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.
Washington Capitals @ Carolina Hurricanes – 1.00PM ET
We kick off the Sunday slate with a doozy; the Washington Capitals up against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Capitals have won four out of their last five games, and this takes their season record to 13-3-5. The Hurricanes snapped a two game losing streak last time out, in convincing fashion, winning 6-3 against the Flyers.
Denis Kirilov
The battle of the Eastern Conference will take place on Sunday afternoon in PNC Arena, Raleigh. The Carolina Hurricanes will take on the Washington Capitals as the winner of this match will lead the East for some days. The Hurricanes have been fantastic this season as they have won 15 out of their 19 games. The Capitals are following them closely with 13 wins out of 21 matches, but they also have a couple of points from their lost games after overtime. Looking at the standings, it looks quite equal as a total of 4 teams are with 31 points in the top of the table. However, the Hurricanes seem to have some lead as they have played 2-3 games less than their opponents.
This is going to be their first meeting this season and the situation in Carolina seems more than great. They are literally 100% healthy, while the Capitals struggle with some injuries. Backstrom, Mantha, Oshie will surely miss the match, while Eller, Schultz, and Sheary are still uncertain. This might play a significant role for the outcome of the game, since it’s clear that a team needs its full strength for such head-to-head games against the best ones in the NHL. For me, even though Washington can rely on Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, Carolina is far superior at the moment. Having a greater depth within the roster is more important than one or two players who lead the particular team. Hence, I will go with Carolina as I don’t think they will give up their 1st place in the East.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-160)
Tony Battalio
This has the potential to be the most interesting game of the Sunday slate as the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes will meet in a clash of Stanley Cup contenders. The Washington Capitals come into this one with a record of 13-3-5 as they have got off to a great start this season. They have picked up victories in four of their last five games in virtually blowout fashion, as they have outscored their opponents 18-11. In their last game they got a huge win over the Florida Panthers in a contest where Alexander Ovechin scored a hattrick.
Tomorrow 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/Gtw7nGLvHF
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 28, 2021
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game with an impressive record of 15-3-1 on the year. They have been one of the hottest teams in the National Hockey League through the first quarter of the season. This game has the potential to be a rematch in an Eastern Conference Playoff series. As for the result of this match up between the two, I look for the Carolina Hurricanes to pick up the victory at home against a tough Capitals team.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-160)
Michael Lantz
The Washington Capitals followed up a 2-5 loss to the Seattle Kraken last Sunday by winning consecutive games. They torched the Montreal Canadiens by scoring six goals and then followed that game by beating the conference leading Florida Panthers 4-3. Now they’ll have another potential playoff matchup as they face the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night.
The Carolina Hurricanes had a rough end to their west coast road trip. After grabbing big wins against the Golden Knights, Ducks and Kings, the ‘Canes then dropped surprise games to the Sharks and Kraken. They returned to the East Coast on Friday, where they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3—now they’ll face a Washington team that’s fifth in goals per game and fourth in least goals against. While Carolina might not be the offensive powerhouse the Capitals are, they still are second in the league in least goals per game. They also have one of the league’s three best save percentage’s thanks to the outstanding play of goaltender Frederik Andersen. I’m going back and forth on who should win this one, so right now I like the under as the best bet in what should be a game with playoff aspirations.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-102)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Minnesota Wild – 2.00PM ET
Things just keep getting better for your Sunday NHL viewing, as the second game will pit the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Minnesota Wild. The Lightning are getting back to their dominant ways, in their last two games they have outscored their opponents (Flyers and Kraken) 7-0. Not to be outdone, the Wild have also won their last two games in a row, which includes a mammoth 7-1 win over the Jets.
Denis Kirilov
The Tampa Bay Lightning and the Minnesota Wild will face each other in what promises to be a really tight contest on Sunday afternoon in the NHL. Both teams are with 27 points so far, but the Minnesota Wild are 3rd in the West, while the Lightning are 6th in the East. The reigning champions from Tampa managed to find their rhythm after an inconsistent start to their campaign. Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn are among the main reasons for their improved performance. Victor Hedman also contributes to his team’s progress with his plays on both ends of the ice. The season is long enough and it’s early to say whether they will make the Playoffs or not, but I am certain that with their squad, they should be able to do it easily.
