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 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.
Carolina Hurricanes @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 1.00PM ET
A clash of two rivals in the Metropolitan Division to kick off your Sunday viewing in the NHL, when we see the Carolina Hurricanes take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Hurricanes are playing on back-to-back days, and yesterday they had an afternoon game against the Flyers, a game in which they won, 3-1. The Penguins will be coming off a couple days’ rest, and in their last game they defeated the Golden Knights, 5-2.
Marko Nadin
The Pittsburgh Penguins are fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 35-15-9 record. The Penguins are coming off a 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights which got their two-game losing streak snapped. Pittsburgh is the fourth-best defensive team in the league allowing 2.6 goals per game while they are ranked 10th with 3.2 scored goals per game. The Penguins have won 17 of the last 25 games against Eastern Conference teams but have lost 7 of the last 10 home games and 5 of the last 7 games against teams with a winning record over 60%.
The Carolina Hurricanes are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 41-12-5 record. They have won the last four games without scoring more than 3 goals in each of them. The Hurricanes are on top of the league with 2.3 allowed goals per game and 89.2 PP%. Carolina has won 5 of the last 6 games against Pittsburgh. The Hurricanes have won 5 of the last 6 games against teams from the Metropolitan Division and 5 of the last 7 games as road underdogs.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+110)
Tony Battalio
This one is going to be the best game of the Sunday slate, as two of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference are set to face off. As the Carolina Hurricanes head north to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Carolina Hurricanes are in my opinion the top favorite in the Eastern Conference this season. They come into this game with a record of 41-12-5 through their first 58 games of the season. They will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one after beating the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday afternoon.
Seriously though, HOW did Freddie save this?! pic.twitter.com/MoKDb1jQEU
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 13, 2022
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game as a dark horse contender to win the Stanley Cup trophy. They come into this game with a record of 35-15-9 through their first 59 games of the season. The Penguins are currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division as they sit behind the Carolina Hurricanes at the moment, eight points from first. Pittsburgh is currently on a one game winning streak. As for the result of this game, I have the Carolina Hurricanes getting the victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-132)
Jeffery Thomas
The Carolina Hurricanes will be on the back-to-back after taking down the Flyers, the other Pennsylvania team, on Sunday by a score of 3-1. It was a tight game throughout with no goals being scored in the first period and then both teams getting 1 in the second. The Canes broke the tie at the 16:10 mark in the third period and added an empty netter with 21 seconds left to get the 2-goal victory. The win got Carolina to 87 points on the season, tying the Avalanche for the most points in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins got Saturday off after a 5-2 win over the Vegas Knights on Friday.
The Pens remain in a seesaw battle with the Rangers for that 2nd place spot in the Metro and with New York’s win on Saturday they overtook Pittsburgh again. Another great value spot on this Sunday slate here. I get why Pittsburgh will be favored as the home team but Carolina is rolling, winning four in a row and not allowing more than two goals in any of the games. Also, the game that started this streak was a 3-2 win over these same Penguins just over a week ago and I think we get a similar result in the Sunday matchup.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+110)
Winnipeg Jets @ St. Louis Blues – 7.00PM ET
The Winnipeg Jets wrap up their three game road trip with a game against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night. The Jets have gone 1-1-0 so far this trip, and will be looking to end it on a positive note. The Blues are back on track, after dropping four games in a row, they have won their next two, over the Rangers and Predators.
Marko Nadin
The St. Louis Blues are third in the Western Conference with a 34-17-7 record. They won the last two games, most recently 7-4 against the Nashville Predators. The Blues are ranked fifth in the league with 3.6 goals per game and third with 26.1 PP%. St. Louis has won 10 of the last 12 games against Western Conference teams and 17 of the last 22 home games. The Blues don’t play particularly well on Sunday, losing 7 of the last 10. They have played under the total goals margin in 18 of the last 28 games against rivals from the West.
The Winnipeg Jets are 12th in the Western Conference with a 26-23-10 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-5-loss over the New York Islanders. Winnipeg has won 4 of the last 5 games against the Blues. The Jets have won 4 of the last 5 games playing after 1 day off but have lost 10 of the last 14 road games. They have lost 5 of the last 6 games against conference rivals. Winnipeg has played over the total goals margin in 6 of the last 8 games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-146)
Tony Battalio
The Winnipeg Jets are coming into this game with a record of 26-23-10 through their first 59 games of the season. At this point last season the Jets were much better although it is hard to gauge improvement and regression with how unique the season was last year. Winnipeg currently finds themselves in sixth place in the Central Division. The Jets aren’t completely out of the playoff picture, as they are only five points back of the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with 23 games to go in the regular season.
Quick trip to Nashville to pick up two points.
