Free NHL Picks Today for Sunday, November 21st, 2021

Free NHL Picks Today for Sunday, November 21st, 2021
Sun 21st November 2021

We are in the thick of the 2021/22 NHL season, and things are certainly heating up! Today there are heaps of games for us fans to sink our teeth into. With so many teams taking the ice, it is going to be an exciting day of NHL action, so you don’t want to miss this. 

How will today’s games shake out? Which teams will be in the winners circle, and who will need to bounce back after a loss? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, we are in for some great games! So sit back, relax and if you like to have a bet, then you have certainly come to the right place.

Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the best five games on today’s schedule. 

Minnesota Wild @ Tampa Bay Lightning – 5.00PM ET

The Minnesota Wild are in the middle of a three game road trip when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Wild are coming off a hard 4-5 loss to the Panthers yesterday, and will be hopeful for a quick bounce back on Sunday. The Lightning are also playing on back-to-back days, and yesterday suffered a loss at the hands of the Devils, 3-5.

Denis Kirilov

The Minnesota Wild and the Tampa Bay Lightning are two of the teams who are expected to be title contenders this year. Minnesota travels to Tampa Bay in an attempt to prolong their winning streak in the head-to-head matches. So far, the Wild won 5 games in a row and they haven’t lost to the Lightning since 2017. Both teams have similar current standings as Minnesota is 4th in the West with 22 points, while Tampa Bay is 6th in the East with 21 points and a game to play. The Minnesota Wild are one of the highest-scoring teams, while the reigning champions from Tampa struggled both in offense and in defence in the start of the season, but managed to somehow get in a good streak recently.

The biggest missing names for the upcoming game will be the ones of Nikita Kucherov and Erik Cernak from the Lightning. Kucherov is probably their best attacker in recent history, while Cernak has been a solid defender for the past couple of years. Minnesota had a tough encounter on the road with Florida as they lost the match, 4-5. They will have just enough time to recover for the upcoming fixture. I am more leaning towards choosing the upset in this one, as the Wild seems to be playing really intelligently from the beginning of the campaign and I think they will continue cruising past the best teams in the NHL. 

Denis’ NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (+136)

Tony Battalio

The Minnesota Wild fell to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night. It dropped their record on the season to 11-6 and kicked off their three game road trip with a loss. Minnesota still finds themselves in a great position early on in this 2021-22 National Hockey League season. They could use a huge win against the Tampa Bay Lightning to just start some momentum for the rest of the month of November. 


The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game following a 3-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils in their game on Saturday night. Tampa Bay struggled to start the year but have seemed to finally turn it around as they have played their way to a 9-4-3 record. As for the result of this highly competitive match up, I look for the Tampa Lightning to pick up a big win in this game, as they attempt to reinsert themselves as top Stanley Cup contenders once more. 

Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-164)

Michael Lantz

The Minnesota Wild are coming off a gritty loss to the Florida Panthers, falling to the Eastern Conference juggernauts 4-5. Still, Minnesota sits at 11-6-0 and are one of the Western Conference’s top teams. On Sunday night, they’ll travel to Tampa Bay to take on the defending champs.

After a three game win streak, it felt like Tampa Bay was back in the championship mindset. But then they lost to the New Jersey Devils, 3-5, at home. Now, all cards are off the table for this matchup as a very good road team in the Minnesota Wild meet the Lightning at Amalie Arena. The Lightning will depend heavily on the likes of Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn to provide points against a tough Wild team. When it comes down to it, these squads have respectable defenses but ultimately I see the 5.5 over/under as being a bit low for this one. I’ll go over.

Michael’s NHL Pick: Over 5.5 (-120)

Buffalo Sabres @ New York Rangers – 6.00PM ET

The Buffalo Sabres have a one game road trip when they travel to New York to take on the Rangers. The Sabres have only won two games so far in November, so they will be hoping to get a big win on Sunday night, their season record currently stands at 7-7-2. The Rangers had won four in a row before dropping their game last time out, 1-2, to the Maple Leafs.

Denis Kirilov

The Buffalo Sabres have shown some slight progress throughout the last couple of seasons in the NHL. They have been probably the worst team in the League in the period 2012-2014. Although they finished with 15 wins and 34 losses in their previous campaign, it was the Covid-19 affected season and I don’t think we can use it as a benchmark. The Buffalo Sabres started off this season with a record of 7-7-2 and they can also brag about their win over the Edmonton Oilers a couple of days ago. However, the team was quickly shut down by two of the most dominant Canadian teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Calgary Flames. Their goal this year is to slowly climb the ladder and avoid getting the last place in the Atlantic Division.

The New York Rangers might be surprising a lot of people so far with their performance as they find themselves in 5th place in the East with a record of 10-4-2. They were in a 4-game winning streak before suffering a defeat to the Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Rangers also achieved some amazing victories throughout the season so far, outplaying teams like the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Furthermore, their record against low-tier teams seems to be close to perfect as they have only lost to the Canucks and to the Stars in the opening matches. I think the tradition will go on as I see another Rangers’ victory in a game where they are the favourites. I will pick them to cover the spread for higher value. 

