We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move towards the mid way point in the season, each division’s ladder is starting to take shape. 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.
Seattle Kraken @ Florida Panthers – 6.00PM ET
Both teams are playing on back-to-back days, and both are coming off a loss last time out. The Kraken’s road trip continues in Florida on Saturday night, and they have won two of their previous three games, including wins against the Capitals and Hurricanes, but they couldn’t pull off a third upset in a row against the Lightning. The Panthers will be looking for redemption after losing, 3-4, against the Capitals last time out.
Denis Kirilov
The Florida Panthers are off to a fantastic start this season. They are tied for 1st place in the Eastern Conference with the Carolina Hurricanes as both have 31 points. The Panthers are the highest scoring team in the NHL as they always produce goals. So far, they are looking at 76 goals scored in 20 games which makes it 3.8 goals per match. From one of the hidden favorites for the Stanley Cup, the team that is looking for its first title became one of the top contenders to lift the trophy. They will become even more deadly when Aleksander Barkov and Noel Acciari recover from their injuries. The team has found its form recently as they were in a 4-game winning streak before losing to the Capitals in their most recent game.
The Seattle Kraken made some compelling games lately as they managed to trip some of the best teams in the League. The rookies consecutively defeated the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes, but were eventually beaten by the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last match ahead of this game. The Kraken are 15th in the West and just 3 points above the last place held by the Arizona Coyotes. The newly established team is not looking for miracles as it’s more than expected to see them struggle in their first season together. It will surely take some time before they can compete with the best in the NHL. For me, this matchup might end in an upset, but I will use Florida’s momentum and I will pick them to cover their spread.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+126)
Tony Battalio
The National Hockey League’s newest team has not had the introduction to the league they were hoping for. The Seattle Kraken have struggled throughout the first quarter of the 2021 season. They head into this game against the Florida Panthers with a record of 6-13-1 on the year. However they have been able to win two of three last games.
Final numbers from tonight. #FLAvsWSH pic.twitter.com/40YozFJEQc
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) November 27, 2021
The Florida Panthers got off to a blazing hot start as they started the year with a record of 14-3-3 through the season’s first quarter. They had a great October that was dampened by a somewhat average November, as the fallout from the Chicago Blackhawks scandal continues. As for the result of this one, I look for the Florida Panthers to pick up the win and cover the goal difference in the process.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+126)
Michael Lantz
After a rough six-game losing streak, the Seattle Kraken got two wins to end their homestand, against two of the league’s top teams. They beat the Washington Capitals, 5-2, and the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1, to show that despite their record, they can hang with the best teams. Then on Friday night they headed to Amalie Arena to take on the defending champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning, where they were blanked 0-3. Things won’t get any easier for the expansion franchise, as they play a 14-3-3 Florida Panthers team 24 hours later.
That being said, Florida also played Friday night and were victims of a loss. The Panthers got overpowered by the Washington Capitals, who beat them 3-4 after an Alexander Ovechkin hat-trick. Luckily for the Panthers, there are no Ovechkin-type players on the Kraken…yet. In this battle of two teams that played on Friday night, I’ve got to go with the home team that has the experience and the better record. Seattle has shown they can upset big teams, but that’s much more likely to happen in front of a home crowd, as opposed to the other side of the country.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+126)
Edmonton Oilers @ Vegas Golden Knights – 7.00PM ET
The Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights play their last game of November against each other on Saturday night. The Oilers have won three of their previous four, with wins against the Jets, Blackhawks and Coyotes, and this takes their season record to 14-5-0. The Golden Knight have also won three of their last four, with wins against the Red Wings, Blue Jackets and Predators, and their season record is currently sitting at 12-8-0.
Denis Kirilov
The Edmonton Oilers have two of the best forwards in the NHL this season. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl show such amazing understanding between each other that they are 1st and 2nd on the points leaderboard which is a really rare occasion. Being the driving force for such a team is not an easy job as it requires both consistency and class. So far, they have managed to stay on top of their game, but the most concerning thing to their fans is whether both of them reached their peak way early in the season. The Oilers are 2nd in the Western Conference with an ideal chance to go on 1st after Saturday as they are just one point away from the Calgary Flames. Scoring 74 goals for 19 matches is by far the highest average a team has in the League, while their +17 goals difference is also amongst the best.
