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 five games on today’s schedule.
Anaheim Ducks @ St. Louis Blues – 7.00PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks have one final game on the road before returning home, and on Sunday night they will take on the St. Louis Blues. The Ducks are playing on back-to-back nights and are coming off a tough 0-1 loss to the Penguins. The Blues are also playing on back-to-back nights, although they had better luck last time out, winning 4-1 against the Canadiens, which takes their winning streak to three.
Denis Kirilov
Two of the best teams in the Western Conference will go head-to-head on Sunday in the NHL. The St. Louis Blues host the Anaheim Ducks in what promises to be a very exciting contest in Enterprise Center. The Blues occupy 4th place in the West with 34 points, while the Ducks are surprisingly 3rd with 35 points. Anaheim had to overcome the challenges of the Buffalo Sabres and the Columbus Blue Jackets, while St. Louis had a tougher task in defeating the Florida Panthers, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Montreal Canadiens. The Ducks actually lost their last game prior to this one, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, 1:0.
St. Louis, however, have a long list of injuries and on top of that, won’t be able to use Justin Faulk and Tyler Bozak due to non-Covid related illnesses. The team is looking great so far and even without plenty of their players, they are stable in the top 10 of the Conference. The Ducks are also without some of their best players. Adam Henrique, Ryan Getzlaf, and Maxime Comtois are still recovering from injuries and they will miss the fixture against the Blues. I think that the situation is pretty balanced and I would be surprised if one of these teams manage to dismantle the opponent. That’s why I will go with a more unorthodox pick as I will choose a tie after the first period.
Denis’ NHL Pick: First Period Result – Tie (+184)
Tony Battalio
Both of these teams are coming off of games last night as they will face each other in the second leg of back to back games. Anaheim and St.Louis have been up and down teams so far this year as they both have had decent winning streaks but have also struggled at times as well. They both are currently occupying playoff spots in the Western Conference as of today as Anaheim is second in the Pacific and St.Louis holds on to the top wild card spot. Both teams will be looking to pick up a momentum boosting win in this one.
Z’s got the ally if Sonny has the oop.
Goal of the year.
Call it now. #FlyTogether | @tzegras11 pic.twitter.com/tOj6oDyQzY— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) December 8, 2021
The Ducks are coming off of a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins that dropped their record to 15-9-5 on the year. Meanwhile the Blues are coming off of a win against the Montreal Canadians that improved them to 15-8-4 on the year. So these teams are virtually even as far as records are concerned. However when the final buzzer sounds I have the St. Louis Blues picking up the win to finish the weekend with a record of 2-0-0.
Tony’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-144)
Michael Lantz
The St. Louis Blues are coming off a three-game win streak as they’ve worked their way up to second place in the Central Division, thanks to a variety of players on the team stepping up and scoring goals over the last couple of games. St. Louis will look to keep things going as they face an Anaheim Ducks team that’s looking to stay afloat in the Pacific Division, despite a 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins and a bit of an offensive struggle over the last couple of games.
The Ducks have only scored four goals over the last three games, but luckily their defense has kept them in it as they won 2-0 against the Sabres, 2-1 against the Blue Jackets and then were barely beaten by the Penguins. Both of these teams have top five power play units, but the Blues have been a bit more of an offensive force this season. They’ll face a Ducks team which has had recent success on defense but a hard time creating. This is a pretty even matchup but I’m going to go with the home team Blues to pull off a tight one.
Michael’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-144)
Nashville Predators @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
The Nashville Predators finish up their four game road trip in New York when they take on the Rangers. The Predators are having a great run as of late, and they have won four games in a row, which brings their season record to 16-10-1. The Rangers have only lost one game so far in December, with their season record sitting at 18-5-3.
Denis Kirilov
The Nashville Predators will have a tough visit at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. The Predators enjoy a 4-game winning streak and they won’t be eager to give it away. They have won three in a row on the road defeating teams like the Red Wings, the Islanders, and the Devils. The sheer balance within the team is unparalleled as players like Mikael Granlund, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Johansen lead the way for them. Roman Josi is their playmaker who hasn’t missed a game from the start as he has 9 goals and 18 assists for 27 appearances. The Predators are also quite high in the standings as they are 4th in the West with 33 points.
