We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move past the mid way point in the season, each division’s ladder has already become well formed. Despite this, 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 @ Philadelphia Flyers – 7.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Washington Capitals, who on Thursday will face off against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals have won two of their last five games, and this takes their season record to 27-15-9. The Flyers are currently on a three game losing streak, after losses to the Red Wings (twice) and Penguins.
Marko Nadin
The Washington Capitals are 7th in the Eastern Conference with a 27-15-9 record. They have lost 3 of the last 5 games but luckily their playoff spot is not in danger. Washington has won the last 4 road games and will make it 5 in a row when they visit the Flyers who are only 8-11-4 at home. Still, the Capitals recently have an issue to win two games in a row since they have lost 6 of the last 7 games following a win. The Capitals have won only one of the last 5 games going in as favorites.
The Philadelphia Flyers are having their worst season in the last decade as they are currently 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 15-24-9 record. The Flyers started the year with 12 consecutive losses and after winning two games are now on a three-game losing streak. They lost 4-5 in overtime against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last one. Philadelphia has lost 7 of their last 9 games. The Flyers won the last game against Washington 2-1 but have lost 6 of the last 10 against them.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-182)
CAPS TODAY: Alex Ovechkin climbed three all-time lists with his two goal performance last night against the Nashville Predators. More info on the #Caps captain and Caps Clips at https://t.co/HecIC0ECg1 pic.twitter.com/9s3vYko40M
— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) February 16, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Washington Capitals come into this game with a record of 27-15-9 as they are 4 games above the .500 mark through their first 51 games of the season. The Capitals are currently in fourth place in the Metropolitan Division as they have been somewhat underwhelming so far this season. As the second half of the season gets going, the Capitals will have to step up their play because if they don’t they risk missing out on the playoffs this season in what could be one of Alexander Ovechkin’s last years in the National Hockey League.
The Philadelphia Flyers have been an outright disappointment this season. They come into this game virtually eliminated from the playoffs at this point. As they have a record of 15-24-9 through their first 48 games of the season. They are currently in last place in the Metropolitan Division and it doesn’t look to be getting better anytime soon for the Flyers. As for the result of this game, I have the Washington Capitals picking up the victory over Philadelphia.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-182)
Detroit Red Wings @ New York Rangers – 7.00PM ET
The Detroit Red Wings wrap up their short two game road trip when they take on the New York Rangers, who themselves wrap up their five game homestand tonight. The Red Wings had won both their games against the Flyers, before going down to the Wild last time out, 4-7. The Rangers have won their last three games in a row, which includes wins over the Kraken, Panthers and Bruins.
Marko Nadin
The Detroit Red Wings are currently 9th in the Eastern Conference with a 22-22-6 record but are still far from the playoff picture since they are 8 shy of the Boston Bruins who are 8th in the conference. The Red Wings defeated the Flyers twice in back-to-back games but then failed 4-7 to the Minnesota Wild. The Red Wings are a team that can bounce back after a tough loss since they have won 6 of the last 7 games coming off a loss with at least 5 goals allowed. Still, they have won only 15 of the last 80 games as a road underdog.
The New York Rangers have fallen to the 5th place in the Eastern Conference with a 31-13-4 record. They are coming off three consecutive wins, the last two against conference rivals in Florida and Boston. The Rangers have won 37 of the last 50 games coming in as favorites. They have also won 11 of the last 13 games after their opponent has allowed at least five goals in the previous game. The Rangers have won the last three games against the Red Wings, most recently 1-0 in 2020.
Marko’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-205)
Tough one, Gaut 😂 pic.twitter.com/jY0rXxBfQQ
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) February 16, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Detroit Red Wings come into this game with a record of 22-22-6 through their first 50 games of the season. They are currently in fifth place in the Atlantic Division as they will have a lot of work to do if they want to get back into the playoff conversation. Detroit is currently on a one game losing streak after dropping their last game to the Minnesota Wild. The loss to Minnesota snapped a two game winning streak for Detroit. Now they will be looking to bounce back against one of the better teams in the league this season.
The New York Rangers come into this game with a record of 31-13-4 on the season. As they are 14 games above the .500 mark through their first 48 games of the season. The Rangers are currently sitting in a playoff position as they are in third place of the Metropolitan Division. New York is currently on a three game winning streak after beating the Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers, and Seattle Kraken all at home. As for the result of this game, I have the Rangers getting a fourth straight victory at home over the Red Wings.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-205)
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM ET
The Pittsburgh Penguins have just one game on the road before returning home again, when they go toe-to-toe with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Penguins are on a four game winning streak, which includes wins over the Bruins, Senators, Devils and Flyers. The Maple Leafs managed to snap their two game losing streak last time out, with a win over the Kraken, 6-2.
Marko Nadin
In the game of the night, two of the best six offensive teams in the league will go against each other. Both teams have won 14 of their last 17 games against conference rivals. The Toronto Maple Leafs are 6th in the Eastern Conference with a 31-12-3 record. After losing back-to-back games against Calgary and Vancouver, they bounced back in the last one against the Seattle Kraken. They have won 22 of the last 30 games as home favorites. The Maple Leafs have played under the total goals margin in the last 7 games after their opponent is coming off a game in which has scored at least 5 goals.
The Pittsburgh Pirates went on the All-Star break with 4 consecutive losses, the longest negative streak of the season for them. Now, the Penguins have won the last 4 games, including last time out, 5-4 in overtime against Philadelphia. Pittsburgh has won 21 of their last 27 games. They have also won 5 of the last 7 games against an opponent with a winning record. They have won 40 of the last 58 games following a win. Pittsburgh have won the last 2 and 6 of the last 10 games against the Maple Leafs.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (+100)
Following the provincial announcement made earlier this week, we are thrilled to open the doors to @ScotiabankArena to our dedicated fans once again! We now have a limited number of tickets available for our February 17th and 19th games.