Denis’ NHL Pick: New York Rangers -1.5 (+110)

Tony Battalio

The Buffalo Sabres have a quick one game road trip and they won’t even have to leave their own home state for it. Buffalo was a huge surprise to start the 2021 National Hockey League season, now they are starting to come back to reality. They have had a rough month of November that has seen them win only a few games as they now sit with a record of 7-7-2 on the year. They could really use a victory over a good New York Rangers team.
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As for the previously mentioned New York Rangers, they have had a better November than the Sabres as they had recently just won four in a row before their streak was snapped in their last game in a 1-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. For the result of this game, I look for the New York rangers to get right back into the win column with they huge home victory over the Buffalo Sabres

Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-255)

Michael Lantz

The Buffalo Sabres were predicted to be one of the worst teams in hockey this season; against the odds this Western New York team is off to a 7-7-2 start. They’ll attempt to continue their surprising season with a win against in-state rivals the New York Rangers. 

The Rangers were on a four-game win streak before falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday in a close 1-2 defeat. The Rangers have been getting a massive offensive output from Artemi Panarin as of late, after the former Calder winner started off the season quite slow; now, the Russian star has scored five points in the last five games. The Rangers are starting to pick it up—there’s no reason to be ashamed of a loss to one of the NHL’s best in the Maple Leafs—especially when it was by one goal. I’ll pick them to beat the Sabres in a New York derby.

Michael’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers -1.5 (+110)

Calgary Flames @ Boston Bruins – 7.00PM ET

The Calgary Flames’ extended seven game road trip finally comes to an end on Sunday when they take on the Boston Bruins. Both teams are playing on back-to-back days, with the Flames winning their match, 5-2, over the Islanders, and the Bruins also getting a win, 5-2, over the Flyers.

Denis Kirilov

Both rosters are amongst the best performing teams in their respective conference. The Calgary Flames are 2nd in the West with 25 points out of 18 matches. They are closely following the Oilers, who are definitely one of the most dominant teams this season with the high-level performance from their forwards, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Boston Bruins might be 10th in the East, but this statistic is kind of misleading as the team has played between 1 and 6 games less than their opponents in the Conference. They are enjoying a 3-game winning streak ahead of this match as they managed to defeat teams like the New Jersey Devils, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Philadelphia Flyers without breaking much sweat.

The matchup will be quite interesting to watch as both the Flames and the Bruins can rely on almost their whole squad. Trent Frederic and Curtis Lazar are on the verge of missing the game for Boston, while Brett Ritchie is sidelined for Calgary with lower-body issues. However, all of these players are more like second- or third-choices for their head coaches. The Flames are one of the best performing teams on both ends as they are the second team with least number of goals conceded and 6th in the League when it comes to goals scored. In my opinion, this consistency will continue and they will find a way past the Boston Bruins in their TD Garden on Sunday night. 

Denis’ NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (+142)

Tony Battalio

The Calgary Flames come into this game with a record of 10-3-5 as they have got off to a somewhat decent start this season. If they continue this level of play they will almost certainly be a playoff team by season’s end. They will come into this game with the Boston Bruins having picked up victories in three of their last four games. They will have to contend with Brad Marchand if they want to leave Boston with a win on Sunday. 


The Boston Bruins come into this game with a record of 9-5-0 on the season as they have got off to about the start they were predicted to have. Boston has an aging core that is likely making their final push together towards a Stanley Cup Trophy. Boston has won their last three games in the past week. As for the result of this matchup, I look for the Boston Bruins to pick up another victory and extend their winning streak to four. 

Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-172)

Michael Lantz

At the end of October, the Calgary Flames were the hottest team in hockey. Then they started November by going on an inconsistent run that kept critics pessimistic about their ability to maintain a consistent team throughout the season. But, since their OT loss on November 12th to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Flames have outscored opponents 15-4 in their last four games.

The Flames are looking to continue that high octane offense in Boston, as the Bruins look to improve upon their 6-1 record at home. The Flames are always capable of a major blowout—no team is truly safe. That being said, I’m not sure they’ll be able to handle a confident Bruins team at home. This one could go many different ways, but I think the best bet is with the Bruins to win outright.

Michael’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-172)

Toronto Maple Leafs @ New York Islanders – 7.30PM ET

The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the road for their first game of this away stint, and they will be playing against the New York Islanders. The Maple Leafs will be looking to bounce back after a hard loss yesterday, 0-2, against the Penguins. The Islanders can’t buy a win at the moment, they have lost five games in a row, this includes losses against teams like the Wild, Devils, Lightning, Panthers and Flames, all by at least three goals. 

Denis Kirilov

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a tough road game against the New York Islanders on Sunday night in the NHL. The team from Canada has enjoyed an amazing performance during the last month as they hold a record of 10 wins and 2 losses in their most recent games. They even had two 5-game winning streaks in this period which further boosts their confidence. However, the Maple Leafs are coming into this game with an unpleasant 0-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in Scotiabank Arena. The team has been performing really well in the last couple of seasons, reaching the Playoffs in almost each single one of them. By acquiring a player like Auston Matthews in 2016, the team cemented their status as a top-tier team.

