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.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Islanders – 2.00PM ET
We kick things off in the NHL for Sunday with an afternoon clash between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders. The Lightning will be feeling relieved as they are back on track, after dropping three games in a row they got the win last time out 2-1, in overtime, against the Red Wings. The Islanders have split their last four games, and this takes their record on the season to 28-26-9.
Marko Nadin
The New York Islanders are 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 28-26-9 record. After winning back-to-back games against Ottawa and Detroit, the Islanders have lost 3-6 in the last one to the Boston Bruins. The Islanders have the sixth best defense in the league as they allow 2.7 goals and defend 83.1% of the power play situations. The Islanders have won the last 6 home games but have lost 11 of the last 15 games played without a day off. They have also lost 22 of the last 28 games as underdogs.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a .40-18-6 record. They snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 overtime win over the Detroit Red Wings in the last one. The defending champions are the 7th best defensive teams in the league allowing 2.8 goals on 30 shots on goal per game. Tampa Bay has won 6 of the last 10 games against the Islanders including the last two. They have won the last 4 games played without a day off and 11 of the last 15 Sunday games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-154)
Tony Battalio
The Tampa Bay Lightning are on a mission to win their third straight Stanley Cup trophy this season. They come into this game with a record of 40-18-6 through their first 64 games of the season. Tampa Bay is currently in third place in the Atlantic Division at the moment. They trail the first place Florida Panthers by six points at the moment, however, they have plenty of time to catch up. They are on a one game winning streak after beating the Detroit Red Wings in overtime in their last game.
Let’s do it again tomorrow, shall we? ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/veKkbJuSMT
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 26, 2022
The New York Islanders have been having a rough year. They come into this game towards the bottom of the standings in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference standings. They come into this game with a record of 28-26-9 through their first 63 games of the season. New York is currently in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division. They are currently on a one game losing streak after losing their last game to the Boston Bruins. As for the result of this game, I have the Tampa Bay Lightning getting the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-154)
Jeffery Thomas
The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders will both be on back-to-backs after Saturday matinee games. The Lightning were in Detroit facing the Red Wings and came away with a 2-1 overtime victory. Brayden Point scored the game-winner on a power play to help the Bolts snap a three-game losing streak and pushed their OT record to 10-6 on the year. There’s also a trend of low-scoring outings by Tampa that is worth monitoring, with them scoring 2 or fewer goals in seven of eight games. The Islanders’ Sunday game didn’t go as well, with them losing 3-6 in Boston to the Bruins.
It was a rare loss for New York nowadays, with them going 7-2-1 in the ten games prior. It was also an uncharacteristic defensive lapse for the Isles who had been lights out lately, only giving up 2.1 goals a game in that same ten game span while scoring 3.6 themselves. They’ll hope Sunday is a return to that form. This is a tricky spot with a fishy line as the Lightning are only laying a -140 price despite being the much better team. It may be the books giving some respect to the Islanders who have been playing some great hockey lately but Saturday may have been their reality check. As trappy as this game seems, I’m still going to side with the Lightning who just find ways to win games like this and will be looking to gain some positive momentum heading into their third title defense.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-154)
Buffalo Sabres @ New York Rangers – 5.00PM ET
The Buffalo Sabres kick off a short two game road trip when they head on over to New York for a game with the Rangers. The Sabres had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Capitals, 3-4, in a shootout, in fact all four of their last games have either gone to overtime or a shootout. The Rangers have won five of their last seven games, including last time out where they were dominant against the Penguins, winning 5-1.
Marko Nadin
The New York Rangers are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-19-5 record. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers are the third best defense in the league with 2.6 allowed goals per game and they are ranked second with 26.6% of power play conversion. The Rangers have won 8 of the last 10 games Buffalo including the last four. They have won the last four games coming off a win when scoring at least 5 goals.
The Buffalo Sabres are 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 23-33-9 record. The Sabres are coming off a 3-4 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals which was their first loss after three wins. The last four Sabres games have ended in a tie in regulation. Buffalo is among the six worst teams in the league in both scored and allowed goals per game. The Sabres have lost 25 of the last 34 games against Eastern Conference teams and 7 of the last 10 games played on Sunday.
Marko’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-300)
Tony Battalio
The Buffalo Sabres are coming into this game as one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. They have consistently been one of the worst teams in the league over the last several seasons. Now it seems as if they will be starting from square one next year after trading away their once chosen to be franchise cornerstone in Jack Eichel. The Sabres come into this game with a record of 23-33-9 through their first 65 games of the season.
What gets the job done. #NoQuitInNY | @Infosys pic.twitter.com/hjEp4i56J7
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) March 26, 2022
The New York Rangers have been one of the season’s most surprising teams. As they come into this game as one of the top teams in the league and a real Stanley Cup trophy contender as well. They come into this game with a record of 41-19-5 through their first 65 games of the season. They are currently in third place in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Carolina Hurricanes. As for the result of this game, I have the Rangers picking up the victory over Buffalo.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-300)
Jeffery Thomas
The New York Rangers have been playing some great hockey lately and have been climbing up the standings because of it. The top spot in the Metro Division, which is being held by the Hurricanes, is within reach with the Penguins also still in the way but New York has recently gained wins over both clubs, including a 5-1 win over the Pens on Friday. The Rangers have been a model of consistency all season, never losing more than two in a row since early November and not losing three straight in regulation at all this season.
