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.
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Montreal Canadiens – 7.00PM ET
Two Atlantic Division rivals go at it on Tuesday night, with the third place Tampa Bay Lightning taking on the seventh placed Montreal Canadiens. The Lightning are in the middle of a five game road trip, and they are currently on a three game winning streak. The Candiens on the other side, are currently on a three game losing streak, with losses to the Canucks, Avalanche and Predators.
Denis Kirilov
The Tampa Bay Lightning found their rhythm as they are on a 3-game winning streak. They will face the runners-up from last year, Montreal Canadiens, who are having big troubles in the NHL this campaign. They are second-to-last in the East with 6 wins out of 26 games. The team has been struggling with injuries, but this cannot serve as an excuse to them. They have one of the worst performing defensive lineups that have conceded a total of 93 goals, the most in the NHL so far. The Canadiens will have 8 missing players for the meeting with Tampa which further decreases their chance to get away with the victory.
This will be a rematch of the Stanley Cup final, won by the Lightning, 4-1. They didn’t give Montreal even a slight chance at lifting the trophy. Tampa won 8 out of their last 9 meetings with the Canadiens as the only victory for Montreal came after overtime in game 4 of the Finals. The situation within Tampa is quite different as they are fighting for 1st place in the East with 34 points out of 24 games. The team has some important names that will miss the upcoming fixture including Kucherov and Point. Cernak is questionable for the game against Montreal, but even without them, I think Tampa shouldn’t face any real troubles in overcoming this challenge once again.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-205)
Tony Battalio
The two time defending Stanley Cup champions travel north to take on the Canadiens in this one. The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game off of a huge win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night. The victory against the Flyers extended their winning streak to three games, as they have yet to drop a game in the month of December. They will be looking to make it a fourth straight win in Tuesday’s road game.
Make that ten-straight over Philly. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/6qYsFKsePP
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 6, 2021
The Montreal Canadiens come into this game with a record of 6-17-3 on the year as they are having a rough start as we’ve reached the quarter mark of the season. They are currently on a three game losing streak and have failed to pick up a victory in five of their last six games. This game against Tampa Bay will be the first of a quick two game homestand that includes a visit from Chicago. As for the result of this game, the Tampa Bay Lightning should have no problem picking up a road victory in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-205)
Michael Lantz
In a rematch of the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens have become two very different teams since their Stanley Cup meeting. Despite some shaky games, the Lightning have still compiled a 15-5-4 record, including a 7-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night. They’re looking to continue their path back to a third straight Cup with a matchup against a Canadiens team that haven’t had similar success in the 2021-22 season.
Montreal are currently seventh in the Atlantic Division with a 6-17-3 record. While they’ve had some surprise wins and close games, this team looks like it’s ready for a top pick in a loaded 2022 NHL draft. When it comes down to their Tuesday night matchup, it’s going to be hard for me to bet against a Lightning team that’s coming off a 7-1 win on the road.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-205)
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM ET
The Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road for one game before returning home again, and they will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. The Blue Jackets have won one out of their last three games, which brings their season record to 13-10-0. The Maple Leafs are in a similar boat, winning just one of their last three games, but their season record is more impressive, sitting at 17-7-2.
Denis Kirilov
The Columbus Blue Jackets managed to put an end to their 4-game winning streak with a fantastic performance at home against the San Jose Sharks. The team is obviously struggling on the road as they managed to score just 6 goals in their last 4 games away from home. The Blue Jackets are 9th in the East with 26 points from 23 games. The team is looking to make the Playoffs for yet another year. Patrik Lane and Dean Kukan will miss the upcoming fixture for the Blue Jackets, while Mitchell Marner, who is in great form from the beginning of the season, and Ilya Mikheyev will be absent for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto is one of the best performing teams in the NHL at the moment. Although they have lost their last two games to Minnesota and Winnipeg, the Canadian team is looking really deadly, especially at home. Auston Matthews extended his scoring streak to 6 games as he slowly, but surely finds the right rhythm. John Tavares and Michael Bunting are also performing well for the Maple Leafs lately and in my opinion, they have raised the bar a lot. I think they will be able to close out the game against the Blue Jackets easily. Hence, I will recommend picking Toronto’s spread this time.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (-106)
Tony Battalio
The Columbus Blue Jackets finally snapped their lengthy losing streak with a victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday. When the streak started the Blue Jackets were 12-6-0 now they find themselves with a record of 13-10-0 on the year. Now they have yet another tough test ahead of them as they head north of the border to play the 2nd place team in the Atlantic division, the Toronto Maple Leafs. They will be looking to string some wins together to recover from the losing streak, so they will likely give the Leafs a very competitive game.
