We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move into the final stretch of the season, each division’s ladder has already become well formed. This means that every single win or loss can have a significant impact on the position each team will finish in when the regular season draws to a close, 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.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Boston Bruins – 7.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who on Thursday night will face off against the Boston Bruins. The Lightning will be looking to get back on track after losing their last two games in a row, against the Rangers and Hurricanes. The Bruins have won seven of their last nine games, and this takes their overall season record to 39-19-5.
Marko Nadin
The Boston Bruins are 7th in the Eastern Conference with a 39-19-5 record, one point behind their next opponent and 16 ahead of the 9th place, which makes their playoff appearance a done deal. Boston has won 5 of the last 6 games and is coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens. Boston is ranked third in the league with 35.6 shots on goal but their conversion rate is not very high since they are 11th in the league with 3 goals per game. Boston has won 12 of the last 15 games following a road trip of at least 7 days.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 39-17-6 record. The defending champions have won 5 of the last 7 games and are coming from back-to-back losses against two conference rivals the New York Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes. The Lightning are ranked 8th in the league with 3.3 goals per game. They have won 6 of the last 7 and 7 of the last 10 games against Boston. The Lightning have lost the last 5 games against teams with a winning record.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-110)
Tony Battalio
The two time defending Stanley Cup champions come into this game with a record of 39-17-6 through their first 62 games of the season. They are currently in third place of the Atlantic Division at the moment. They will be looking to three-peat this season and be the first team in several decades to accomplish that feat. Tampa Bay is currently on a two game losing streak after losing back to back games to Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers. Now they will look to bounce back in this one against the Boston Bruins.
Checking in from Boston. 👋 pic.twitter.com/Y5aR2n1EMD
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 23, 2022
The previously mentioned Boston Bruins are coming into this game with a record of 39-19-5 through their first 63 games of the season. Boston has put together a decent season and come into this game 15 games above the .500 mark. They are currently in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, only a single point behind their opponents in this game which means this is going to be huge for the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. As for the result of this game, I have the Bruins getting the win at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-110)
Jeffery Thomas
An all Atlantic Division battle here when the second place Lightning travel to Boston to take on the fourth-place Bruins. Tampa Bay comes into this one following a 2-3 loss to the Hurricanes on Tuesday. Surprisingly that is the sixth straight game for the Bolts that has gone under the total of 5.5 and a lot of that can be attributed to the stellar goaltending work of Andrei Vasilevskiy, who is the projected starter for this matchup. The Bruins will come into this game on two days’ rest following their 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens.
That game was the third in Boston’s last five to go under the 5.5 total, so both teams have been playing in some very low-scoring affairs. Bruins’ goalie Jeremy Swayman has emerged as the top rookie goaltender and one of the best in the league overall, and he’ll look to slow down this Lightning offense on Thursday. Both teams are starting two of the best goalies in the league right in terms of form and I think we will see another low-scoring battle. Three of the last four meetings between these division foes have gone under 5.5 and while that is a strong look, I have to side with the Lightning, who have dominated this head-to-head and are 7-0 in their last seven trips to Boston.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-110)
Florida Panthers @ Montreal Canadiens – 7.00PM ET
The mammoth road trip continues on for the Florida Panthers, who on Thursday night will travel to Montreal and go toe-to-toe with the Canadiens. The Panthers have been alternating wins and losses for the last five games, and this takes their overall record on the season to 42-14-6. The Canadiens have won five of their last seven games, and last time out they lost to the Bruins, 2-3, in overtime.
Marko Nadin
The Montreal Canadiens are having a season to forget as they are locked to the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 17-36-10 record. They have lost 3 of the last 4 games, two of which in overtime. Montreal is ranked the worst in the league with 2.5 goals per game and 3.8 allowed goals per game. Montreal has won 6 of the last 7 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 4 of the last 5 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. At the same time, they have lost 19 of the last 26 home games and 9 of the last 11 games coming in after two-day break.
The Florida Panthers are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 42-14-6 record. They have won 7 of the last 9 games but have lost 2 of the last 4. The Panthers are coming off a 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. They are the top-scoring team in the league with 4.1 goals per game and also lead the league with 36.7 shots on goal per game. Florida has won 6 of the last 10 games against Montreal. They have also won 8 of the last 9 games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-260)
Tony Battalio
The Florida Panthers are coming into this game as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season. They are in my opinion the main favorites to win the Eastern Conference as well. They come into this game with a record of 42-14-6 through their first 62 games of the season. Florida is currently on a one game winning streak after beating the Anaheim Ducks in their last game. They are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division as well. They are looking to make it two wins in a row in this game.
