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.
Dallas Stars @ New Jersey Devils – 7.00PM ET
The Dallas Stars wrap up their four game road trip on Tuesday night when they take on the New Jersey Devils, who themselves wrap up their four game homestand. The Stars have won three games in a row, with wins over the Sabres, Red Wings and Flyers. The Devils have lost four of their last five, and this takes their season record to 15-20-5.
Denis Kirilov
The Dallas Stars are considered to be one of the struggling teams at home, but their most recent results suggest otherwise. The team from Texas managed to pick up three straight wins on the road, defeating the likes of the Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Philadelphia Flyers. Although each one of their opponents is in the bottom half of the table in the Eastern Conference, the Stars’ achievement shouldn’t be disregarded. For comparison, the New Jersey Devils are slightly ahead of the Flyers and the Sabres and are 7 points away from the Red Wings. The Stars have a real chance of making the Playoffs despite some contradicting runs in the first half of the season. They are now 9th in the West with 44 points out of 39 matches.
The New Jersey Devils will try to make the best out of the remainder of the campaign as they will most likely miss the Playoffs this year as well. The team has shown a slight improvement towards the end of 2021, but they didn’t manage to transfer this performance into the new year. The Devils might have defeated the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, but this was a one-time occasion as they went on to lose the next game against the Los Angeles Kings, 2-3. On top of that, they recorded losses to the Arizona Coyotes at home and to the New York Islanders on the road throughout the last 10 days. I think that the Stars’ winning streak will continue after their meeting with the Devils on Monday.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Dallas Stars (-144)
Tony Battalio
The Dallas Stars will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one. In the first game of the back to back they picked up a close hard fought win over the Philadelphia Flyers in the city of brotherly love. The victory improved the Stars record on the season to 21-16-2 through their first 39 games of the year. The win over the Flyers also extended the Stars winning streak to three games. Now they will be looking to add a fourth straight victory on the road with a win in this one over the New Jersey Devils.
It’s time for some Plays of the Week!
LIKE for Bastian’s bat or RT for Bratt’s PPG to enter to win an autographed puck, courtesy of @jag_onept. pic.twitter.com/FsWX42wz6O
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) January 24, 2022
The previously mentioned New Jersey Devils come into this game with a record of 15-20-5 as they are ten games below the .500 mark. They have had a rough season up until this point and they will be looking to start a turnaround in this one. The Devils are on a one game losing streak after losing to the Los Angeles Kings, which gave them their fourth loss in the past five games. As for the result of this game, I don’t look for it to get any better for the Devils as I have the Dallas Stars picking up yet another win on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Dallas Stars (-144)
Jeffery Thomas
Dallas will be coming into this one on the back to back but also full of confidence, having won their last 4 games. On Monday, they took care of the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1, handing them a franchise record 12th straight loss. They now have a record of 21-16-2, sitting at 5th in the Central with a ways to go before even coming to the 4th place Wild (9 points). The home Devils will come in losers of 4 of 5 after a 2-3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday. This team is just not playing well at the moment and that lone win was against the Canes when they started a goalie making his NHL debut. Their record is 15-20-5 as they sit at 6th place in the Metro.
The Devils were a team a lot of people were high on coming into the season and they’ve done nothing but disappoint. They will have the rest advantage in this one though, and with the Stars having played the day before, they may be using their backup goalie for this game. That makes me look at the total as a good bet in this game as Dallas is averaging 4 goals a game in this four game winning streak, and the Devils for their own right have a combined 9 in their last two games. These teams are finding the net as of late and you should feel comfortable taking the over in what I see as a 5-3 or 5-4 game either way.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6 (-106)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00PM ET
The Vegas Golden Knights are in the second of their four game road trip when they hit the ice against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Golden Knights are playing on back-to-back nights after they defeated the Capitals, in what was a very low scoring affair, 1-0. The Hurricanes had their three game winning streak snapped last time out, thanks to the Devils, 4-7.
Denis Kirilov
The Vegas Golden Knights will have a tough visit to Raleigh, Carolina as they will face the remarkable Hurricanes who have been fantastic this entire year. The Golden Knights took a narrow 1-0 win over the Washington Capitals away from home, marking their first back-to-back victories for 2022. The team has been struggling throughout the last couple of weeks as the decline in their performance resulted in a 1-5 run to start the new year. They have been outplayed by some of their direct rivals like the Penguins and the Maple Leafs, but they also managed to lose a game to the Chicago Blackhawks who are among the worst teams this campaign.