The previously mentioned Toronto Maple Leafs come into this game with a record of 17-7-2, as they are having a pretty impressive season up to this point. Not only are they a favorite to make the playoffs, they are likely one of the favorites to make a run all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals this season. However, as for the result of this game, I look for the Columbus Blue Jackets to pick up an upset victory on the road in Toronto.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets (+230)
Michael Lantz
After spending the last couple of weeks giving the Toronto Maple Leafs props for their excellent defense and goaltending, the Maple Leafs have started to show vulnerability, losing to the Wild and Jets, 3-4 and 3-6 respectively. They’ll look to turn things around against a Columbus Blue Jackets team that’s looking to stick around the playoff picture with a 13-10-0 record.
Going into their matchup with the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jackets have to be on a high. They racked up six goals against a very good San Jose Sharks defense. That should give them confidence going into a matchup against Vezina front runner Jack Campbell, who has looked very beatable. Still, with the game being played at Scotiabank Arena, I think the Leafs bounce back for a win.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-285)
Florida Panthers @ St. Louis Blues – 8.00PM ET
The Florida Panthers and St. Louis Blues take on each other for the second of their back-to-back games, and this time it is the Blues who have the home ice advantage. The Panthers were victorious in the first game with the Blues, winning 4-3, in a shootout. Will the Blues be able to get revenge, or will the Panthers go two from two?
Denis Kirilov
One of the most anticipated matches in Tuesday’s schedule in the NHL will be the game between the Florida Panthers and the St. Louis Blues. The Panthers are leading the Eastern Conference with 37 points from 24 games, while the Blues are in the middle of the table in the West with 28 points in 24 matches. Florida enjoys a decent last three games, defeating the likes of the Washington Capitals, the Buffalo Sabres, and the St. Louis Blues. The previous meeting between these two teams was the first one for the season and it took them more than 65 minutes of playing time to decide the winner. The Panthers were more clinical in the penalties as Lundell and Reinhart scored for them.
I think this game will be a fantastic rematch of the previous one. However, I do believe that this time we will see a different winner. Although the Blues are not impressing with their rankings, they have proven that they can beat even the toughest teams in the NHL. Their comeback being 0-3 down against the Tampa Bay Lightning displayed their dedication and desire to win at all costs. I am picking them in this match hoping that Kyrou, Tarasenko, and Saad will find the right way to the Panthers’ goal.
Denis’ NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+116)
Tony Battalio
Both of these teams started the first month of the season on hot streaks and looked like Stanley Cup favorites. Now both of them have started to cool off a bit at the same time the weather is cooling off as well. Now they will play their second straight game against each other after the first one ended in a shootout victory for the Florida Panthers last Saturday. Expect more of the same from round 2 as both of these teams will likely take this game down to the wire again.
Jonathan Huberdeau on stepping into a bigger leadership role each season: “I want to be a good leader and it’s not just in the room. You have to show it on the ice and work hard.” pic.twitter.com/HF5LjyQKEI
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) December 6, 2021
The Florida Panthers got off to a blazing start out of the gate, recording double digit wins before they dropped their first game. Now an entire month has passed since and they come into this one with a record of 17-4-3 as they are currently on a three game winning streak. The St. Louis Blues started the year scoring at will, and now they come into this game with a record of 12-8-4 as they have dropped all the way down to the .500 mark. They will be looking to break a two game losing streak in this game. As for the result of this game, as I said earlier expect more of the same, I look for the Florida Panthers to sweep this two game set against the Blues.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-140)
Michael Lantz
After a 1-4 loss to the expansion Seattle Kraken, the Florida Panthers have gotten back into top gear, winning three straight and staying atop the Atlantic Division. On Tuesday night they’ll hope to make it four as they travel to St. Louis to take on the Blues team for the second straight game.
The Blues have gone through a turbulent season of wins and losses, but they continue to fly steadily, sitting at fourth in the Central Division. They face the Panthers for the second straight game, after losing 3-4 in a shootout on Saturday. This time it’s in St. Louis, where the Blues are 7-3-1 and hope to make some minor adjustments to improve upon last game. I think they will and I’ll pick them for the upset.
Michael’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+116)
Carolina Hurricanes @ Winnipeg Jets – 8.00PM ET
The Carolina Hurricanes hit the road for the first of five games, and they kick things off in Winnipeg where they take on the Jets on Tuesday night. After a surprising loss to the Senators to get the month of December started, the Hurricanes quickly bounced back and won against the Sabres, 6-2. The Jets will be looking to build on the two game winning streak, with wins over the Devils and Maple Leafs, which brings their season record to 12-8-4.
Denis Kirilov
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Winnipeg Jets will play against each other for the first time this season. Although the Hurricanes were off to one of the best starts in their franchise history, the team is now down in 6th place with 33 points from 23 games. They suffered three losses in a row against the likes of the Capitals, the Stars, and the Senators. The last loss was quite unexpected as it happened in their home arena in Raleigh to the worst team in the NHL at that time.