Buffalo hasn’t been nearly as impressive this year but are having a resurgence in the month of March amassing a 7-3-1 record so far. Their 15 points so far in March have already matched their January and February point total combined and they’ll look to slay another giant on Sunday in the Madison Square Garden. At any point of the season before this recent stretch I would have jumped all over the Rangers, but the Sabres have been playing too well lately to just keep blindly fading them. They’ve taken down top contenders like the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames recently and even if they don’t outright beat New York, it’s hard to see them dropping this one by more than a goal.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Buffalo Sabres +1.5 (-114)
Detroit Red Wings @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 5.00PM ET
The Detroit Red Wings have just one game on the road when they face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins, who themselves kick off a short two game homestand. The Red Wings have lost three of their last four games, and this takes their season record to 26-31-8. After winning three games in a row, the Penguins have gone on to lose their next two, against the Sabres and Rangers.
Marko Nadin
The Pittsburgh Penguins are third in the Eastern Conference with a 39-17-10 record. They have lost the last two games, most recently 1-5 to the New York Rangers. The Penguins are ranked fourth in the league allowing 2.6 goals per game and are ranked second in defending power play situations with 86.5%. The Penguins have won 61 of the last 89 games as favorites and 36 of the last 53 games as home favorites. They have played over the total goals margin in 7 of the last 10 home games.
The Detroit Red Wings are 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 26-31-8 record. They have lost 9 of the last 11 games and are coming off a 1-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Detroit is the third worst team in the league allowing 3.7 goals per game and second worst allowing a goal in 27% of the power play situations. Detroit won the previous game against Tampa Bay this season, 3-2 after a shootout. The Red Wings have lost 38 of the last 52 games played without a day off.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-330)
Tony Battalio
The Detroit Red Wings are coming into this game with a record of 26-31-8 through their first 65 games on the season. They are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division but way out of playoff contention at this point. They are currently on a two game losing streak at the moment. They have lost back to back games to the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning. This is a tough stretch of games for the Red Wings as they now have to play Pittsburgh, then after this one they face off with the New York Rangers.
Solid game from Ned. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/QxkZJAgHzw
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 26, 2022
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season. They slowly established themselves as a potential Stanley Cup contender throughout the course of the season. They come into this game with a record of 39-17-10 through their first 66 games of the season. Pittsburgh is currently in second place in the Metropolitan Division as they trail the Carolina Hurricanes by 3 points at the moment. As for the result of this game, I have the Penguins getting the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-330)
Jeffery Thomas
The Detroit Red Wings will be on the back-to-back after a tough 1-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. It was a scrappy effort from a young team trying to develop their guys for the future, but it’s still been a bad run of firm lately for the Wings. The loss pushed Detroit’s record to just 2-6-2 over their last ten games and with Pittsburgh currently riding a two game losing streak it sets up as the perfect bounce back spot. It’ll be a very important two points for the Penguins if they can secure them because they are caught up in a battle with the New York Rangers for home-ice in the postseason.
Those Rangers were the Pens’ opponent in their last game on Friday, and it was a 1-5 loss for Pittsburgh in one of their sloppiest efforts of the season. Despite the loss, Pittsburgh still holds a 1 point advantage over the Rangers for 2nd place in the division. The Red Wings have failed to cover the spread in 10 of their last 16 losses so I think there’s a clear play for this game. Also factoring in that it is a back-to-back situation for Detroit and against a highly motivated team that is miles better and there’s no other way for me to look other than the spread line here. Give me Pittsburgh in a blowout.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (-125)
Colorado Avalanche @ Minnesota Wild – 6.00PM ET
An interesting Central Division clash on Sunday night when we see the Colorado Avalanche face off against the Minnesota Wild. The Avalanche have won five of their last six games, with their only loss in this time coming against the Canucks, 1-3. The Wild are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they beat the Blue Jackets, 3-2, in overtime.
Marko Nadin
The Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the league with a 46-14-5 record. They have won 5 of the last 6 games with the last one being 6-3 against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Avalanche have the second best offense in the league scoring 3.8 goals per game and are ranked 8th with 2.8 allowed goals per game. The Avalanche have won 4 of the last 5 games against Minnesota. They have also won 12 of the last 16 games as road favorites and 9 of the last 13 games against teams with a winning record.
