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!
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Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the best five games on today’s schedule.
Anaheim Ducks @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7.00PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks five game road trip continues on, and this time they are taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Ducks have won two of their last four games, but the two games they lost were both in shootouts, and their season record is currently sitting at 14-8-5. The Blue Jackets are not off to the start they were hoping for this month, winning just one of their four games in December so far, which brings their season record to 13-11-0.
Denis Kirilov
The Anaheim Ducks and the Columbus Blue Jackets have been forecasted to be among the teams who won’t make the Playoffs. However, the Ducks have proved everybody wrong so far as they are 3rd in the Western Conference with 33 points from 27 games. They have had to deal with some of the top opponents in the NHL recently which didn’t turn out as planned for the Ducks. They lost their two most recent games against direct rivals as the “God of penalties” wasn’t on their side in the matches against the Washington Capitals and the Calgary Flames. The team managed to clinch a victory over the Buffalo Sabres in their second game in their road trip. Now, for the third match they will face a Columbus Blue Jackets team that seems to be surmountable.
Columbus has been underperforming recently as the team lost 5 out of their last 6 games. All of these five matches were on the road against decent opponents including the Maple Leafs, the Capitals, and the Blues. Things are a bit different when they have to play a match in their Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets are on a 4-game winning streak at home, defeating the likes of the Red Wings, the Jets, the Canucks, and the Sharks. Although these teams are far away from the best in the League, the victories shouldn’t be disregarded. However, I think that the Ducks will be a bit tougher than the aforementioned teams and they will put an end to Columbus’ fabulous performance on home ice.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (-110)
Tony Battalio
Both of these teams were predicted to finish towards the bottom half of the standings and miss the 2021-22 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However both teams have exceeded expectations up until this point of the season. Anaheim even went on a lengthy winning streak of around nine games last month. While Columbus has been a surprise and pulled off some big wins until their recent rough stretch over the past two weeks. Now they will both be looking for victories against each other to get themselves back on the right track.
Write us an acrostic poem:
S
T
A
T
S@PNCBank | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/Oe0Y1KxTMh— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) December 8, 2021
The Anaheim Ducks come into this game with a record of 14-8-5 as they are hovering right above the .500 mark this season. The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game having hit a rough patch, they snapped a losing streak the other night but went back into the loss column with their next game against Dallas. They are currently 13-11 on the season. As for the result of this game, I have the Columbus Blue Jackets picking up the win on home ice in this game.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets (-110)
Michael Lantz
Despite only going 2-2 in the last four games, Anaheim continues to impress, showing they can hang with the league’s best. They beat the Vegas Golden Knights 6-5 and then had consecutive losses to division leaders, the Calgary Flames and Washington Capitals, but they only dropped each game by only one goal—both in shootouts. The Ducks then got back on track with a shutout win over the Buffalo Sabres, 2-0. They’re currently second in the Pacific Division and have been one of the NHL’s biggest surprises this season.
On Thursday night they’ll face a Columbus Blue Jackets team that has gone 1-5 in their last six. That being said, the Blue Jackets’ offense seems to be waking up: they’ve scored ten goals in the past two games, after it took them their previous five to score the same amount. They’ll look to keep it going against a Ducks team that can score, but also are vulnerable to be scored on. As good as the Ducks have been, I like Columbus to continue their offensive momentum and make some adjustments on defense.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets (-110)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM ET
One of the most intriguing games on tonight’s slate, when we see two Atlantic Division rivals, in the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs, face off against each other. The Lightning continue their good form in December, as they are yet to drop a game, and their season record stands at 16-5-4. The Maple Leafs have had a bit of a mixed bag, winning two of their four games in December so far, and this takes their season record to 18-7-2.
Denis Kirilov
The game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Toronto Maple Leafs will definitely be the one to watch on Thursday in the NHL. Both teams have been doing great recently and both of them are fighting for 1st place in the Eastern Conference. So far, Toronto is 3rd, while Tampa is 5th with two points less than their upcoming opponents. Their goals difference statistic is identical as just a single goal separates them. Tampa comes into this match on a 4-game winning streak, three of which came on the road. Toronto, on the other hand, suffered two straight losses in their last two away games against Minnesota and Winnipeg, but they have been merciless in Scotiabank Arena.