The Vegas Golden Knights found their form recently, as they had a rough start to this campaign. However, they managed to pick up 11 wins out of their last 15 matches which escalated them to 5th place in the West. They are just 4 points behind their opponent and with a victory tomorrow, they might eventually close that gap. The Oilers are quite inconsistent in their away games this season, as they mostly rely on their home matches. On the other hand, Vegas won 6 out of their last 7 games at T-Mobile Arena, but looking deeper into their fixtures, we can clearly see that they have troubles against the top teams in the League. I expect nothing different tomorrow and I will give my preferences to McDavid and Draisaitl’s Edmonton.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (+112)
Tony Battalio
Both Edmonton and Las Vegas will play their November finale against each other. The Edmonton Oilers have played 12 games this month and have an overall record of 8-4 heading into this one. They have got off to a great start this season as they are currently 14-5 overall on the year. It definitely helps when you have the potential 2021-22 MVP on your team in either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers are looking like a clear favorite to win the Stanley Cup title this season.
The Vegas Golden Knights come into this game with a record of 12-8 through the first quarter of the season. They also come into this game having won three out of their last four contests. They have had a pretty average month of November as they have gone 8-4 through their first 12 games this month, which is identical to their opponents. As for the result of this game, I look for the Edmonton Oilers to pick up a big road win where Connor McDavid will surely turn in another huge performance.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (+112)
Michael Lantz
This Pacific Division showdown between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights should be a good one as these two teams will provide what could be a sneak preview of the postseason. Vegas is coming off a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, a game in which they got big goals from leading point scorer Chandler Stephenson and captain Mark Stone. They’ll look to continue that play against an 14-5-0 Edmonton Oilers team that’s exceptional on offense, but has some glaring holes on their defense.
Edmonton is coming off a 5-3 win against the Arizona Coyotes, where Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl scored two goals a piece. This Edmonton offense continues to be one of the NHL’s most dangerous, thanks to McDavid and Draisaitl, who are two of the league’s premier players. That being said, their defense is ranked in the lower half for opponent goals per game. The blue liners won’t have it any easier on Saturday as they face off against a Vegas Golden Knights team that’s been resilient throughout the season. I’ll pick the balanced Vegas squad to win this one at home.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (-134)
Columbus Blue Jackets @ St. Louis Blues – 8.00PM ET
The Columbus Blue Jackets commence their road trip when they take on the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. The Blue Jackets have a nice three game winning streak, and they have won five of their last six, with their only loss coming against the Golden Knights, 2-3. The Blues have only won one of their past four games, and last time out they let the Blackhawks get a rare win for their season, as the Blues lost 2-3 (in overtime).
Denis Kirilov
The Columbus Blue Jackets might end up one of the surprising teams that will reach the Playoffs this season. It’s still early to say, but the way they are playing recently suggests exactly that. The team hasn’t really achieved a lot as they haven’t even reached the Stanley Cup Semifinals yet in their 21-year history. However, the Blue Jackets are looking quite consistent recently. They are 7th in the East with 24 points out of 18 matches. They won 8 out of their last 11 games in the NHL, defeating the likes of the Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, and New Jersey Devils.
The St. Louis Blues have been moderately dominant in their opening matches for the season. Later on, they were forced to play with more AHL players due to Covid-19 issues with their main players which had a negative impact on their performance. They are yet to bounce back as they haven’t won back-to-back games since late October. The Blues lost their last two games against teams from the bottom of the table – the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. However, they are in a 2-game winning streak at home overcoming the challenge by the San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights. I think the matches in front of their home crowd will be the core element for finding their rhythm once again. That’s why I will trust them in this upcoming fixture and recommend you to have them win in regular time.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Moneyline 3-Way – St. Louis Blues (-115)
Tony Battalio
Columbus is one of the more surprising teams in the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. They have got off to a fantastic start as they look to be way ahead of schedule on their rebuild. They come into this game off of a victory on Friday night against the Vancouver Canucks that improved their record on the year to 12-6-0. Columbus also comes into this one having won five of their last six games. If they keep up this level of play they have the opportunity to make some serious noise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Not all games will be Picassos, but Lars will take this one anyway.@pedialyte | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/nIKZQL6GDp
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) November 27, 2021
As for the St. Louis Blues, they come into this game with a record 10-7-3 after Friday night’s loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime. The Blues got off to a pretty hot start this season but have since cooled off in the month of November as they have struggled like some other notable teams. They come into this one having lost 3 of their last 4 contests and with both teams on the second half of back to back games, fatigue is sure to be spread evenly on both sides. As for the result of this one, I see the Columbus Blue Jackets picking up yet another victory on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets (+150)
Michael Lantz
The St. Louis Blues continued their struggles on Friday night as they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in OT. St. Louis still sits at 10-7-3 on the season, but they have suffered losses from Chicago and Arizona in recent games. They’ll hope to revitalize their winning ways in a matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.