The New York Rangers are playing ice-hockey on a very different level than what they used to be in the previous years. The team is 2nd in the Eastern Conference with 39 points from 26 games. They hold one of the best records at home as they managed to go on an 8-0 run during the last month. The team relies much on Chris Kreider who has 17 goals so far with just 18 minutes average time on the ice. Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin are fantastic playmakers as each of them have more than 20 assists for 26 games. I think that this will be a close game that will be decided in the last period. However, I will still go with the Rangers as they seem like the more balanced team.
Denis’ NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-138)
Tony Battalio
The Nashville Predators are coming into this game with a record of 16-10-1 on the season. Nashville is currently on a four game winning streak that has propelled them to third place in the Central division. They have a record of 4-1-0 in the month of December and will look to continue to improve upon that with a huge win in this one. This game against the Rangers will be the finale of a four game road trip that has gone great for the Predators thus far as they are 3-0 and have outscored their opponents 12-7 so far.
The New York Rangers are coming into this game with a record of 18-5-3 on the season. They recently had a seven game winning streak broken by Colorado, but bounced right back into the win column by beating Buffalo on Friday. They have had a great month of December thus far as they have played six games and only have one defeat in that span, to the previously mentioned Avalanche. They will be looking to start racking up wins again if they can pick up one here in this game. As for the result of this game, I expect exactly that as I look for the Rangers to come out of this game victorious at home over Nashville.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-138)
Michael Lantz
The Nashville Predators have won four straight games, including their last two being against teams in the New York metropolitan area, as they knocked off both the Islanders and Devils. The New York Rangers will be their toughest opponent they’ve faced over the course of their current win streak, as New York’s finest sit at 18-5-3 after a close win against the Buffalo Sabres, in which they won 2-1. In that game they got another great performance from Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, who had two assists in the game.
It was a gritty win against a bad team, but it’s all the Rangers needed after they were blown out by the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. They’ll hope to keep the momentum alive against a Nashville team that’s played very well on the road lately, and are slowly but surely climbing up the Western Conference playoff rankings. Not only do the Predators have a Norris Trophy themselves in Roman Josi, but forward Mikael Granlund has been sensational tallying 22 assists on the season. As good as the Rangers have been this year, I can’t bet against the way the Predators have been playing. I’ll go with what should be the minor upset here and take the Predators.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (+115)
Florida Panthers @ Colorado Avalanche – 8.00PM ET
The Florida Panthers finish up their road trip in Colorado when they take on the Avalanche. The Panthers have a second record of 18-4-4, and they have won three of their last four games. The Avalanche are currently on the three game winning streak, with wins against the Flyers, Rangers and Red Wings.
Denis Kirilov
The Florida Panthers and the Colorado Avalanche are two of the top teams in the NHL at the moment. The Avalanche are the current favorite to lift the Stanley Cup, while the Panthers have proved that they can dominate the League. Florida leads the Eastern Conference with 40 points out of 26 games, while Colorado is 5th in the West with 32 points from 24 matches. Both teams almost have a secured spot in the Playoffs as they will need to keep that high level of play until January-February in order to play in the bracket.
Colorado is the highest scoring team in the NHL with 106 goals scored. Doing the math, this will mean that they score 4.42 goals on average which is an incredible achievement. The Panthers are not falling much behind with their 99 goals or 3.81 goals per game. Both teams show a decent performance in defense as well, but their biggest strength is surely their attack. They have faced each other in the beginning of the season when the Panthers took a 4:1. I think it’s revenge-time and we will see a victory for Colorado on Sunday. The Avalanche are almost 100% healthy and I believe this will resonate with the outcome of the game.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-142)
Tony Battalio
Two of the top teams in the NHL get set to square off in this one. It’s a match up of a current Stanley Cup favorite, the Florida Panthers and a preseason Stanley Cup favorite, the Colorado Avalanche. Both teams are having fantastic seasons, Florida is performing right at the expectations set for them, while Colorado is doing slightly worse than we’re expected to do but still respectable enough. Florida is currently sitting at 1st place in the Atlantic division. Colorado is sitting at third in the Pacific.
