough team to beat at home all season. I like a play on the over for these two explosive offenses as that offers more value, especially when I can see either side getting the victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 5.5 (-120)
Philadelphia Flyers @ Carolina Hurricanes – 3.00PM ET
A Metropolitan Division rivalry for your Saturday afternoon viewing in the NHL, when we see the Philadelphia Flyers take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The Flyers have won three of their last six games, and this takes their overall season record to 18-29-10. The Hurricanes have won eight of their last 10 games, including their last three in a row against the Penguins, Kraken, and Avalanche.
Marko Nadin
The Carolina Hurricanes have a 40-12-5 record and are tied on the top of the Eastern Conference with the Florida Panthers as both teams have 85 points. The Hurricanes have won the last 3 and 8 of the last 10 games. They are coming off a 2-0 over the only team in the league that has a better record, the Colorado Avalanche. Carolina has won 6 of the last 10 games against Philadelphia. They have the best defense in the league with 2.4 allowed goals per game and 89.1 PP%.
The Philadelphia Flyers are having a disappointing season as they are 14th in the Eastern Conference with an 18-29-10 record. After winning two straight games they have lost the last one, 6-3 against Florida. The Flyers are among the worst three teams in the league offensively as they score only 2.5 goals on 30.5 shots per goal per game and 13.9 PP%. Philadelphia has lost 19 of the last 27 games after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game and also 19 of the last 26 games as a road underdog.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-330)
Tony Battalio
It has been a very disappointing season for the Philadelphia Flyers this year. As they come into this game with a record of 18-29-10 through their first 57 games of the season. They are dead last in the Metropolitan division and that is likely where they will remain throughout the rest of the regular season. In their last game, they were defeated by the Eastern Conference-leading Florida Panthers by a score of 3-6 on the road. Now they will be taking on another top team in the National Hockey League in this one when they meet the Carolina Hurricanes.
What a moment for Bearsy 👏 pic.twitter.com/XwBw5wpEPe
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 11, 2022
As for the previously mentioned Carolina Hurricanes, they come into this game sitting in first place in the Metropolitan division. Carolina has a record of 40-12-5 through their first 57 games of the season. They have all but officially locked up a playoff spot at this point in the season. In my opinion, they are the favorites in the Eastern Conference right now. Carolina is currently on a three-game winning streak after beating Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Colorado. As for the result of this game I have the Carolina Hurricanes got the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-330)
Jeffery Thomas
The Flyers will be playing game 2 of what is possibly the hardest two-game road trip an NHL club would have to endure. Having to play the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers and then the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes back to back is exactly what Philly is dealing with and on Thursday they dropped the opening game of the trip to Florida 6-3. The game got out of hand quickly, with the Flyers going down 4-0 by the end of the 1st period but they battled back to get it within one by the second intermission. The final period was all Florida though, with them breaking the game open with 2 game-sealing goals to secure the 6-3 victory. The loss gave the Flyers an 18-29-10 record which is good for last place in the Metro. The Hurricanes have an 8-point cushion on their division lead after a very impressive 2-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday evening. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 until Canes defenseman Ethan Bear scored his first goal since New Year’s Day at the 14:20 mark in the 3rd period. They then added an empty-netter 4 minutes later to seal the victory over the Avs who lead the NHL in points.
The Flyers are just 3-24 in their last 27 against the Eastern Conference and now will face the team atop the conference. The Canes are back at home after getting a huge home win over the Avs so there’s a possibility of a letdown here but the Flyers aren’t even good enough to take advantage of a possibly unmotivated Carolina squad. I’m going to bank on another great outing from the Canes at home who has been very reliable all season, and I think they’ll get it done by 2+ goals.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes -1.5 (-122)
Detroit Red Wings @ Calgary Flames – 7.00PM ET
The Detroit Red Wings kick off a four-game road trip on Saturday night in the NHL when they go toe-to-toe with the Calgary Flames. The Red Wings have lost their last four games, and this takes their overall record for the season to 24-27-7. The Flames have won five of their last seven games, and last time out they beat the Lightning, 4-1.
Marko Nadin
The Calgary Flames are second in the Western Conference with a 35-15-7 record and are 10 behind the leading Colorado Avalanche. The Flames have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 4-1 win over the defending champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flames are ranked second in the league with 2.5 allowed goals per game and 6th with 3.5 scored goals per game. They have won 8 of the last 10 games against Detroit including the last five. Calgary has won 9 of the last 10 games coming in after one day off.