The Minnesota Wild are one of the pleasant surprises in the beginning of the season. Being above teams like the Golden Knights, the Avalanche, the Blues, and the Jets is surely a fantastic achievement for this team. They are narrowly behind the two teams from Alberta, Canada – the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. The Wild relies on a pretty multinational lineup as they have for instance, Kirill Kaprizov from Russia, Mats Zuccarello from Norway, Ryan Hartman from the United States, Kevin Fiala from Switzerland, Marcus Foligno from Canada, Jonas Brodin from Sweden, and Nico Sturm from Germany. The team performs on top level from the start of the season and in their last two home games they have been more than dominant – a 7-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets and a 7-2 victory over the Dallas Stars. For me, this game will be a reflection from their last meeting which was won by the Tampa Bay Lightning with 5-4 after overtime. Hence, I will go with the option for “over goals”.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Over 5.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
On any other day this would easily be the best game of the night, however due to Carolina vs Washington it is not. But do not let that distract you from the fact that this should still be a very competitive hockey game. The two time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning hit the road to go north and play the Minnesota Wild. Both of these teams have gotten off to decent starts this year as Tampa Bay had a rough October, but they have seemingly corrected and Minnesota has gotten off to a hot start this year. Tampa Bay brings a record of 12-4-3 into this game, as they have picked up victories in six of their last seven games.
Meanwhile the Minnesota Wild bring a record of 13-6-1 into this game, one of those losses came to Tampa Bay just a week ago on November 21st as they fell by a score of 4-5 in a shootout. However, they have won their last two games since that loss, and now have home ice advantage in this one. As for the result of this game, I think that home ice advantage will pay off as I expect the Minnesota Wild to get revenge for their loss the other day and pick up a big home win here.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-114)
Michael Lantz
The Tampa Bay Lightning are coming off back-to-back shutouts against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Seattle Kraken. In a year where many goalies have been on their “A” game, the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy continues to prove he’s the league’s best. He’ll now go up against a Minnesota Wild team that he faced last Sunday, in a game where the Lightning squeaked by 5-4 in a shootout.
The Minnesota Wild continue to silently rise as one of the top teams in the NHL. They may not have the sleek star power of other top teams, but this unit works together well, as they sit fourth in the NHL in goals per game. On Friday the Wild obliterated the Winnipeg Jets 7-1, and they look to continue their offensive surge against a Lightning team that’s been brilliant on both sides of the puck this last week. The Wild gave Vasilevskiy a hard time last week, and with this game being in Minnesota, I expect them to end his shutout streak. With the way they played last time, I think 5.5 is a good bet for the over.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Over 5.5 (-110)
Vancouver Canucks @ Boston Bruins – 7.00PM ET
The Vancouver Canucks road trip continues when they take on the Boston Bruins on Sunday night. The Canucks will be desperate to stop the current three game losing skid, with losses to the Blackhawks, Penguins and Blue Jackets. The Bruins have been a little inconsistent recently, winning two of their previous four games, which takes their season record to 10-7-0.
Denis Kirilov
The Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins face off in a very interesting contest between two teams who are underperforming from the start of the season. The Canucks are 15th in the West with a record of 4-13-4, while the Bruins hold the 10th place in the East with 10 wins and 7 losses. Vancouver lost their last three games ahead of this match as they have only managed to score a total of 3 goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Their last victory came against the Winnipeg Jets at home in a game where the Jets were in charge of the play, but fell short on luck.
The Boston Bruins, on the other hand, have a huge issue with their inconsistency. One day they defeat the Philadelphia Flyers by 3 goals and the very next they lose to the Calgary Flames by 0-4 at home in TD Garden. They also have some troubles in front of their opponents’ goal as they just can’t put the puck into the net. The Bruins are the better team, but they will need to solve some problems if they want to be competitive enough during the potential Playoffs in the spring. I will go with Boston covering the spread in the upcoming game on Sunday as Vancouver has lots of troubles when it comes to their defense.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Boston Bruins -1.5 (-102)
Tony Battalio
The Vancouver Canucks have been a mixed bag this season as they have been up and down all year. They come into this stop on the third game of their five game road trip with a record of 6-13-2 and on a three game losing streak. Over the course of that losing streak they have been outscored by a total of 3-9 in losses to the Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Columbus Blue Jackets. They will be looking to rebound here with a win over the Bruins.