Keep adjusting, and keep this thing going. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/yqjvO91uSi
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 11, 2021
The Colorado Avalanche are currently on a three game winning streak heading into this game. Meanwhile the Panthers won their last game over Arizona on Friday. This is a game that has the potential to go down to the wire and potentially end in a shootout. As for the result of the game, I have the Colorado Avalanche picking up the hard fought victory on home ice, extending their winning streak to four games in the process.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-142)
Michael Lantz
This could very well be the game of the night, as the first place Florida Panthers take on a Colorado Avalanche team that’s finally close to full-strength, and taking no prisoners. Over the last three games the Avalanche have scored seven goals in each match, as their incredible depth that ranges from Nathan MacKinnon to Andre Burakovsky have scored goals. They’ll look to continue to poor on the goals against a Panthers team that’s first in a tough Atlantic Division, but is fully capable of being bullied by a good opposing offense.
The Panthers have given up three goals or more in their recent games against the Blues (twice), the Capitals (twice), and the Wild. The Avalanche could pose a threat of being their most dangerous opponent yet, and while they can match the Avs in scoring ability, is their defense up to the task? I think this one will be a high-scoring affair, but as the Avalanche’s lines start to mesh, I expect them to take advantage of the home-ice and knock off a Florida team that might be in first, but still needs to convince folks they can be dominant on both sides of the puck.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-142)
Minnesota Wild @ Vegas Golden Knights – 9.00PM ET
The Minnesota Wild play one final game on the road on Sunday night in Vegas, when they take on the Golden Knights, before returning home again. The Wild are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they lost, 1-2, to the Kings, which brings their season record to 19-7-1. The Golden Knights had their three game winning streak snapped last time out against the Flyers, losing 3-4.
Denis Kirilov
The Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights will face each other on Sunday in T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. If someone would have predicted that the Wild will lead the West after around 25 games played overall, then he might have been considered crazy. However, that’s the reality now and they are on top of the table with 39 points, 3 points more than the closest team and one game in hand. They were on an 8-game winning streak right before they faced the Los Angeles Kings in their last match, losing 2:1. The Wild will be looking to get back to winning and gain further advantage in the battle for the Playoffs.
The Vegas Golden Knights, on the other hand, are looking fairly good as they are 9th in the West, but their most recent games suggest an increase in the level of their performance. They have been without some of their key figures for the most part of the early stage of the season, but as of now, the Golden Knights have only 3 players on the injury list. The team won three of their last games defeating the likes of the Calgary Flames and the Dallas Stars. However, the inconsistency was once again proven with a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers who were on a 10-game losing streak ahead of their meeting. I think that their defense is the essence of their problems as it will also affect them in the match against Minnesota. I expect to see yet another win for this fantastic Minnesota Wild squad.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (+134)
Tony Battalio
The Minnesota Wild will be playing the second game of a back to back in Vegas after facing off with the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night. This game against the Las Vegas Golden Knights will be the finale of a four game road trip. As they return home sitting on top of the Central division, and holding the best record in the National Hockey League. However they did fall to the Kings on Saturday night.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are 15-11-0 coming into this game. In their last game they lost to the Philadelphia Flyers, which broke a two game winning streak for Las Vegas in the process. This game against Minnesota is the finale of a four game home stand for Vegas so they will be looking to finish it off with a victory. However I do not see that happening as I look for the Minnesota Wild to pick up the victory on the road in this one, and further their claim as the best team in the league this season.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (+134)
Michael Lantz
After Vegas captured two impressive wins against opponents that looked primed for the playoffs (the Flames and the Stars), the Golden Knights took a step back on Friday night as they were upset by a Philadelphia Flyers team that had gone winless in ten straight games. The Flyers were going to win one eventually, but it still has to be an ego blow for the Knights being the ones to end a drought—especially after they had gotten such impressive wins. Now, they’ll try to bounce back on Sunday against a Wild team that might be the best in the Western Conference.