Watch all seven Blues goals from Music City, presented by @SitemanCenter. #stlblues pic.twitter.com/ZlbA5e5xSl
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) March 13, 2022
The St. Louis Blues are coming into this game with a record of 34-17-7 through their first 68 games of the season. The Blues currently find themselves in second place in the Central Division. They spent some time on top of the division earlier in the season but it is very likely that they won’t be winning the division as the Colorado Avalanche have built up a comfortable 12 point lead at this point. As for the result of this game, I have the St. Louis Blues picking up the victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
Tony’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-146)
Jeffery Thomas
Winnipeg was last in action on Friday when they dropped a 2-5 result on the road to the New York Islanders. The Jets were priced as road underdogs for that game and have now lost 11 of their last 14 as road dogs. That’s not good news for them in this matchup where they once again will be road underdogs to St. Louis and with their goaltending for this game. Winnipeg is slated to play Connor Hellebuyck in net, who is just 1-10 on the season when the Jets are road dogs. The Blues got a big 7-4 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday afternoon. It was just another impressive performance from their offense which is averaging 3.9 goals a game over the last 10.
If they can keep the offense rolling, the Blues should have no problem with this Jets team that is averaging just 2.5 goals a game in their last six road games. This will be the fourth meeting of these teams this year with Winnipeg winning two of the first three. That sets this up as a great revenge spot for the Blues who should be riding high with confidence after a big road win on Saturday. If the price continues to climb then a play on the 3-way moneyline is also a great look but either way I love the Blues in this spot.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-146)
Calgary Flames @ Colorado Avalanche – 8.00PM ET
The Calgary Flames will have just one game on the road tonight when they take on the Colorado Avalanche. The Flames are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they beat the Red Wings, 3-0. The Avalanche have lost their last two games in a row, and this takes their overall season record to 41-13-5.
Marko Nadin
The best two teams in the Western Conference are meeting for the second time in more than a week as the Calgary Flames won 4-3 in overtime the last time they visited Colorado. The Avalanche still have the best record in the league with a 41-13-5 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 0-2 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes which was their first shut down of the season. The Avalanche are the second-best scoring team in the league with 3.8 goals per game. Colorado has won 6 of the last 10 games against Calgary.
The Calgary Flames are second in the Western Conference with a 36-15-7 record. They have won 4 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Flames have won the last two games against Colorado. Calgary is the second-best defensive team in the league allowing 2.4 goals per game and are ranked sixth with 3.5 scored goals per game. The Flames have won 8 of the last 9 games against teams with a winning record and 4 of the last 5 road games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-156)
Tony Battalio
The two hottest teams in the National Hockey League over the last few months are set to face off in this game as the Colorado Avalanche meet the Calgary Flames. The Colorado Avalanche were the preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup and all this time later they are the current favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Colorado comes into this game with a record of 41-13-5 through their first 59 games of the season. They have a double digit points lead in the Central Division at the moment.
You’re telling us we get two more years of this sweet smile?#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/XmONcLm5YR
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 12, 2022
The Calgary Flames are coming into this game with a record of 36-15-7 through their first 58 games of the season. After a slow start to the season they got hot around the All-Star break and now find themselves in first place in the Pacific Division and in the Stanley Cup conversation as well. Calgary is currently on a two game winning streak coming into this game. They will be looking to grab another win over one of the other top teams in the National Hockey League. As for the result of this game, that is exactly what I see happening as I have Calgary getting the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (+130)
Jeffery Thomas
Another game, another win for the Calgary Flames who have won 16 of their last 19 games following a 3-0 shutout victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. It was Jacob Markstrom’s league-leading 9th shutout on the year and the Flames are sitting comfortably atop the Pacific Division ahead of the second place Los Angeles Kings. The first place team from the other Western Conference division will be their opponents on Saturday, when they take on the Colorado Avalanche. This may be a good time to play the Avs, who seemingly have hit the dog days of the season and are losers of 4 of their last 5.
It appears the motivation just isn’t there with as big of a cushion as they have in their division but they are still a very dangerous team at home so the Flames will need to keep the same intensity. This will be a great game between two first place teams and a great opportunity for the Flames to get a statement victory. The Avs had a chance to show up for a big game last time out against a great Carolina team and couldn’t even get a goal, so it’s maybe more than motivation right now. Now they get a red hot Calgary team who will not be afraid of them or their home crowd and I think it’s impossible to overlook the value we get on the team in better form right now. Give the Flames to pull off this upset on the road.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (+130)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Vancouver Canucks – 10.00PM ET
One of two games today that is scheduled for 10pm will be a clash between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vancouver Canucks. The Lightning are one of the many teams that will be playing two nights in a row, and in their last game they lost to the Oilers, 1-4. The Canucks had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, as they went down to the Capitals, 3-4, in overtime.
Marko Nadin
The Vancouver Canucks have been playing great lately and currently are 10th in the Western Conference with a 29-23-7 record. They have won 6 of the last 8 games but have lost the last one, 3-4 in overtime to the Washington Capitals. The last time Vancouver defeated Tampa Bay was back in 2018. The Canucks have won 5 of their last 6 games as underdogs and 5 of the last 7 games against Eastern Conference opponents. They have played under the total goals margin in the last 5 games as underdogs and in the last 6 games against Eastern Conference opponents.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are third in the Eastern Conference with a 37-15-6 record. They have lost the last three games and will play their fifth straight road game tonight in Vancouver. The defending champions are coming off a 1-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. They have won 5 of the last 6 games against the Canucks. The Lightning score 3.4 goals per game which ranks them 7th in the league. They have won 6 of the last 7 games playing without a day off and 10 of the last 14 Sunday games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-152)
Tony Battalio
The two time defending Stanley Cup champions come into this game sitting in second place in the Atlantic Division. They will be playing their second leg of a back-to-back after taking on the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday evening. That game didn’t go well for Tampa Bay as they were trashed by the Oilers, by a score of 1-4 on the road in Canada. They will remain north of the border for this one as they will take on the Vancouver Canucks. Tampa Bay will be looking to get back on track in this game.