Coach Travis Green addresses the media after the road loss against the Blue Jackets.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/WzPp6Ypsjd
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) November 27, 2021
The previously mentioned Boston Bruins come into this game with a record of 10-7-0 on the year as they are one of the few remaining teams to not drop a game in overtime. They have picked up wins in four of their last six games. However last time out they were blasted by the New York Rangers by a score of 2-5 on Black Friday in an original six battle. As for the result of this game, I look for the Bruins to have the perfect bounce back opportunity and pick up a big win here at home against a struggling Vancouver team.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins -1.5 (-102)
Michael Lantz
In a rematch of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, the Vancouver Canucks face the Boston Bruins on Sunday night. Vancouver have continued to struggle in a season where many believed they would be a playoff contender. They’re in the midst of a three-game losing streak, and despite having some great talent on offense, the team has just not been able to figure it out and play cohesively. They’ll hope they can pull off an upset on Sunday as they take on a Bruins team that just suffered a tough 2-5 loss to their rivals the New York Rangers.
The Bruins sit at 10-7-0, currently sitting at fifth in the Atlantic Division. In an always competitive division, the Bruins will look for two points at any opportunity. They’ll have a great one against a Vancouver Canucks team that now sits in last place in the Pacific Division. After a tough loss at home, I can’t see Boston dropping two in a row, when their second opponent is as abysmal as the Canucks. Boston should be able to skate away easily in this one.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins -1.5 (-102)
San Jose Sharks @ Chicago Blackhawks – 7.00PM ET
The San Jose Sharks start their road trip when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. The Sharks have only won five games so far this month, and with only two games left to be played, they are seeing their record slip, currently standing at 10-9-1. After a terrible start to the season, the Blackhawks are back (sort of) and they are clawing their way back almost a .500 record, currently sitting at 7-11-2.
Denis Kirilov
Two teams who have had some troubles in the opening weeks of the NHL will face each other on Sunday in the NHL. The Chicago Blackhawks started off the campaign with 9 straight losses, while the San Jose Sharks was the first team who suffered severe Covid-19 problems. Both teams struggled in different periods so far, and this had an impact on their overall standings. The Sharks are 11th in the West with 21 points out of 20 games, while Chicago follows them in 13th place with just 16 points out of the same number of matches. The Blackhawks proved that they are better than the worst teams in the NHL and that they don’t deserve to be at the bottom of the table. However, their inability to contest the victory against better teams takes its toll as they lose 90% of such games this season. Their most recent match against the St. Louis Blues and the victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins are the only things they can be proud of during this campaign.
The San Jose Sharks is definitely a tough team who can defeat even the best in the League, and at the same time suffer huge defeats. They have already smashed the Carolina Hurricanes, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Calgary Flames. However, the Sharks occasionally lose games by 3-4 goals against teams like the Colorado Avalanche, the Winnipeg Jets, the Washington Capitals, and the St. Louis Blues. It’s clear that it’s really important how they will enter the game in the first period. For me, they are better than Chicago and tomorrow’s game can serve as a great example of where both teams are at the moment. In my opinion, the Sharks should close out this one in the first two periods. Therefore, I will have them win the upcoming fixture on Sunday.
Denis’ NHL Pick: San Jose Sharks (+108)
Tony Battalio
San Jose heads to the Midwestern United States to kick off a five game road trip against the Chicago Blackhawks. San Jose got off to a decent start this season but have struggled during the month of November as they have gone 5-6-1 through 12 of their 14 games this month. They come into the season with an overall record of 10-9-1 on the year as they are right at the .500 mark. They will be looking to start off this road trip with a win, as they still await stops in New Jersey, two games in New York City against both the Islanders and Rangers and the final stop in Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets.
The Chicago Blackhawks got off to the second worst start this season, only in front of the Arizona Coyotes as they looked like they had given up on the year before it even started. They started off the season with a record of 0-7-2, but since the calendar turned to November they have gone 7-4-0 in the last 28 days. Now they will be looking to continue to climb back towards the .500 mark as they finish this month with a one game home stand before hitting the road to start the month of December. As for the result of this one, I look for the Blackhawks to pick up a big home win and cap off the month with a record of 8-4 as they keep inching closer to turning their season fully around.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (-130)
Michael Lantz
After a terrible start to the season, that was loaded with off the ice issues as well, the Chicago Blackhawks have put distractions aside and are now sitting just a couple games under .500 at 7-11-2. While Patrick Kane leads the team in scoring (per usual), the team has also been thrilled with the play of Alex DeBrincat, who has 12 goals to start the season. As the Blackhawks continue to try and wrangle their way back into the playoff picture, they’ll host a San Jose Sharks team that’s trying to stay alive as contenders as well.