This will be their second meeting for the season as both teams faced each other at the same place in the early days of November. Then, Toronto took the upper hand, closing out the game in the overtime through a great team goal by their top players – Marner, Matthews, and Nylander. Auston Matthews has scored in 7 consecutive games which increased the number of his total goals to 17 for the season. On the other hand, Tampa’s defenseman, Victor Hedman, rarely misses to make an assist throughout the 60 minutes of play. Steven Stamkos is also quite important for the Lightning as he is 10th in the overall points leaderboard, right behind Auston Matthews. I think that Tampa will get the better of Toronto and will extend their winning streak to five games.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (+116)
Tony Battalio
This game has the potential to be the best of the Thursday slate as two teams that are contenders for the Eastern Conference Championship will face off. As the two time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning will travel north of the border to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams are well above the .500 mark coming into this one.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are 16-5-4 on the year and come into this game on a four game winning streak. They are currently in third place in the Atlantic Division. The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently 18-7-2 on the year and in second place of the Atlantic Division. As for the result of this game I have the Toronto Maple Leafs picking up the win at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-140)
Michael Lantz
In a showdown between two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning travel up north to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. This one features two of the league’s top goalies as the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiey looks to hold it down on the road, while the Maple Leaf’s Jack Campbell looks to continue a Vezina-worthy campaign. In his last three games in front of the net, Campbell has given up three goals twice and four goals on Tuesday against Columbus. Previous to the three he gave up against the Avalanche on December 1st, Campbell hadn’t given up more than two in a game since November 13th. He’ll look to get back to last month’s ways, but it won’t be easy against the back-to-back champs.
Tampa Bay has won four straight, but Toronto will be their toughest opponent in quite some time. These two currently are two points apart from each other, as this game has major playoff implications. As much as I want to go with Toronto at home, no team knows how to handle a playoff atmosphere like the Lightning, especially when they look as good as they have in recent games.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (+116)
Carolina Hurricanes @ Calgary Flames – 9.00PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes are on the road when they travel to Calgary and take on the Flames on Thursday night. The Hurricanes have a season record of 17-6-1, and they are currently sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division, with 35 points. The Flames have a season record of 15-6-5, and this helps to put them in first place in the Pacific Division, also with 35 points.
Denis Kirilov
Another big clash on Thursday night in the NHL will put the Carolina Hurricanes up against the Calgary Flames. Both teams have drawn attention to themselves with the sheer domination through which they win their matches. The Flames currently sit at 2nd place in the Western Conference, while the Hurricanes dropped down to 6th place following a bad period. Both teams are with 35 points so far, but Carolina has a two-game advantage. They won their last matches with the Sabres and the Jets, thus stopping their losing streak and beginning a winning one. The Flames suffered two unpleasant losses recently. They lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in a narrow game on Sunday and then, two days later, they were outclassed by the San Jose Sharks.
The Hurricanes continue to be dominant in their games as they frequently make twice more shots on goal than their opponent. Sometimes this strategy doesn’t work as they try plenty of long-ranged shots that are doomed from the very beginning. Calgary tends to do that as well as their last match was a precise example of when your dominance doesn’t pay off. They had 43 shots on target to San Jose’s 27 shots, but they eventually lost the game by 2 goals. I think that we will see a show in Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary with plenty of opportunities to score. Hence, I will go with the option for “over goals” in this long-awaited meeting.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Over 5.5 (-104)
Tony Battalio
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game with a record of 17-6-1 on the year. They are currently on a two game winning streak. This game against the Calgary Flames is the second game of a lengthy five game road trip for the Hurricanes. They will be looking to extend their winning streak and further establish themselves as a contender for the Stanley Cup with a victory in Calgary.