This account is bilingual, and so is Justin Barron. 🤓#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/hcdGnVSv4h
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 23, 2022
The Montreal Canadiens are having a very rough season this year. They look nowhere near as good as they did last year when they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals. They come into this game with a record of 17-36-10 through their first 63 games of the season. Montreal is currently on a one game losing streak after falling to the Boston Bruins in their last game. As for the result of this game I have the Florida Panthers getting the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-260)
Jeffery Thomas
The new-look Panthers were busy making moves ahead of the trade deadline and will now finally get to play a game with all their new pieces. Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot were the most notable additions to Florida, who are now ready to attack the stretch run with hopes of a deep playoff run. Now on six days’ rest the Cats will travel north of the border to the Bell Center to take on the Montreal Canadiens who are as competitive as they’ve been all season since Martin St. Louis took over as head coach. On Monday, the Canadiens pushed the Boston Bruins to overtime before Brad Marchand netted the winner.
But even in the loss they proved you still have to show up and earn a victory against them, especially on their home-ice. Whenever we can get nearly even money on the Panthers to cover the spread against less-than opponents like this it’s a must play. Every line the Panthers will throw at Montreal will be too good and just too much to handle. The Panthers are 2-0 on six days rest this season and I imagine they’ll be eager to get back on the ice and will pounce early to take a huge lead then ride it out to the end. Give me the Panthers on the puck line.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (-112)
Dallas Stars @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00PM ET
The Dallas Stars have one game on the road on Thursday when they face off against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Stars have won three of their last four games, and this includes their last two in a row, against the Capitals and Oilers. The Hurricanes put an end to their four game losing streak last time out, when they were victorious over the Lightning, 3-2.
Marko Nadin
The Carolina Hurricanes are second in the Eastern Conference with a 42-15-6 record. They are coming off a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lighting putting an end to a four-game losing streak. The Hurricanes are the best defensive team in the league allowing a league-low 2.5 goals per game on 28.9 shots on goal and defending 89.3% of the power play situations. Carolina has won 6 of the last 10 games against Dallas. The Hurricanes are 15-4 in the last 19 games playing after one-day.
The Dallas Stars are 8th in the Western Conference with a 35-24-3 record. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. The Stars are 15th in the league with 3 goals per game and 19th allowing 2.9 goals per game. Dallas has won 5 of the last 6 games in the fourth game of a 4-in-6 situation and 15 of the last 21 games against teams from the Metropolitan Division. They have played over the total goals margin in 5 of the last 6 games following a win.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-235)
Tony Battalio
The Dallas Stars will need to pick up some victories down the stretch if they want to be involved in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. They come into this game with a record of 35-24-3 through their first 62 games of the season. They are 8 games above .500 on the year which currently puts them in fifth place in the Central Division, but only one point ahead of the last wild card spot in the Western Conference. Dallas is currently on a two game winning streak after getting back to back wins over the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals.
Ready to get to work 👊 pic.twitter.com/6SiUuKaL24
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 23, 2022
The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the top teams in the National Hockey League this season. They are currently leading the Metropolitan Division with a record of 42-15-6 through their first 63 games of the season. Carolina is one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. They are currently on a one game winning streak after getting a win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game. As for the result of this game, I have Carolina getting the win in this game.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-235)
Jeffery Thomas
The Carolina Hurricanes got a much-needed win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Lightning 3-2 to snap a 4-game losing streak. The Canes have been one of the best offenses all season but surprisingly haven’t scored more than 3 goals in any of their 11 games in the month of March. It’s been a lot of tightly-contested defensive battles and it’s possible we see more of the same on Thursday when Carolina hosts the Dallas Stars who are fighting for their playoff lives.
Dallas will come into this one on a two-game winning streak after a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Their recent run of success has been led by their offense, which will face a tall task against this Canes defense that is tops in the league. This Hurricanes team is very tough to beat at home and even more so for a Dallas team that hasn’t been worldbeaters on the road. I think the Canes got a nice confidence boost beating Tampa Bay last time out and will be able to carry that into this home tilt, winning within the first 60 minutes.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Moneyline (3-way) – Carolina Hurricanes (-145)
Philadelphia Flyers @ St. Louis Blues – 8.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Philadelphia Flyers when they travel to St. Louis to face off against the Blues. The Flyers have lost five of their last seven games, and this takes their overall record on the season to 20-32-11. The Blues managed to snap their three game losing streak with a win last time out against the Capitals, 5-2.
Marko Nadin
The St. Louis Blues are third in the Western Conference with a 35-18-9 record. They are coming off a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals which snapped their three-game losing streak. The Blues are ranked fifth in the league with 3.5 goals per game and third with converting 26.3% of the power play situations. St. Louis has won 3 of the last 4 games against Philadelphia. They have also won 19 of the last 26 games as home favorites but only 3 of their last 10 games overall.