The Winnipeg Jets, on the other hand, are looking at a 3-1 run lately after stopping a 5-game losing streak. They have been quite merciless in their last matches, defeating the Devils, 8-4, and smashing the Maple Leafs, 6-3. Kyle Connor leads the team with 15 goals and 12 assists in this campaign, while Pierre-Luc Dubois, Mark Scheifele, Nikolaj Ehlers have enjoyed some good performances recently. Blake Wheeler is looking for his first goal of the season as he only has 12 assists so far. For me, this game should give us a better insight on the situation within the Hurricanes. I am thinking or at least, I am hoping that Carolina will find the key to decrypting the Jets’ cypher and take away the victory in Canada Life Centre.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-111)
Tony Battalio
The Carolina Hurricanes look to keep their dominating start to the season alive as they kick off a lengthy five game road trip in Winnipeg on Tuesday night. They come into this game with a record of 16-6-1 record after defeating the Buffalo Sabres in their last contest by a score of 6-2. This road trip for Carolina also includes stops in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Minnesota as they will likely be in a hurry to get back home and away from the winter climate with 3-5 wins on the trip.
As for the Winnipeg Jets, they come into this game with a record of 12-8-4 as they are exactly at the .500 mark so far this season. They have gotten there by virtue of a current two game winning streak and wins in three of their last four games. As for the result of this game, I look for the Jets streak to get broken as I expect the Carolina Hurricanes to get their trip started the right way with a win in Winnipeg on Tuesday.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-111)
Michael Lantz
After a brilliant start to the 2021-22 season, the Carolina Hurricanes now sit at third in the Metropolitan Division and sixth in the Eastern Conference in points. They’re still very much in the mix for a top seed, but they’ll need to start playing more consistent hockey quickly. They got a good start to that by beating the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 and they look to continue their winning ways against a streaky Winnipeg Jets team.
Aside from an embarrassing 0-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, the Winnipeg Jets have gotten some big wins over the last few games as they beat the division leading Calgary Flames 4-2 and then had offensive explosions against the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs. Winnipeg can pull a 180 and come up empty at any time, but they won’t be rattled by the ‘Canes and Frederick Andersen after a big win against the Leafs.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Winnipeg Jets (-110)
Minnesota Wild @ Edmonton Oilers – 9.00PM ET
This has got to be one of the best games of a jam-packed night of NHL, the Minnesota Wild (17-6-1) will take on the Edmonton Oilers (16-7-0). The Wild are on top of their Central Division with 35 points, and the Oilers are second in their Pacific Division with 32 points.
Denis Kirilov
Two of the best teams in the NHL at the moment will have an electrifying battle for 1st place in the Western Conference. Surprisingly, the Minnesota Wild is the leader with 35 points out of 24 matches. They are close to going past the 100-goal mark as they are at 92 goals as of now. The team is also on a 6-game winning streak, dismantling the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Winnipeg Jets. They even defeated one of the best performing teams in the East – the Toronto Maple Leafs. Kirill Kaprizov is a hidden gem for the Wild as he has 9 goals and 20 assists from the beginning of the current campaign.
On the other hand, we have the best attacking duo in the NHL – Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. They lead the individual table with most points scored with 43 points for the German and 42 points for the Canadian. The team has suffered two unpleasant losses recently. First, they lost to the rookies, Seattle Kraken, on the road. Later on, they were destroyed by the Los Angeles Kings in front of their home crowd at Rogers Place. The lack of 8-9 players might be taking its toll on the Oilers as the team looks a bit uncertain in its combinations lately. That’s why I am going to go with the underdogs in this match – the Minnesota Wild.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (+105)
Tony Battalio
Two of the top teams in the National Hockey League will face off in this game, which is by far the best game on a night full of fantastic games. Minnesota comes into this game with a record of 17-6-1 on the year having won their last six games and have picked up victories in seven of their last ten dating all the way back to the beginning of the month of November.
Hear from Coach Tipp as he chats about the #Oilers recent play while supplying some injury updates & more today from @RogersPlace. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/A0cXyG1BaM
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 6, 2021
The Edmonton Oilers are the Stanley Cup front runners in my mind. That is because they have the two best players in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on their roster. Both Draisaitl and McDavid are 1 and 2 in my personal Most Valuable Player rankings at the moment as well. They have led Edmonton to a record of 16-7-0 on the year despite Edmonton’s current two game losing streak. As for the result of this game, I expect the Oilers to snap that streak with a win here at home in this game.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-126)
Michael Lantz
While the Minnesota Wild have risen to the top of the NHL standings, the Edmonton Oilers have started to look more vulnerable, despite a juggernaut offense. The Oilers have lost their last two to the Kraken and the Kings as they try not to fall too far in a stacked Western Conference. They’ll look to turn things around against a very good Wild team on Tuesday night.
The Minnesota Wild have been one of the NHL’s hottest teams, as they’re in the midst of a six-game win streak while sitting atop the Central Division. They’ve proudly watched last season’s Calder Trophy winner Kirill Kaprizov become one of the NHL’s most dominant players. While the Wild look like the salt of the conference, I expect this talented Edmonton team to step up and get a big win at home, after losing two games against teams they should’ve beaten.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-126)
If you’re looking for more NHL news, information and predictions, head over to our NHL hub page for all your ice hockey needs!
*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
Watch the clock