New city, same us
📍 Calgary pic.twitter.com/aIohkYTrzx
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) December 8, 2021
The previously mentioned Calgary Flames have a record of 15-6-5 on the year. However they are currently on a two game losing streak after losses to Vegas and San Jose during a west coast road trip. As for the result of this game, I have the Carolina Hurricanes picking up the victory on the road in Calgary.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+106)
Michael Lantz
Despite two consecutive losses, the Calgary Flames still sit atop the Pacific Division. With the Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers closing in, they’ll look to get two points to distance themselves, as they play a Carolina Hurricanes team that’s gone from first to third in their division in recent weeks. Carolina were one of the NHL’s best teams through the first month of the season, but they fell on some hard times in their ultra-competitive division. Now, they sit behind both the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers. Luckily, they’re coming off two wins where they’ve looked pretty dominant on both sides of the puck; they’ll hope to keep that going against a fantastic Calgary offense, that includes one of the NHL’s top-ten point scorers—Johnny Gaudreau.
The Flames also have a Vezina front-runner at goalie, as Jacob Markstrom now leads the NHL in goals against average. That being said, the ‘Canes are not too shabby themselves: they have Sebastian Aho, who is just outside the top ten in scoring and goalie Frederik Andersen who is fourth in goals against average. Ultimately, this one will be a lot of fun to watch, but whereas Calgary has the slight edge in talent, Carolina is one of, if not the, best road team in the NHL. I think they’ll take the momentum of their previous two wins into Alberta for a big victory.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+106)
Boston Bruins @ Edmonton Oilers – 9.00PM ET
The Bruins are in the middle of a three game road trip, and in this game they travel to Edmonton to take on the Oilers. The Bruins are playing on back-to-back nights, and are coming off a heartbreaking 1-2 shootout loss to the Canucks. The Oilers may have a 16-8-0 record, but they are currently on a three game losing streak, and will need to turn things around quickly if they want to stay in touch with the top teams.
Denis Kirilov
The Boston Bruins will face one of the strongest teams in the NHL at the moment, the Edmonton Oilers. The Bruins will try to finally start a winning streak and get more than a single win in a row. They recently lost to the reigning champions, Tampa Bay Lightning, after overtime which supports their big ambitions. However, this loss has been doubled as they were defeated by the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday. The team have almost no problems in terms of injuries and illnesses as only Charles McAvoy is sidelined for the upcoming fixture. Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron will try to help their team with a couple of goals on Thursday as it will be difficult for their defense especially without McAvoy to stop Edmonton’s astonishing duo, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
On the other hand, the Oilers have been struggling recently. They lost three games in a row as it all started with a surprising defeat against the Seattle Kraken. Then, the Canadian team lost to the LA Kings and the Minnesota Wild in their home arena at Rogers Place. Now, in their third consecutive match in front of their own crowd, they will try to make up for these two bad performances. However, their list of injuries remains long as this might be the main reason for their inconsistency lately. I think this will continue further and I will give my preferences to the Bruins.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (+104)
Tony Battalio
The Boston Bruins are coming off an upset loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night in a shootout by a score of 2-3. Now they will be looking to bounce back in the second game of a back to back against the Edmonton Oilers. Boston comes into this game with a record of 12-8-2 on the year as they are just hovering above the .500 mark on the season. Boston is currently on a two game losing streak after back to back losses in extra periods.
The Edmonton Oilers are one of the best teams in the league this season. They come into this game with a record of 16-8 on the year. They are one of the favourites to win the Stanley Cup this season, but when you have guys like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl that should be a no brainer. As for the result of this game, I have the Edmonton Oilers picking up the win at home over Boston on Thursday night.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-125)
Michael Lantz
So far, December just hasn’t been the Oilers month. After a nice win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on December 1st, the Oilers lost to the expansion Seattle Kraken and then were blanked by both the L.A. Kings and the Minnesota Wild, getting outscored 2-9 between those games. The Oilers are once again proving that having the two best scorers in the NHL (Leon Draisaitl and Conor McDavid) are not enough to take you to the top. They need depth and better defense if they truly plan to get beyond another early exit in the playoffs. On Thursday night they face a Bruins team that’s trying to overcome numerous injuries this season and stay afloat in the Eastern Conference standings.