The Carolina Hurricanes rarely suffer an upset, but this happened twice in their last five appearances. The team was surprised by the New Jersey Devils, 4-7, in their most recent meeting, while a couple of games ago they had to take a 0-6 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In-between these matches, the Hurricanes demonstrated their strengths yet once again defeating the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins, and the Vancouver Canucks in high fashion. With nobody injured on their side, I think that they will be able to stop the Golden Knights’ momentum. Hence, my pick goes in favor of the Hurricanes, expecting that they will be able to close out the game in regular time.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Moneyline 3-Way – Carolina Hurricanes (-145)
Tony Battalio
The Vegas Golden Knights are currently in first place in the Pacific Division. However it may be fair to say that the Pacific Division is the weakest division in the entire National Hockey League. They will have their hands full in this one when they head East to play the Carolina Hurricanes. Vegas is coming into this game with a record of 25-15-2 on the season. This is also the second game of a back to back for Vegas. In game one of the back to back they knocked off the Washington Capitals by a score of 1-0 in the nation’s capital.
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this game with a record of 27-9-2 through their first 38 games on the year. Carolina is one of the main contenders in a loaded Eastern Conference to make a run to the Stanley Cup finals this season. In their last game however, they were beaten by the New Jersey Devils by a score of 4-7, which snapped a three game winning streak for the Hurricanes. Now they will be looking to bounce back with a victory in this one over Vegas. As for the result of this game, I see exactly that happening as I have the Hurricanes picking up the victory at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-240)
Jeffery Thomas
Heavyweight matchup on tap for Tuesday night in Carolina as they host the Vegas Golden Knights, who are on a back to back. The Canes are riding a 10 game run of 7-2-1 and will have two days rest for this one after losing to the Devils on Saturday 4-7. Carolina is 4-0 in their last 4 games playing on 2 days rest. Vegas had a nice shutout win to start their week, shutting down the Caps great offense and winning 1-0. That was their first shutout of the season, as Lehner stopped all 34 shots he faced. These two teams met back in November with the Canes winning that one, 4-2
The Canes come in as heavy favorites and that’s not a role that’s new to them or one they take lightly. In their 28 games as a betting favorite they are 22-6. They have the league lead in GAA (2.40) paired with the 4th highest scoring offense (3.58 GF/GP), and will be getting a fatigued Vegas team who could be starting their backup goalie. This is a great spot to back the Canes, as they’ve scored at least 4 in 10 of the last 11 and they should continue to feast in this one. Give me Carolina easily win this contest.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-240)
Florida Panthers @ Winnipeg Jets – 8.00PM ET
The Florida Panthers wrap up their five game road trip in Winnipeg on Tuesday when they face off against the Jets, who have two games at home before hitting the road again. The Panthers were stunned last time out, going down to the Kraken, 3-5, which takes their season record to 28-9-5. The Jets will be looking to turn around the current four game losing streak they are on, after losses to the Capitals, Predators, Bruins and Penguins.
Denis Kirilov
The Florida Panthers have been one of the best performing teams this year as they slowly, but surely make a smooth transition into the second half of the season. They suffered two unpleasant losses in their last four matches, getting beaten by the Calgary Flames (1-5), and by the Seattle Kraken (3-5). However, apart from that, the Panthers have been really strong, defeating some of their opponents by a 6-7 goal margin. They continue to be on top of the table in the East with 61 points from 42 matches, scoring a total of 170 goals which is something incredible.
The Winnipeg Jets will try to figure out how to stop the fierce Panthers’ offense, but at the same time, they will need to start punishing the opposition’s mistakes. They have lost their last 4 matches in the NHL as all of them were on the road and against strong teams. This will be their first home fixture for 2022 as they are quite ambitious to make the most out of it. Keeping in mind that the Panthers have been losing some games here and there recently, I am going to take the Jets in this match. Moreover, the Panthers have been struggling in their away games throughout the season and in my opinion, this will be the case for the remainder of the campaign.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Winnipeg Jets (+134)
Tony Battalio
The Florida Panthers come into this game with a record of 28-9-5 through their first 42 games of the season. They are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League this season, and one of the main contenders to dethrone the Tampa Bay Lightning. They will be looking to break a one game losing streak after falling to the Seattle Kraken in the last game. They are currently in first place of the Atlantic Division, as they will be looking to get back into the winners column with a victory on the road in this game.