At 10-9-1, the Sharks have started off better than many believed they would. A lot of this is thanks to the outstanding goalie combo of James Reimer and Adin Hill. In the last two weeks, the Sharks have had some big wins against teams like the Wild and Hurricanes, but they’ve also had some big losses to the Capitals and Maple Leafs. The two teams seem destined to have the same record soon, as the Blackhawks have shown some rise and the Sharks have started to fall. This one should end up being a solid battle, but I’ll take a Blackhawks team that’s growing in confidence to win at home.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (-130)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Anaheim Ducks – 8.00PM ET
The last game of the night will see the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Anaheim Ducks. The Maple Leafs are having one of the best November’s in the entire league, having only dropped two games, and this game with the Ducks is their final game of the month. The Ducks finally got back into the winners circle last time out, after losing three in a row, when they got a win against the Senators, 4-0.
Denis Kirilov
The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Anaheim Ducks are amongst the best performing teams in their respective Conference. The Maple Leafs are tied in points for first place in the East, while the Ducks are surprisingly 4th in the West with 25 points out of 21 games. Anaheim shows a fantastic improvement in offensive positions, while this might be the Maple Leafs’ biggest issue so far. Toronto is far more conservative than what we are used to seeing, but this pays off in defense, as they have conceded just above two goals per game. Auston Matthews is yet to find his rhythm, but at least he is backed up by players like John Tavares, William Nylander, and Mitchell Marner.
The Ducks are relying much on Troy Terry who has already scored 13 goals this season. Ryan Getzlaf also has a high contribution for his team’s progress so far with his enormous 18 assists. All in all, the team looks thoroughly balanced as the US-Canadian-Swedish combination within the Ducks is really paying off up until now. The Ducks’ biggest goal would be to reach the Playoffs, which cannot be certain keeping in mind that favorites like the Avalanche, the Golden Knights, and the Sharks are still behind them in the standings. I think we will watch quite a conservative game with fewer goals than expected. So, I will choose “under 5.5 goals” as I see the most value in this option.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
This is a potential show stealer to close out the weekend slate as the month of November winds down. The Toronto Maple Leafs bring a record of 15-6-1 into this game as they are yet another team that resides north of the border who has shown flashes of being a Stanley Cup contender this year. Along with Edmonton and Calgary, they have a shot to bring the Stanley Cup back to its rightful place in Canada for the first time in decades this year. The Maple Leafs have picked up victories in eight of their last nine games by a combined score of 28-11, as they have looked dominant over the last few weeks of November.
The numbers behind our W. #FlyTogether | @GEICO pic.twitter.com/8M8ZWdi0U4
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 27, 2021
The Anaheim Ducks went on an impressive run to open up the month of November, as they won their first seven games. However, since that seventh victory they have only managed to win 1 game since, that being their latest one against the Ottawa Senators. They have lost three of their last four to the Nashville Predators, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Colorado Avalanche. As for the result of this game, Toronto should pick up a big road win in this one to improve their record to 16-6-1 on the year, as the month of November closes.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-182)
Michael Lantz
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their California road trip with a Sunday night matchup against the Anaheim Ducks. So far California has treated the Leafs kindly as they beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 and the Los Angeles Kings 6-2. They’ll look to make it a sweep against the Ducks, a win that would give them nine in their last ten games. But, they’ll have tough competition as a surprising Ducks team that sits third in the Pacific Division hope to have them leaving California a bit cold.
After a tough three-game losing streak, the Ducks got back on track, beating the Ottawa Senators 4-0. That included a goal from American Troy Terry, who has been electric for them so far. The former fifth round pick has 13 goals in 20 games, which is more than his last two seasons combined. He’ll look to keep it going against the Atlantic Division leading Maple Leafs and their American standout Auston Matthews. Going into the season, the Leafs were known for their offense led by Matthews and John Tavares, but their biggest surprise has been goaltending as Jack Campbell has made himself a viable Vezina candidate. I could see the Ducks having a good chance in this one, but the Leafs have been a bit too complete for me to go against them.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-182)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