The Minnesota Wild are third in the Western Conference with a 39-20-4 record, 15 points behind Colorado. The Wild have won the last five games, the last one 3-2 in overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Minnesota is the third best offensive team in the league scoring 3.6 goals per game but are 19th with 3.1 allowed goals per game. Minnesota has won 41 of the last 55 home games but have lost 5 of the last 6 games played without a day off and the last 5 games as underdogs.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-137)
Tony Battalio
The Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the National Hockey League and it’s been that way for a couple of months now. They come into this game with a record of 46-14-5 through their first 65 games of the season. They are currently in first place in the Central Division at the moment. They started out slow but turned it on as the year progressed and now they are situated as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup trophy. They have won five of their last six games on the season.
Our #HumbleKing 👑#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/q4wSNxLzI6
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 26, 2022
The Minnesota Wild are playing the second game of a back to back in this one. In the first game of their back to back they beat the Columbus Blue Jackets after coming from behind to win 3-2 in overtime on Saturday night. Minnesota comes into this game with a record of 39-20-4 through their first 63 games of the season. They are currently in second place in the Central Division as they are double digit points behind their opponents in this one. As for the result of this game, I have the Colorado Avalanche getting the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-137)
Jeffery Thomas
A possible playoff preview is on the cards for us on Sunday when the Minnesota Wild host the Colorado Avalanche. The Wild will try to defend home ice and improve upon their home record of 22-7-1 against the Stanley Cup favorites and best team in the league. It’s a good thing that the Wild have picked up their play lately after a downswing in play late in February and early March because they will need a Herculean effort to take down the Avs who have won five of their last six games. In those six games, Colorado has a +10 goal differential and this is all with nothing really left to play for.
They are just displaying to the league how much better they are than everyone else and it’s a scary sight to the rest of the NHL. We are going to get a high-tempo game between two of the best offensive units in the league so a look at the over is in play here. The Avs lead the Western Conference in scoring by a wide margin and should have no issues generating plenty of offense against Minnesota’s Cam Talbot who has been less than dominant in net this year. For that reason, Colorado moneyline will be my official play but like I said the over is also a great play.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-137)
Florida Panthers @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM ET
Another inter-division clash on Sunday night in the NHL, but this time we will see the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, both from the Atlantic Division, go toe-to-toe. The Panthers have taken their winning streak out to three in a row, after a win last time out against the Senators, 3-2, in a shootout. The Maple Leafs are also playing two nights in a row, and in their last game they went down to the Canadiens, 2-4.
Marko Nadin
The Florida Panthers are the best team in the Eastern Conference with a 44-14-6 record. The Panthers have won 4 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers are the best offensive team in the league scoring 4 goals per game and also lead the league with 37 shots on goal per game. Florida has won 3 of the last 5 games against Toronto and 5 of the last 6 games played without a day off. The Panthers have also won 8 of the last 10 road games and 26 of the last 35 games against Eastern Conference teams.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 40-19-5 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-4 loss to the worst team in the conference, the Montreal Canadiens. Toronto is the best team in the league when it comes to power play conversion with 28.4% and are ranked 4th with 3.6 goals per game. The Maple Leafs have won the last 4 games against teams with a winning record over 60% and 21 of the last 28 home games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-105)
Tony Battalio
The Florida Panthers come into this game with a record of 44-14-6 through their first 64 games of the season. They have been great this year and they are also one of the top favorites to end the Tampa Bay Lightning’s run and win the Stanley Cup Trophy this season. They are currently in first place of the Atlantic Division as they are starting to pull away from the pack as the season approaches the final stretch. Florida is playing the second game of a back to back in this one after getting a win on Saturday evening.
Right back at it tomorrow pic.twitter.com/AgOAiFbe5z
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 27, 2022
The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming into this game with a record of 40-19-5 through their first 64 games of the season. Toronto is currently in fourth place in the Atlantic Division at the moment. Toronto is currently on a one game winning streak that they will be looking to extend in this one. Toronto is just one of three Canadian teams who could potentially win the Stanley Cup along with the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames. As for the result of this game, I have the Toronto Maple Leafs getting the win at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-114)
Jeffery Thomas
The Florida Panthers showed everybody why you can never count them out of a game on Saturday. They were down 0-3 six minutes into the 2nd period and appeared to just not have anything going offensively, but quickly turned it up a notch and closed the game to 2-3 within three minutes and carried that one goal deficit into the third period. From there it was clear how the game was going to transpire and they tied it up with a few minutes to spare in the game and eventually won in a shootout. The win leapfrogged Florida over the Hurricanes for second-most points in the league and got them within 3 points of Colorado for the lead.
The Maple Leafs were also in action on Saturday, losing 2-4 in Montreal to the Canadiens. Auston Matthews matched his career-high of 47 goals with a score 36 seconds into the game, adding to his league lead. These are two of the most fun teams in the league with two of the most high-powered offenses in the league so the sky-high opening total of 7 makes sense. The trends also tell you to not be scared of as the over is 3-1-1 in Toronto’s last five games played on no rest. For Florida this is their third game in four nights and the over has hit in five of their last six in that situation. Don’t overthink this one just bet the over and sit back and enjoy all the goals.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 7 (-104)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