The New York Islanders, on the other hand, have started this season with 13 games on the road. This affected their performance as they didn’t manage to get more than two wins in a row for this period. The Islanders are even on a 5-game losing streak coming into their second home game for the campaign. What makes things even worse is the fact that they suffered huge losses in their most recent matches, as teams like the New York Devils and the Florida Panthers just smashed them and didn’t give them any chance. The team is surely in a bit of a disarray, but they are capable of bouncing back and start making their way through to the Playoffs spots. However, I think the season is long enough, so there will be time for their comeback, but now I will give my preferences to the Maple Leafs.  

Denis’ NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-113)

Tony Battalio

The Toronto Maple Leafs went into Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins having picked up victories in 10 of their last 11 games. Toronto has been one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League as of late. Their game against the Penguins did not go as planned as they fell behind 0-2 after the first period. Despite Saturday night’s game, Toronto still has a ton of momentum coming into this one against the Islanders. 
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As for the previously mentioned New York Islanders, they have experienced a rough start to the season as through their first 14 games of the year they are under the .500 mark. I don’t look for much to change anytime soon as they will have a difficult time dealing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite this only being their second home game of the season. As for the result of this one, I expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to continue their hot streak and pick up a victory in this one. 

Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-113)

Michael Lantz

On Saturday, the New York Islanders finally got to play in their new, UBS Arena barn. After 13 road games to start the season, the Islanders were ready to give their faithful fans a show. Unfortunately, the show was quite poor—the Islanders lost to the Flames 2-5. Now the Isles get a second chance at appeasing their home crowd, as they face a very good Toronto Maple Leafs team. 

The Leafs had gone 10-1 prior to their Saturday night showdown against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens shut them out 0-2, bringing back the memories of early season struggles for Toronto. They’ll look to take Long Island by storm on Sunday night, but the Islanders should be ready. This preseason Stanley Cup favorite won’t want to drop their first two in a new stadium. I’ll pick the Isles to win number one in their new barn.

Michael’s NHL Pick: New York Islanders (-106)

Washington Capitals @ Seattle Kraken – 9.00PM ET

The Washington Capitals end their four game road trip in Seattle when they take on the Kraken, who are in game five out of their six game home stand. The Capitals are playing on back-to-back nights, as on Saturday they faced off against the Sharks, and came out victorious, 4-0. The Kraken’s woes continue on, they have only won one game so far in November, and are currently on a six game losing skid.

Denis Kirilov

The Seattle Kraken will have a tough encounter on Sunday night in the NHL as they host the Washington Capitals in their Climate Pledge Arena. The rookies are 15th in the West with one of the worst goal differences in the whole League. They are in a 6-game losing streak as they have been quite terrible this month. Kraken’s goal for this season would be to avoid being placed last in their respective division and conference. 

On the other hand, the Washington Capitals are flying high at the moment as they are 3rd in the East, right behind the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes. Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Wilson are playing on a very high level from the start of the season and there is no sign of them stopping. Additionally, John Carlson is one of the most effective defenders in the League with one of the highest points in the individual leaderboards.

I think this meeting will be exciting to follow as it will be their first head-to-head match. However, the current form of the Capitals suggests that there won’t be any troubles for them taking the win in this one. I am willing to trust this as I think Washington will take advantage of that and cruise past the unconfident team of the Seattle Kraken. I will suggest picking the Capitals to cover their spread as well. 

Denis’ NHL Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5 (+198)

Tony Battalio

The Seattle Kraken have not had the introduction to the National Hockey League that they were hoping for as they have struggled their way to a record of 4-12-1 through their first seventeen games this year. Now they will have to find a way to contend with a potential MVP candidate in Alexander Ovechkin, which is certainly no easy task. Seattle comes into this game on a six game losing streak as well making matters even worse. 


The previously mentioned Washington Capitals come into this game as a potential Stanley Cup trophy favorite. They have had a somewhat decent month of November as they have picked up victories in 5 of their last 9 games heading into Saturday’s contest with a great Florida team. As for the result of this match up, I look for the Washington Capitals to pick up a victory over a lowly team like the Seattle Kraken. 

Tony’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-134)

Michael Lantz

At one point it seemed the Arizona Coyotes were the clear favorite in the “Shane Wright Sweepstakes”—now, the Seattle Kraken have entered the chat. The Kraken have lost six-in-a-row, and even though they’ve had some positive moments, the team’s inability to stay disciplined for a whole three periods has caused a rough first year in Seattle. Things won’t get any easier for them as this franchise gets its first look at Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. 

After a rough 2-3 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night, the Capitals have made their west coast trip worth it, beating the LA Kings 2-0 and then the San Jose Sharks 4-0. The Capitals defense seems to be on point, which means trouble for a struggling Seattle squad. Additionally, the Kraken defense has struggled mightily, so a Capitals team that’s sixth in goals per game, may cause a long day for the Kraken blue liners. I’ll take the Capitals to cover the spread—as many teams against Seattle have. 

Michael’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5 (+198)

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.

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