Free NHL Picks Today for Thursday, December 14th, 2023

Our free NHL picks are out for Thursday, December 14th 2023! Make sure you check our NHL picks before the action kicks off.

Look below to find our free NHL picks for the best games on today’s schedule!

Columbus Blue Jackets @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

Columbus came into the season with plenty of expectations, but they have been unable to live up to those expectations throughout the early part of the year. They come into this game north of the border in Toronto on Thursday night looking to get things going in the right direction as they are desperate for a victory to get on track throughout the rest of December. Columbus comes into this game 12 games below .500 through their first 21 games of the season and they will look to get things back on track with a much-needed victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs here on Thursday night. They have had plenty of problems on the defensive end of the ice as they are giving up nearly 4 goals per game and that is not sustainable for any type of success this season. They need to find a way to slow down a high scoring Toronto Maple Leafs team here in this one if they want to pick up an upset victory in Canada.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are having a solid start to the regular season and they will look to keep the momentum rolling throughout this game on Thursday night at home against Columbus. They have been a legitimate contender over the last several seasons but they have yet to reach the mountain top and bring home a Stanley Cup title. They will be hoping that this year is the year they finally break through the glass ceiling and bring home a title, and if they remain healthy and consistent throughout the year, they have a legitimate possibility of doing so. They come into this game with plenty of momentum as they have won two out of their last three games on the year. Toronto comes into this game with 15 victories through their first 26 games of the regular season and I look for them to pick up their 16th victory of the year here on Thursday night at home against a struggling Columbus team. 

Washington Capitals @ Philadelphia Flyers – 7PM ET

Tony Battalio

Washington is off to a respectable start to the regular season, and they will look to keep the momentum rolling on the road against Philadelphia here on Thursday night. They come into this game three games above .500 through their first 25 games of the regular season and they will look for their 15th victory of the year here on Thursday night in the city of brotherly love. They currently sit in the middle of the pack of the Metropolitan division, and they will look to improve their standings and gain some ground on Philadelphia with a quality performance here in this one. If they want to maintain long-term success throughout the season, they need to improve their play on the offensive end of the ice as they are averaging less than three goals per game throughout the early part of the year. They come into this game on a two game winning streak and they will look for a third consecutive victory here in this one on Thursday night.

The Philadelphia Flyers are two games above .500 through their first 28 games of the regular season. They find themselves in a similar situation as they need to improve their play on the offensive end of the ice if they want to maintain any type of long-term success this season. They are currently sitting in third place of the Metropolitan division, and they will look to put some distance between themselves and Washington with a victory here in this one on Thursday night at home. They had a lengthy win streak broken in their previous game and they will be looking to get right back into the win column with a solid performance here in this game on Thursday night against the Washington Capitals at home. That is exactly what I expected of Philadelphia here on Thursday night as I look for the Philadelphia Flyers to pick up the victory over Washington here in this one. 

Carolina Hurricanes @ Detroit Red Wings – 7:30PM ET

Tony Battalio

Carolina will be looking to pick up a solid victory on the road in Detroit here on Thursday night as they look to continue their quality start to the regular season. Carolina comes into this game two games above .500 through their first 28 games of the regular season and they will be looking for their 16th victory of the year here on Thursday night on the road in Detroit. They are currently in fifth place of their division, and they will look to move up in the standings with a string of quality performances throughout the week and it starts with grabbing a win on the road here in Detroit on Thursday night. They will need to clean up their play on the defensive end of the ice as they are giving up over three goals per game and that is not sustainable for long-term success this season. They finally broke a losing streak in their previous game, and now they will look for their second consecutive win here on Thursday night. 

Detroit is having a decent start to the regular season as they come into this game with a winning record through their first 28 games of the regular season. They will look for their 16th victory of the year here at home against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night as they like to keep their momentum rolling throughout the early part of the regular season. Detroit also needs to clean up their play on the defensive end of the ice as they are also giving up above three goals per game and that will not maintain that success throughout the year either. They will be happy to be back at home after splitting a quick road trip, and they come into this game on a one game winning streak, and they will be looking for their second consecutive victory of the season here on Thursday. That is exactly what I expect as I look for them to pick up the victory in this game on Thursday night over Carolina at home.

Calgary Flames @ Minnesota Wild – 8PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a rough start of the year for the Calgary Flames and they will look to get things going in the right direction with a victory here on Thursday night on the road in Minnesota. Calgary has been a legitimate contender over the last several seasons so it caught the league by surprise when they started out this year slow. They will look to get things rolling in the right direction and get the momentum built up throughout the rest of December with a quality victory here in this game south of the border in Minnesota on Thursday night against the Wild. Calgary comes into this game seven games below .500 through their first 29 games of the regular season and they will look to get a huge victory here on Thursday night on the road. They have lost three consecutive games and four out of their last five so they will desperately need to break out of their swamp, but they win here in this game on Thursday night in Minnesota. 

Minnesota finds themselves in a similar situation as the Calgary Flames, as they have been off to a rough start to the regular season, after being a contender for so many years. They will be desperate to grab a victory in this game at home against the Calgary Flames as they look to get the momentum rolling in the right direction throughout the rest of December. Minnesota comes into this game six games under .500 through their first 26 games of the regular season and they will look for their 11th victory of the year here at home on Thursday night. They are giving up over three goals per game and that is not something that will lead any type of success for Minnesota this season and that is something they will be looking to improve on throughout the year as well. They’re coming into this game with a little bit of momentum after picking up a victory over Seattle and their previous game. However, I don’t see them picking up a victory here on Thursday as I look for Calgary to grab the win. 

Florida Panthers @ Vancouver Canucks – 10PM ET

Tony Battalio

It has been a solid start of the year for the Florida Panthers and they will look to go north of the border to Vancouver and pick up a victory here in this one on Thursday night. This will be one of the best games on the schedule all weekend and Florida will be looking to come out in this one against the Vancouver Canucks. Florida comes into this game with 17 victories through their first 28 games of the regular season and they will look to grab their 18th victory of the year here on Thursday night north of the border in Vancouver. Florida has been a legitimate contender over the last several years but they’ve been unable to win the ultimate prize of a Stanley Cup title, and they will be hoping that this season is the year that they finally break the glass ceiling and bring home a championship. Despite losing to Seattle in their last game, they still have plenty of momentum coming into this one as they have won three out of their last four on the year.

The Vancouver Canucks are off to a fantastic start to the regular season and they will look to keep the momentum rolling here at home on Thursday night against the Florida Panthers. Vancouver comes into this game looking to pick up their 20th victory of the season through their first 29 games of the year as they look to continue establishing themselves as a legitimate contender this season. They come into this game riding a wave of momentum as they are currently on a three game winning streak, and they have won four out of their last five on the season. It will look for a fourth consecutive victory here on Thursday night at home against the Florida Panthers as they look to keep the momentum rolling throughout December. That is exactly what I expect out of the Vancouver Canucks in this game on Thursday night as I look for them to pick up the victory over Florida here in this one.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.