✅ First NHL goal
✅ First NHL fly-byFor more #NHLJets photos ▶️ https://t.co/AiBHvDKPgz!#GoJetsGo | @AccessStorageCA pic.twitter.com/3TxGKJcKqa
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 24, 2022
The Winnipeg Jets are coming into this game with a record of 17-14-7 through their first 38 games on the season. The Winnipeg Jets are returning from a rough road trip where they have lost their last four games in a row. They are currently in sixth place in the Central Division. They will be looking to pick up a huge win at home to break the previously mentioned four game losing streak. However, as for the result of this game, I don’t see it happening as I have the Florida Panthers picking up the victory over the slumping Jets on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers (-162)
Jeffery Thomas
The Panthers come into this one with the NHL lead in points with 61 but endured a disappointing result in their last outing, losing 3-5 on the road, to the Seattle Kraken. That has been the story all year for the Cats are only 7-6-5 away from home, compared to a league best 21-3 on home ice. They’ve got a chance to improve upon that road record on Tuesday night against the Jets. Those Jets are 17-14-7 on the season, which lands them at 6th in the Central Division with 41 points. They have a home record of 10-6-1, but enter this contest on a 4 game winless streak, following a 2-3 shootout loss to the Penguins on Sunday.
The Panthers are not the strongest road team, as previously stated, but in this matchup, they just have way too much for the Jets. The way they can light up the scoreboard, and coupled with an embarrassing loss their last time out, there’s no way they let another game get away from them, so I think they will come out hot and cruise to a relatively easy road win in Winnipeg.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Florida Panthers -1.5 (+154)
Edmonton Oilers @ Vancouver Canucks – 10.00PM ET
Two Pacific Division rivals face off against each other on Tuesday night when the Edmonton Oilers take on the Vancouver Canucks. The Oilers were finally able to snap the seven game losing streak last time out, with a win over the Flames, 5-3. The Canucks are currently on a two game losing streak, after losses to the Panthers and Blues.
Denis Kirilov
After losing 7 straight games, the Edmonton Oilers finally got back to the winning track with a victory over the Calgary Flames, 5-3. The Oilers have been in serious trouble recently as Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid’s performance sharply plummeted. Both of them have been out of rhythm for the last month which had a huge negative impact on the team as a whole. Now, Edmonton are trailing back in 12th place in the Western Conference with just 40 points out of 37 matches. They still have some games in hand, but their overall performance needs to be improved.
The Vancouver Canucks enjoyed a fantastic end of 2021 as they finished with a perfect 7-0 run that helped them close the gap to the top 10 in the West. However, after a couple of tough challenges in January, the team remains slightly behind the Oilers in the standings as they have the same amount of points, but worse goal difference and on top of that, they lost their two head-to-head matches this season. I think that the Oilers will be able to make the Playoffs, but in order to do so, they will need to start winning the same way they did back in the opening month of the campaign. I would highly recommend picking Edmonton here as they are by far the better team and although they lost their last five matches on the road, I think it’s time for a change.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-134)
Tony Battalio
The Edmonton Oilers finally managed to snap their lengthy seven game losing streak after picking up a victory in their last game over the Calgary Flames by a score of 5-3. Now they will be looking to string together another victory against the Vancouver Canucks in this one. It’s fair to say Edmonton has been a disappointment so far this season, as they have the best two players in the league and they are still severely underperforming. They are currently in sixth place of the Pacific Division and will need to start making up ground quickly if they want to find themselves in the playoffs this season.
The Vancouver Canucks come into this game with a record of 18-19-4 through their first 41 games on the season. They are currently on a two game losing streak after dropping games to St. Louis and Florida. Now they will be looking to bounce back with a victory at home in this one against the Edmonton Oilers. Vancouver is sitting in seventh place in the Pacific Division. As for the result of this game however, I look for it to be the Edmonton Oilers who pick up the victory over the Vancouver Canucks on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-134)
Jeffery Thomas
The Edmonton Oilers got their first win since December 18th, when they beat the Flames 5-3 at home on Saturday. Now with the 7 game losing streak behind them, they’re expected to get center Ryan Nugemt-Hopkins back, who collected 26 points in 30 games. It will be a needed jolt to this offense that is only averaging 2.3 goals per game in the month of January. For Vancouver, it’s also been a struggle in January, as they sit with a record of 3-4-1 in the month and are coming off two losses where they only put in one goal. They will also be getting a key piece back to their roster, as their #1 goalie, Thatcher Demko, is expected to be back in net after clearing protocol. These division rivals are only separated by 2 points, so we should expect a tightly contested, hard-hitting battle of two motivated teams.