The Philadelphia Flyers are 13th in the Eastern Conference with a 20-32-11 record. They have lost 5 of the last 7 games and are coming off a 3-6 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. The Flyers are the worst team in the league when it comes to conversion of power plays with 13.7% and are ranked 31st in the league with 2.5 goals per game. Philadelphia has lost 16 of the last 22 games when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game and 19 of the last 26 games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-260)
Tony Battalio
The Philadelphia Flyers have been having a rough season this year. They are coming into this game with a record of 20-32-11 through their first 63 games of the season. Philadelphia is 23 games below the .500 mark and all but officially eliminated from the playoffs at this point. The Flyers are currently on a one game losing streak after losing their last game to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 3-6 on Tuesday evening. Now the Flyers will be looking to bounce back against a tough St. Louis Blues team.
Transaction: We have recalled forward Hayden Hodgson on emergency conditions from the @LVPhantoms (AHL).
@96_hodgson will wear #42 and be available for #PHIvsSTL on Thursday at 8PM ET (@ESPN+ and @975TheFanatic). pic.twitter.com/OXcvNEfIkg— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 23, 2022
The previously mentioned St. Louis Blues are coming into this game with a record of 35-18-9 through their first 62 games of the season. St. Louis is currently in second place in the Central Division at the moment. They will likely remain in second or third for the rest of the season because the Colorado Avalanche have run away from the rest of the pack in the Central Division and Western Conference. As for the result of this game, I have the Blues picking up the win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Tony’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-260)
Jeffery Thomas
The St. Louis Blues have not been getting it done at home recently, only winning one of their last four home games, but will host a weak opponent in the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday to try and change their fortunes. The Blues are caught up in a battle for second place in the Central with the Wild and Predators, with all three teams within a point of each other. That means all three teams are about to ramp up their level for this stretch to end the year and every single point matters, so don’t expect the Blues to waste this opportunity Thursday.
The Flyers aren’t in any type of playoff race and actually just traded away their captain so it’s going to be a long end to the season for them. At 20-32-11 on the year, the Flyers are tied with the New Jersey Devils for last in the Metropolitan Division. The Blues have so much to play for in this matchup and the Flyers are just trying to get to the offseason. The Blues are 20-7-4 on home-ice this year and I’ll expect them to get behind their home fans and come out hot early. That will set the tone for the game and help St. Louis cruise to a nice 2+ goal victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues -1.5 (+100)
Vancouver Canucks @ Minnesota Wild – 8.00PM ET
The Vancouver Canucks are in game two of their four game road trip and on Thursday night they will face off against the Minnesota Wild. The Canucks had lost three games in a row, against the Red Wings, Flames and Sabres, but they did get the win in their game last night, over the Avalanche 3-1. The Wild, on their other hand, have won their last three games in a row, and this takes their record on the season to 37-20-4.
Marko Nadin
The Minnesota Wild are fourth in the Western Conference with a 37-20-4 record. They have won the last three games and are coming off a 3-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. The Wild are the third-best scoring team in the league with 3.7 goals per game and are ranked 11th with 32.7 shots on goal per game. Minnesota has won 6 of the last 10 games against Vancouver. They have won 10 of the last 13 games coming in after two-day rest and 55 of the last 77 as favorites.
The Vancouver Canucks are 11th in the Western Conference with a 31-26-8 record. They have lost 3 of the last 4 games but are coming off a 3-1 win over the best team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche. Vancouver is ranked 14th in the league with 2.9 allowed goals per game and 22nd in the league with 2.8 scored goals per game. The Canucks have won 4 of the last 5 road games and 5 of the last 7 games against teams from the Central Division.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-210)
Tony Battalio
The Vancouver Canucks are coming into this game with a record of 31-26-8 through their first 65 games of the season. They picked up a big win over the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now they move two points closer to getting into a Stanley Cup playoff spot. The Canucks are now only two points shy of being tied for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Canucks are much improved from last season and could potentially be a playoff lock next season.
Drop everything you’re doing to watch Jake talk about his muzzy 👨🏻#mnwild pic.twitter.com/qV9nJBo93k
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 24, 2022
The Minnesota Wild are coming into this game with a record of 37-20-4 through their first 61 games of the season. They currently find themselves in third place in the Central Division as one point separates themselves and the second place St. Louis Blues. The Wild are currently on a three game winning streak after picking up victories over the Vegas Golden Knights, the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Boston Bruins. As for the result of this game, I have the Minnesota Wild getting the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-210)
Jeffery Thomas
The Vancouver Canucks had the most shocking result of the NHL slate on Wednesday when they went into the Ball Arena and took down the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. No goals were scored until the third period, when the Canucks got 2 quick ones in the first three minutes to go up 2-0. The Avs narrowed the gap to 1 three minutes later but weren’t able to get the equalizer and gave up the empty netter to seal the win for Vancouver. The win moved the Canucks to within 3 points of the Dallas Stars for the second wild card spot and now a test against the Minnesota Wild awaits them.
The over has hit in 20 of the Wild’s 28 home games this year so that’s a great look if you want to avoid a side in this one. I however, am confident in the Wild getting this win on their home-ice over a Canucks team that will wear down towards the end of the game after expending a lot of energy the night before. The Wild are the better team and have all the advantages in this one, so give me the home side.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-210)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