Minnesota definitely has the points to show they’re the Western Conference’s top squad, with 39 points to lead the Central Division. But, much like the Knights they were victim to an upset on Sturdy as they were blanked 2-1 by the L.A. Kings, who currently sit in sixth in the Pacific Division. Still, the Wild were coming off an eight-game win streak, so maybe it was better to get the pressure off their chest before a big matchup against a Vegas team that’s looking to compete for a Stanley Cup. This one should be a lot of fun, but I’ll go with a Minnesota team that’s been a bit more consistent this season and has played quite nicely on the road.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (+134)
Carolina Hurricanes @ Vancouver Canucks – 10.00PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes are on the road again when they take on the Vancouver Canucks, who are in the middle of a reasonable homestand. The Hurricanes played last night, beating the Oilers, 3-1, which takes their currently winning streak to four. The Canucks have a current winning streak of three games, and this brings their season record to 11-15-2.
Denis Kirilov
The Carolina Hurricanes is one of the top performing teams in the NHL at the moment. The team is coming into this game after 4 straight wins over teams like the Sabres, the Jets, the Flames, and the Oilers. The Hurricanes are 4th in the East with 39 points, just a single point behind the 1st place occupied by the Florida Panthers. Sebastian Aho and his teammates have been doing miracles up front, while Anthony DeAngelo, Jaccob Slavin, and Brett Pesce are the main reasons for their fantastic defensive plays. Their best aspect of the game is exactly their defense as their opponents have gone past the keeper a total of 56 times in 26 games.
The Vancouver Canucks is a team that is really inconsistent as it struggles a lot in offensive lines. The top scorers of the team, J.T. Miller and Conor Garland, have just 9 goals, while only 3 players from their roster have more than 10 assists so far. Their defense is what keeps them going this season and the main reason for their great performance recently. The Canucks won 5 out of their last 6 games in which they conceded a total of 11 goals (below 2 goals per game). They found a way to stop teams like the Boston Bruins, the LA Kings, and the Winnipeg Jets. I think that Vancouver has the potential to battle for a Playoffs spot, but Carolina seems to be a tough opponent to handle. My pick here goes in favor of the Hurricanes.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-132)
Tony Battalio
The Vancouver Canucks have had a tough go of things so far this season. They come into this game, a full six wins below the .500 mark with a record of 11-15-2 on the year. However they do come into this one with a three game winning streak and have picked up victories in four of their last five, in the month of December. They will be looking to pick up another big win in this one.
Every different POV of this goal you watch, it just keeps getting better 🙌 pic.twitter.com/aTLLQhmpoi
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) December 11, 2021
The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off a hard fought game against one of the best teams in the league, the Edmonton Oilers. Now in the second game of a back to back they will take on the Vancouver Canucks on the road as well. They are one of the top teams in the league this season as they are ahead of the .500 mark by double digits. As for the result of this game I have the Carolina Hurricanes picking up the victory on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-132)
Michael Lantz
After some uneven performances, the Carolina Hurricanes are starting to cause damage, as they’ve won four straight, including three consecutive games against Canadian opponents. They’ll look to finish off their northern road trip against a Vancouver Canucks team that’s taken a 180 since hiring new coach Bruce Boudreau.
The Canucks are 3-0, since their new head coaching hire, and have possessed a new confidence after they started the season 8-15-2. They’ll face their biggest test yet against a Hurricanes team that looks like a Stanley Cup contender when they’re at their best. Carolina has continuously shown they can get it done on offense, but their defense and goaltending have had a resurgence as of late as they’ve allowed two goals or less in each of the last four games (all Carolina wins). This has put goalie Frederik Andersen back in the Vezina Trophy running, after he looked like a clear cut favorite early on, but then went on a bit of a cold streak. Still, the Hurricanes can’t come into this one too confident as the Canucks are hitting their stride. Brock Boeser, Conor Garland, and J.T. Miller have all come up big in recent games as they’re embracing a new era in Canucks hockey with Boudreau at the helm. The Hurricanes may be the better team, but they’ve had to play a lot of tense hockey over the last six days. I’ll take the Canucks with the upset here, as they’re confidence just continues to grow by the game.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Vancouver Canucks (+110)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