Both teams are struggling mightily as the Oilers are 0-5 in their last 5 on the road and 3-13 in their last 16 overall, and the Canucks are losers of 5 of their last 7. That sets up for somebody getting on the right path and I’m going to side with the more talented team in this one. That would be the road Oilers, who are getting healthier and after finally getting a win, could start a little run here. In what should be a high scoring bout, take the Oilers to get a victory.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-134)
Nashville Predators @ Seattle Kraken – 10.00PM ET
The Nashville Predators have two games on the road before returning home again, and on Tuesday night they hit the ice against the Seattle Kraken. The Predators are currently on a two game winning streak, with wins over the Jets and Red Wings. The Kraken caused a major upset last time out, beating the Panthers, 5-3, and they have now won three of their last four games.
Denis Kirilov
The Nashville Predators will travel to Seattle to face the unpredictable rookie this year, the Kraken. The Predators enjoyed an incredible first half of the season that hugely increased their chances of making the 2022 NHL Playoffs. With their 3rd place and with no foreseeable injuries, they should be able to get a couple more wins in order to cement their position in the top 4 in the Central Division. Relying much on their defense, the Predators have been very clutch in their plays so far this season. On top of that, their attack has been putting up big numbers for them as Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene lead the goalscoring list with 20 and 19 goals respectively.
The Seattle Kraken started off quite slow and they remained in the bottom of the table until now. Their 15th place is nothing impressive, but their performance against some of the best teams in the NHL is undoubtedly something we can talk about. The Kraken are on a 3-1 run ahead of their fixture against the Predators as they defeated the likes of the Chicago Blackhawks, the San Jose Sharks, and the Florida Panthers. Previously this season, they also managed to defeat the Panthers, but this time they topped it off with wins over the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes. In my opinion, they have everything they need to make a decent run right when many of the top teams are experiencing difficulties. That’s why I will have them to win the match against the Predators on Tuesday night.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Seattle Kraken (+136)
Tony Battalio
The Nashville Predators really turned up their level of play in the months of December and January as they were atop the Central Division for a while. Now they come into this game with a record of 26-14-3 through their first 43 games of the season. They are currently tied for second place in the Central Division, four points behind the leaders, the Colorado Avalanche. The Predators are currently on a two game winning streak after picking up wins over the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets. Now they will be looking to extend that streak to three with a win over the NHLs newest team.
Seattle bound ✈️ pic.twitter.com/dROz5wP7R1
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) January 24, 2022
The Seattle Kraken aren’t having the introduction to the National Hockey League they hoped for. They come into this game well below the .500 mark with a record of 13-24-4 through their first 41 games of the season. Seattle is in dead last of the Pacific Division and doesn’t seem to be crawling out of the basement anytime soon as the season crosses the halfway point. As for the result of this game, I do not expect it to get much better for the Kraken as I have the Nashville Predators picking up the victory on the road against Seattle.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-164)
Jeffery Thomas
The Seattle Kraken have had a tough first season, but have actually strung together a nice run over the past week winning 3 of 4. The last win was a shocking defeat of the Florida Panthers, 5-3. That was actually their second win over the Cats this season, giving them the season sweep. Despite the good little run, they still sit dead last in the Pacific with a record of 13-24-4. The Predators come in winners of their last 2, following a 4-1 win over the Red Wings on Saturday. They now sit with a record of 26-14-3, which is good for 3rd place in the Central Division.
The Seattle Kraken stole a win on the road in Nashville, 4-3, in the last meeting and I’m sure that game will be fresh on the Predators minds. They will come to Seattle (the Kraken have dropped 9 of their last 12 home games) looking to avenge that loss. Seattle also only has 1 positive result over their last 10 games against Central Division opponents and I see that trend continuing. The over will be a good play in this game as well, as the Kraken are always susceptible to giving up goals in bunches but my official play will be the Predators moneyline, as they take care of another lesser opponent.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-164)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