The Columbus Blue Jackets may be fifth in the always competitive Metropolitan Division, but they still possess a 12-6-0 record—which is way better than where many would’ve had them through 18 games before the season. The Blue Jackets are currently in the midst of a three-game win streak in which they’ve outscored opponents 14-6. This has all been without Patrik Laine, who has been sidelined with an injury since the beginning of the month. They’ll look to make it four in St. Louis, against a Blues team that has been inconsistent as of late. I’ll take Columbus to continue their confident play against a Blues team that, despite being in second in the Central Division, is having a hard time finding an identity.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets (+150)
Nashville Predators @ Colorado Avalanche – 9.00PM ET
Both teams are playing on back-to-back nights, as the Nashville Predators travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche. The Predators got a win against the Devils last time out, 4-2, which brings their season record to 11-8-1. The Avalanche lost last time out to the Stars, 1-3, and this loss snapped a six game winning streak for the team.
Denis Kirilov
The top favorites to lift the Stanley Cup, the Colorado Avalanche, are on the verge of finding the right rhythm. They were in a fantastic 6-game winning streak as they couldn’t stop scoring during this period. Dismantling teams like the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks definitely had a positive effect on their confidence. However, in their most recent match, they lost against the Dallas Stars on the road. They literally dominated throughout the whole game, but couldn’t find their way past Dallas’ goaltender, Jake Oettinger. I think that this was just a one-time event as the team continues to be thoroughly dangerous, since they still have some more places to climb in the standings.
The Nashville Predators are one of the pleasant surprises as they are above the Avalanche at 6th place with 23 points out of 20 games. The Predators won their last match against the New Jersey Devils, as they gradually built their lead to end up winning 4-2. The team doesn’t fall apart under pressure when they have to face strong teams this year, but they still lose most of these games. For instance, such losses include a 3-goal loss to the Oilers, a 3-goal loss to the Maple Leafs, and a 3-goal loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. However, they shouldn’t be underestimated, since the Predators defeated the Calgary Flames in one of their best periods during the start of this season and they were also one of the teams that defeated the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks in October. In my opinion, Colorado’s current form will be a tough thing for Nashville to overcome, so I will go with them covering their spread.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+130)
Tony Battalio
Both Nashville and Colorado will be playing the second half of back to backs against each other on Saturday evening. The Nashville Predators picked up a big home win by a score of 4-2 against the New Jersey Devils, while the Avalanche were beaten 1-3 on the road by the Dallas Stars. Both teams come into this match up hovering above the .500 mark as Nashville is 11-8-1 and Colorado is 10-6-1 on the year as we approach the end of the first quarter of the year.
Both teams could use a win here to gain some momentum and close the month of November out on a high note. Nashville has been a bit of a mixed bag as they have been unable to string together any type of winning streak. Meanwhile the Avalanche have won 6 of their last 7 games dating back to early November and their loss to the Blue Jackets which was their last defeat before a 6 game winning streak. That streak was broken in last night’s loss against Dallas. As for the result of this one, I have the Avalanche getting the win as despite the loss last time out, they are still playing much better hockey at the moment.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-205)
Michael Lantz
After a six game scoring bonanza in which they went 6-0-0, the Colorado Avalanche finally came back down to earth on Friday night, as they lost 1-3 to the Dallas Stars. With Nathan MacKinnon sidelined due to injury, this Avalanche team went on a bit of an unexpected tear in his absence thanks to the brilliant play of captain Garbriel Landeskog, star player Mikko Rantanen, and the breakthrough success of Nazem Kadri. The Avs will look to reignite their scoring power on Saturday night against the Nashville Predators.