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) February 16, 2022
Tony Battalio
Fresh off the heels are Sidney Crosby’s 500th career goal, the Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game with a record of 31-11-8 as they are 12 games above .500 through their first 50 games of the season. They are in the driver’s seat in the Metropolitan Division at the moment as they look to make one final run as Crosby continues to age and injuries are catching up to him. Pittsburgh is currently on a four game winning streak that they will be looking to extend in this game against one of the better teams in the National Hockey League.
The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this game with a record of 31-12-3 as they are 16 games above the .500 mark through their first 46 games of the season. They are currently in third place in the Atlantic Division as they look to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in a couple of decades. Led by Auston Matthews, the Maple Leafs have been on a tear this season as they have won three of their last five games. As for the result of this however, I have the Pittsburgh Penguins picking up the win on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (+130)
St. Louis Blues @ Montreal Canadiens – 7.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the St. Louis Blues, who will face off against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. The Blues are currently on a two game winning streak, after beating the Blackhawks and Senators. Things keep getting worse for the Canadiens, who have now reached double digits in their current losing streak.
Marko Nadin
Nobody could have expected how deep the last year’s favorite Montreal Canadiens could fall this season. They have the worst record this season in the NHL with 8-33-7. The Canadiens have only one win in 2022 and have lost the last 10 games. Another fact that speaks to how bad the Canadiens are this season is that they are 7-20 in their last 27 home games. They are the worst team in the league with 4 goals allowed per game while they score only 2.2. Montreal has only 4 wins in the last 22 games against a Western Conference opponent.
The St. Louis Blues have climbed to third spot in the Western Conference with a 28-14-5 record. They have won the last two games scoring 5 goals in each. The Blues have won 23 of the last 32 games as road favorites. The Blues have won 21 of the last 30 games against a team with a losing record. The Canadiens have won 3 of the last 5 against St. Louis, but the Blues won the last one 4-1 on the road. St. Louis is the fifth-best scoring team in the league with 3.5 goals per game and seventh-best defensively with only 2.7 conceded goals per game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-285)
Brayden Schenn appreciation tweet pic.twitter.com/TwOmZahmUy
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) February 16, 2022
Tony Battalio
The St. Louis Blues come into this game with a record of 28-14-5 on the season. They are 9 games above the .500 mark through their first 47 games of the year as they fight for playoff positioning in a highly competitive Central Division that may produce both wild card spots in the Western Conference this season. The Blues are currently on a two game winning streak after beating Ottawa and Chicago in back to back games. They are sitting in fourth place in the Central Division as well. As they will look to pick up a win over a weak Montreal team.
The previously mentioned Montreal Canadiens come into this game with one of the worst records in the National Hockey League. They are currently 8-33-7 through their first 48 games of the season and are all but officially eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs at this point. Montreal is currently in the basement of the Atlantic Division as well. They will primarily be playing spoiler the rest of the season as they look to be headed towards a rebuild. As for the result of this game, I have the St. Louis Blues picking up the victory on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-285)
Anaheim Ducks @ Edmonton Oilers – 9.00PM ET
Two Pacific Division rivals, the Anaheim Ducks and the Edmonton Oilers will clash on Thursday night in the NHL. The Ducks are playing on back-to-back nights and last time out they lost to the Flames, 2-6. The Oilers are starting to get back on track, as they have won their last three games in a row, and this takes their season record to 26-18-3.
Marko Nadin
The Edmonton Oilers are 7th in the Western Conference with a 26-18-3 record including 13-10-0 at home. The competition for the last playoff spot in the West is so tight that the Oilers, Kings and the Ducks are tied, meaning that every game until the end of the season is very important. The Oilers have won the last three games against the Islanders, Sharks and Kings. Edmonton has won 5 of the last 6 games playing after one day rest but have lost 9 of their last 13 home games. They have played under the total goals margin in their last 4 home games.
The Anaheim Ducks are currently 9th in the Western Conference with a 23-18-9 record. They have lost the last three games, including 2-6 last night to the Calgary Flames. The Ducks have won 5 of their last 6 games playing without a day off but have lost the last 8 games against Western Conference opponents. Anaheim has played over the total goals margin in the last 7 of 10 games without a day off. The last four games between these two teams have finished over 5.5 goals.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (+100)
The beautiful game. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/wMJmPUlhnf
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) February 16, 2022
Tony Battalio
The Anaheim Ducks come into this game with a record of 23-18-9 as they are 4 games below .500 through their first 50 games of the season. They are coming into this one off of the first game of a back to back. In game one they were blown out by the Calgary Flames as the game was over by the time the third period started. They are currently in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They will be taking on the third place team in the Pacific as this game could end up being important for playoff positioning. They will be looking to bounce back from the loss last night to Calgary against another Canadian team, the Edmonton Oilers.
The previously mentioned Edmonton Oilers come into this game in third place in the Pacific Division. Their record on the season is average compared to the level of talent they have on their team in many people’s opinions. They are currently 26-18-3 through their first 47 games of the season. They are currently on a three game win streak after beating the New York Islanders, San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings, the last two games and victories coming on the road. As for the result of this game, I have the Edmonton Oilers picking up their fourth straight victory with a win at home over Anaheim.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Anaheim Ducks (+195)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