Bogo brings us within one. 👏 pic.twitter.com/uHq7TT6ht4
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 13, 2022
The Vancouver Canucks are coming into this game with a record of 29-23-7 through their first 59 games of the season. They are much improved from their miserable performance last season. They currently find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are sitting in fifth place in the Pacific Division, only three points out of third place. As for the result of this game, I have them taking the loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home, pushing them even further out of playoff contention.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-152)
Jeffery Thomas
The Vancouver Canucks will look to start up another streak after the Washington Capitals snapped their modest 3-game run of wins on Friday. In the 3-4 defeat, the Canucks were still able to pick up a significant point as it was an overtime loss, and they now sit just 2 points back of the Dallas Stars for that second wild card spot. The Lightning suffered a tough defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night and will not have much time to reflect on the loss as they will get right back at it on Sunday.
It’s a real rough patch in the season for the Bolts, who haven’t lost consecutive games in regulation all season, but now have done it in three straight games. The trends for our play in this game match up perfectly, and I love the over as we should see plenty of goals. The Lightning are 6-1-1 to the over in their last eight games played on no rest, while the Canucks are 5-0 to the over in their last five home games. Furthermore, Canucks games have hit TEN STRAIGHT overs and while that streak will eventually end, I don’t see this game being the one that does it, with the electric Tampa offense coming to town.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-114)
Florida Panthers @ Los Angeles Kings – 10.00PM ET
The second and final game slated for 10pm on Sunday night in the NHL will see the Florida Panthers travel to Los Angeles to face off against the Kings. The Panthers will have the benefit of a handful of day’s rest and they are also on a solid five game winning streak as well. The Kings will not have the benefit of rest, as they played the Sharks last night, in a game they were shutout in, 0-5.
Marko Nadin
The Los Angeles Kings are fifth in the Western Conference with a 32-19-8 record. After winning three straight games, the Kings have lost two in a row against the San Jose Shards, 3-4 in overtime and 0-5 in the last one. The Kings are third in the league with 35.3 shots on goal per game, but they score only 2.9 goals which ranks them 19th. Los Angeles has won the last two and 6 of the last 10 games against Florida. The Kings have won the last 4 home games and the last 4 Sunday games. They have also won the last 4 games coming in without a day off.
The Florida Panthers are second in the Eastern Conference with a 40-13-5 record. They have won the last 5 games, in three of those the Panthers scored 6 goals. Florida is coming off a 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Florida is the best scoring team in the league with 4.2 goals per game on 36.8 shots on goal per game which also ranks them on the top. Florida has won the last 5 road games and 8 of the last 10 games played after two days of rest.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-162)
Tony Battalio
The Florida Panthers come into this game with a record of 40-13-5 through their first 58 games of the season. They are among the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season. Florida is coming into this one on a five game winning streak that they will be looking to extend in this one. Florida is the best team in the Eastern Conference at the moment. They currently find themselves on top of the Atlantic Division but it is certainly a tight race between them and the Tampa Bay Lightning as the two teams are only separated by five points.
Final@GEICO | #BundlingMadeEasy pic.twitter.com/gO2P93AWMm
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 13, 2022
The Los Angeles Kings are coming off the first night of a back-to-back. In their game on Saturday evening they were defeated by the San Jose Sharks by a score of 0-5 on the road. Now they will return home for this one looking to get things back on track. They currently find themselves in second place in the Pacific Division as the last quarter of the season gets underway. They have a four point lead over the third and final playoff spot in the division. As for the result of this game, I have the Kings losing a third straight game as I am taking the Florida Panthers to get the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-162)
Jeffery Thomas
It’s been a great start to March for the Florida Panthers, winning each of their first five games of the month. Last time out was on Thursday when they took down the Flyers at home by a score of 6-3. It was nice for the Panthers to get that win in front of their home fans before they embark on this seven-game road trip that starts with a game in Los Angeles against the Kings. The Kings will be on the back-to-back after a 0-5 shutout loss to their in-state rival San Jose Sharks.
It was just an overall off night for the Kings who still hold the second place spot in the Pacific Division so they will have to just shake it off and try and get things back on track against a very tough opponent on Sunday. The Kings are 4-0 in their last four games on no rest but the Panthers are 6-0 in their last six games as a road favorite, so with trends favoring both teams I’m going to roll with the team in much better form. That would be the Florida Panthers, as they have found their footing and look like legitimate Stanley Cup Champions again. Their offense is always dangerous and they will be more rested, so expect them to take advantage of the tired legs of the Kings en route to a road win.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-162)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