Nashville continues to hang around with an 11-8-1 record; this team constantly fluctuates between winning and losing, making them a tough one to put a finger on. They’re currently riding high off a 4-2 win against the New Jersey Devils on Friday, a momentum in which they hope to carry over to Denver on Saturday night. Roman Josi continues to be brilliant on defense, as he helped the team with one goal and one assist on Friday night. The Preds will rely on him and this well rounded offense to fend off a Colorado team that’s fully capable of an offensive explosion. An explosion is exactly what I expect from the Avs, who seemed to get their one down night out of the way against the Stars.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-205)
Winnipeg Jets @ Calgary Flames – 10.00PM ET
The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames will play each other in the final game on Saturday night’s slate. The Jets are desperate for a win, after losing five games in a row, which brings their season record to 9-6-4. The Flames are flying high at the moment, currently on a four game winning streak, with solid wins over the Sabres, Islanders, Bruins and Blackhawks.
Denis Kirilov
The game between the Winnipeg Jets and the Calgary Flames will definitely be a delight to watch on Saturday night in the NHL. Both teams started amazingly this season as the Flames lead the Western Conference with 29 points out of 20 games. The Winnipeg Jets were in top 3 recently, but their awful 5-game losing streak dragged them back. The situation in Calgary is quite the opposite. They enjoyed a 4-0 run ahead of this game as they were more than merciless in this period. They scored 4.75 goals on average and conceded just 1 goal for the span of these four games. Defeating the Boston Bruins in high fashion a couple of days ago gave them even more motivation and confidence and the Flames look as deadly as ever.
Calgary is also one of the most well-developed teams in terms of defense. Alongside the Carolina Hurricanes, they are the other team who is yet to concede 40 goals this season. The Flames are also doing pretty well in front of their opponent’s goal, which further cements their amazing form in the start of this campaign. Winnipeg is in shambles after suffering some really awful defeats recently as they average 1 goal per game for their last 5 games. On the other hand, they are conceding 2.4 goals, most of which came from the Minnesota Wild in their last encounter before the match in Calgary. They lost 1-7 which surely had a demotivating effect on the whole team. For me, this loss underlined some of the biggest issues within the Jets and I will use this in my favor and I will suggest picking the Flames as the final winner of tomorrow’s game.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-184)
Tony Battalio
A battle of two Canadian teams is always fun to watch. That is what is on tap in the finale of the Saturday NHL slate as the Winnipeg Jets face off with the Calgary Flames. The Winnipeg Jets got absolutely blasted in their last game as the Minnesota Wild beat them by a score of 1-7. The loss on Friday night marked five straight defeats for the Jets as they have had a very tough month of November. They will be looking to pick up a huge victory in this one as their record only stands at a depressing 9-7-4 on the year.
“Our foundation is making it very difficult for teams to get any opportunities.”
Erik Gudbranson checks in with the media to discuss the play of the club 20 games into the season. pic.twitter.com/migKSZEV8j
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) November 26, 2021
As for the Calgary Flames, they come into this game with a record of 12-3-5 on the year. They also head into this game on a four game winning streak and winners of five of their last six games as well. They will be looking to keep the momentum rolling in this one against their fellow Canadian franchise. As for the result of this one, I expect the Calgary Flames to extend their winning streak and keep the momentum going heading into the Christmas month.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-184)
Michael Lantz
A couple weeks ago this one would’ve been marked on my calendar as a must-watch matchup. But, the Winnipeg Jets have been absolutely awful over the last week and a half. After a big 5-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers on November 16th, the Jets have gone winless in their last five, while being outscored an embarrassing 18 goals to 5. What’s even worse is, things don’t seem to be getting better: their worst loss of those five came Friday night against the Minnesota Wild in a 1-7 defeat. The Jets look terrible on both sides of the puck and the Calgary Flames are one of the last teams you want to face right now while struggling across the stat sheet.
The Calgary Flames are on a four-game win streak in which they’ve outscored their opponents 19-4. They can attribute this to brilliant play on both offense and defense as forwards like Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm continue to dominate up front while Jacob Markstrom continues to put up a Vezina Trophy-worthy performance in front of the net. Right now, I have a hard time picking almost anyone against the Flames, especially a Jets team that’s been struggling so mightily. I’ll take Calgary at home.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames -1.5 (+140)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