Boston has lost three of their last four, but all three of those were by one goal and in two of them they were missing star player Brad Marchand. Now after their 1-2 loss to a revived Vancouver Canucks team, they’ll be looking to take out an Edmonton squad that’s looked pretty lost lately. Despite Edmonton being the victims of back to back blowouts, I think this will be a close one in Alberta—with the Oilers pulling it together in front of their home crowd for a victory. Edmonton just has too much firepower to put up another poor performance and even though Boston is a gritty team, I think the Bruins fall short yet again.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-125)
Minnesota Wild @ San Jose Sharks – 10.30PM ET
The Minnesota Wild hit the road and they will take on the San Jose Sharks as one of the last games on Thursday night’s slate. The Wild are currently on a seven game winning streak, and this put them in first place in the Central Division, with 37 points. The Sharks have won two of their four games so far in December, and this takes their season record to 14-11-1.
Denis Kirilov
In one of the last games for Thursday night in the NHL the San Jose Sharks take on a high-flying Minnesota Wild team in their home arena, SAP Center. The Sharks have managed to deal with the Covid-19 issues that were brought up earlier this season. They came back to winning once again as they defeated one of the toughest teams in the League in their last match. The Calgary Flames fell victim to the Sharks in an electrifying game in which San Jose made a comeback from 1-3 to 5-3 in the end. Timo Meier, Logan Couture, and Tomas Hertl are leading the team in terms of goals and assists and they will look to further build on their high-level of play.
The Minnesota Wild, on the other hand, are playing a really high-level and high-quality ice-hockey. They are on a 7-game winning streak, defeating the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Edmonton Oilers. Minnesota reminded us to not count them out from the list of contenders for the Stanley Cup. They are certainly a “home” team, but their performance on the road is also quite decent. Many people have doubted them, stating that they have mostly faced low-tier teams in the early games of the season, but now after a couple of fantastic games against some of the favorites for the Playoffs, they have changed their mind. I did so as well and I think they will keep their winning streak even after their visit to San Jose.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-154)
Tony Battalio
Minnesota has been one of the Western Conference favorites all season long. Now they hit the road to play the San Jose Sharks as the second game of a west coast road trip that includes 2 more stops in Las Vegas and Los Angeles to play the Golden Knights and Kings. They are currently in first place of the Central division as they hold a seven point lead over the St. Louis Blues.
🎩🎩🎩@TomasHertl48 has our first @Enterprise hat trick of the season! pic.twitter.com/FxsCumnyak
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) December 8, 2021
The San Jose Sharks had a decent start to the year but have since cooled off. They are currently 14-11-1 as they are just floating above the .500 mark this far into the season. San Jose is currently in seventh place in the Western Conference. As for the result of this game, I have the Minnesota Wild picking up the win on the road over San Jose.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-154)
Michael Lantz
The Minnesota Wild continue to impress, as they lead the Western Conference with 37 points, after two huge wins against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. Last season’s Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov is showing he’s no flash in the pan, as the young forward currently sits in a tie for fifth in the NHL in scoring. Minnesota may not have a top goalie or the big names of other teams in the Western Conference, but they’re showing that playing as a unit is what’s most important for winning games. They’ll look to strengthen their already impressive point total on Thursday night, as they take on the San Jose Sharks.
San Jose are staying alive in the Pacific Division, but with the Vegas Golden Knights getting back to full-strength and sitting right behind them—they have little room for error. After rough losses to the New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets, the Sharks got a huge win against the division leading Calgary Flames on Monday. They’ll look to knock off the Central Division leading Minnesota Wild on Thursday night at home. When these two teams faced each other in Minnesota last month, the Sharks were merciless, winning 4-1. I expect it to be closer on Thursday and this time arguably the league’s best team is getting a little payback.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-154)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
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