The Detroit Red Wings are 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 24-27-7 record. They have lost the last four games, most recently 6-5 in the shootout against Minnesota. The Red Wings allow the second-most in the league at 3.7 goals per game. Detroit has won 6 of the last 8 games after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game but has lost 67 of the last 83 games as a road underdog. Detroit has played over the total goals margin in the last 5 games against Western Conference opponents and the last four games allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-360)
Tony Battalio
The Detroit Red Wings are having an up and down season as they have failed to generate any real momentum throughout the year up until this point. They come into this game with a record of 24-27-7 through their first 58 games of the season. They are in fifth place of the Atlantic division, but well out of the playoff race at this point. They are currently on a four-game losing streak at the moment as they will be looking to snap it in this game against one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League.
Happy Friday #Flames fan, love ya!
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 12, 2022
As previously mentioned the Calgary Flames have been the hottest team in the National Hockey League for the past month or so. The Flames come into this game with a record of 35-15-7 through their first 57 games of the season. Calgary is currently in first place in the Pacific division moment as they used a hot surge before and after the all-star break to climb up the standings. As for the result of this game I have the Calgary Flames picking up another victory in this game.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-360)
Jeffery Thomas
The Flyers will be playing game 2 of what is possibly the hardest two-game road trip an NHL club would have to endure. Having to play the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers and then the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes back to back is exactly what Philly is dealing with and on Thursday they dropped the opening game of the trip to Florida 6-3. The game got out of hand quickly, with the Flyers going down 4-0 by the end of the 1st period but they battled back to get it within one by the second intermission. The final period was all Florida though, with them breaking the game open with 2 game-sealing goals to secure the 6-3 victory. The loss gave the Flyers an 18-29-10 record which is good for last place in the Metro.
The Hurricanes have an 8-point cushion on their division lead after a very impressive 2-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday evening. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 until Canes defenseman Ethan Bear scored his first goal since New Year’s Day at the 14:20 mark in the 3rd period. They then added an empty-netter 4 minutes later to seal the victory over the Avs who lead the NHL in points. Calgary has continued to look like the best team in hockey over the last two months or so and now will get a Red Wings team that doesn’t play good hockey away from home. This sets up as a blowout as the Flames are the better team in every way so there’s no need to overthink this one.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames -1.5 (+128)
New York Rangers @ Dallas Stars – 8.00PM ET
The New York Rangers wrap up their four-game road trip on Saturday night when they travel to Dallas to take on the Stars. The Rangers have gone 1-2-0 so far this trip, and in their last two games, they were outscored 4-11. The Stars had their four-game winning streak snapped last time out, as they lost to the Predators, 1-2.
Marko Nadin
The Dallas Stars are 8th in the Western Conference with a 32-21-3 record and are only one point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers. The Stars got their four-game winning streak snapped in the last one, losing 2-1 to Nashville. Dallas is scoring and allowing 2.9 goals per game which put them in 13th place defensively and 20th offensively. Dallas has won 6 of the last 10 games against the Rangers. Dallas has won 20 of the last 26 games as favorites and 25 of the last 34 home games.
The New York Rangers are 6th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-17-5 record. They are finishing a four-game road trip, losing the last two games against St. Louis and Minnesota after winning in Winnipeg. The Rangers are third in the league allowing only 2.6 goals per game and second with 26.3 PP% conversions. The Rangers have won 17 of the last 23 games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game. They have also won 6 of the last 7 games following a loss of 3 or more goals.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Dallas Stars (-132)
Tony Battalio
The New York Rangers have been a huge surprise this season as they are one of the many favorites in the Eastern Conference this season. The Rangers come into this game with a record of 36-17-5 through their first 58 games of the season. They currently find themselves sitting in a great position to make a playoff appearance as they are currently in second place in the Metropolitan division. The New York Rangers are currently on a two-game losing streak they will be looking to break in this game.
A New York native.
A winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as the top player in Division I women’s hockey.We’re proud of you, Aerin Frankel. pic.twitter.com/3y1H7bxNJl
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 11, 2022
The Dallas Stars have looked fantastic as of late as they come into this game having won four out of their last five games coming down the stretch. Dallas is currently sitting in fifth place in the Central division, but they do currently have possession of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference as they hold a one-point lead over Edmonton. They will be looking to make a late-season playoff push that starts with getting a win in this big game. As for the result of this game I have the New York Rangers got the victory in this one on the road in big D.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (+110)
Jeffery Thomas
The Rangers have hit a bit of a tough patch, losing two straight games to the Wild and Blues, but will hope for a positive end to their four-game road trip when they travel to Dallas to take on the Stars. The Blues game was on Thursday night and it was a 6-2 score in a game the Rangers never really had a chance in. 15 minutes into the game they were already down 3-0 and 12 minutes later the score was 6-1. New York’s defense has been uncharacteristically bad the last two games, giving up 11 goals, and with a middle-of-the-pack offense, they need that to be rectified if they want to have success down the stretch of the season. Saturday will be another tough test for their defense going against this Stars team that is averaging 3.8 goals a game in their last five. Dallas is 4-1 during that stretch but the one loss was in their last game, a 2-1 result in Nashville.
That loss was significant to the wild card race because the Preds and Stars are the two teams currently holding the Wild Card spots and that loss has Nashville a 3 point cushion. This is another great game we get on Saturday which can go either way, which presents value for both sides. But I want to side with the Stars in this battle because they have been very reliable on home ice this season with a record of 20-7-1 and just have been playing better hockey recently so give me the Stars.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Dallas Stars (-132)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Edmonton Oilers – 10.00PM ET
We wrap things up in the NHL for Saturday with a game that features the current two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, against the Edmonton Oilers. The Lightning has lost their last two games, against the Jets and Flames, which takes their overall season record to 37-14-6. The Oilers are back on track after losing three games in a row, they won their game last time out, 4-3 in overtime, against the Capitals.
Marko Nadin
The Edmonton Oilers are 9th in the Western Conference with a 31-23-7 record. After losing three straight games, the Oilers won 4-3 in overtime over the Washington Capitals. The Oilers are scoring and allowing 3.2 goals per game and are ranked 6th in the league with 33.3 shots per goal per game. The Oilers have won 7 of the last 10 games playing on 2 days rest and 4 of the last 5 games on Saturday but have lost 4 of the last 5 games as an underdog and 9 of the last 11 games against opponents from the Atlantic Division.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are third in the Eastern Conference with a 37-14-6 record. They have lost the last two games against Winnipeg and Calgary which is the first time to lose back-to-back games since January 2. The defending champions are seventh in the league with 3.4 goals per game and have won 8 of the last 10 games against Edmonton including the last five. They have won 13 of the last 15 games against Western Conference teams and 41 of the last 56 against teams from the Pacific Division.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (+122)
Tony Battalio
This is going to be the best game of the Saturday slate as two of the most talented teams in the National Hockey League are set to face off. As the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning will travel north of the border to play Connor McDavid, Evander Kane, and the Edmonton Oilers. Tampa Bay is having a rough time on their road trip but this seems like the perfect time for a turnaround as they come into this game with a record of 1-2 on the trip and a record of 37-14-6 through their first 57 games of the year.
Not our best.
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 11, 2022
The Edmonton Oilers severely underperformed during the first couple of months of the season. However, since the all-star break, they have stepped it up and battled their way back into playoff contention with around 25 games left on the year for the majority of the league. The Oilers come into this game with a record of 31-23-4 through their first 58 games of the season. They are currently in fourth place in the Pacific division at the moment. As for the result of this game, I have the Edmonton Oilers getting the win over Tampa Bay at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (+122)
Jeffery Thomas
The Tampa Bay Lightning will look to turn around their six-game road trip on Saturday when they travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers. So far Tampa is 1-2 on the trip with their last game out being a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. The game before that they dropped a 7-4 result to the Winnipeg Jets and they have now lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time all season. With the Florida Panthers playing that same night and getting a victory, Tampa Bay fell behind them by 5 points in the Atlantic Division race. Edmonton has been off since their 4-3 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals so they will be nice and rested for this battle with the 2-time defending Stanley Cup Champions. It was a much-needed win for an Oilers squad that is still sitting outside the playoff picture and was in the midst of a three-game losing streak. They are still very much alive for the postseason though, as entering Friday’s action they are just 1 point behind the Dallas Stars for that second wild-card spot so every game from here on out will be paramount.
This hasn’t been a friendly matchup for the Oilers in recent history, as Tampa Bay has taken each of their last five meetings. It also doesn’t help that the Lightning will once again have a much better roster and goaltending advantage on Saturday. All trends side with the Bolts who will be looking to avenge their loss to the Flames on Thursday. I like Tampa here to get the road victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-146)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
