The NHL is back and better than ever! Today there are heaps of games for us fans to sink our teeth into. With so many teams taking the ice, it is going to be an exciting day of NHL action, so you don’t want to miss this.
What will today’s games bring? Which teams will have the ability to get the all important win on the board, and who will crack under the pressure? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, we are in for some great games! So sit back, relax and if you like to have a bet, then you have certainly come to the right place.
Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the best five games on today’s schedule.
Arizona Coyotes @ Philadelphia Flyers – 7.00PM EDT
The Arizona Coyotes continue their quest for their first win of the season when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. The Coyotes have a season record of 0-8-1, and in their previous game they lost, 1-2, to the Hurricanes. The Flyers are off to a decent start, with their season record standing at 4-2-1, and in their last game lost, 0-4, to the Flames.
Denis Kirilov
The Arizona Coyotes came close to a huge upset against the Carolina Hurricanes in their previous game. They played good defense which helped them be competitive against the better team by far. A goal by Pesce in the last minutes of the match gifted the Hurricanes the final victory. The Coyotes seemed out of options during many of their offensive build-ups, while on the other end, many times two or even three players were in front of the goaltender in order to prevent the goal. They seemed helpless, but still had a chance until the very end.
On the other hand, the Flyers are another team with great results from the beginning of the season. Although they suffered a hard loss in their last match, I think this shouldn’t have any impact on the team. They lost an away game to the Calgary Flames in a tight game which was decided in the last quarter after three unanswered goals from the hosts. However, they will certainly want to make up for this loss and the Coyotes seem like the perfect victim at the moment. I am choosing a handicap win for the Philadelphia Flyers with at least 2 goals.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 (+110)
Tony Battalio
The Arizona Coyotes nearly upset the Carolina Hurricanes in the last game, but it was not meant to be. Now through nine games this season, the Coyotes find themselves without a win on their record, which has been very tough on their defense. Next up is the Philadelphia Flyers, who unfortunately for Arizona, is playing their best hockey of the young season so far, even with their loss to the Calgary Flames last time out.
Today: practice.
Tomorrow: #PHIvsARI. pic.twitter.com/gIIcyrlR2u— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 1, 2021
As for the previously mentioned Philadelphia Flyers, they currently sit at 4-2-1, after losing to the Calgary Flames by a scoreline of 0-4. Despite that loss, they have been on fire lately, prior to the loss they had amassed a 2 game winning streak, with wins over Edmonton and Vancouver. With the win over the Oilers, they handed Edmonton their first loss of the season as well. Philadelphia will look to get back on track against the worst team in the National Hockey League on Tuesday night at home.
As for the game, it should not be close at any point, Philadelphia, much like every other team who has played the Arizona Coyotes this season, is twice maybe even three times the team Arizona is. This will be a big win for the Flyers and in my opinion they will cover the 1.5 goal spread in this one as well.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Philadelphia Flyers -1.5 (+110)
Michael Lantz
After getting shutout in Calgary by an on-fire Flames team, the Philadelphia Flyers can take solace in knowing they get to play the NHL’s worst team, the Arizona Coyotes, on Tuesday night. If the Flyers needed a confidence booster after getting dominated on both sides of the puck against the Flames, this is the team to build it back up.
As easy as it is to knock the Coyotes, there has been a silver lining the last two games: their young defense has looked a whole lot better. They only lost 0-2 to a Washington Capitals team that’s full of offensive firepower and then they only lost 1-2 to an undefeated Carolina Hurricanes team. Could they take advantage of a Flyers team that showed some major holes against Calgary? I doubt it, but I’ll play into the recency bias a bit and give their defense a chance. I’ll take the under.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-105)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM EDT
The Vegas Golden Knights kick off their first game in November when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Golden Knights have a season record of 4-4-0, and in their previous game they won in a shootout against the Ducks, 5-4. The Maple Leafs have a similar record to the Golden Knights, standing at 4-4-1, and in their previous game they won against the Red Wings, 5-4.
Denis Kirilov
The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Toronto Maple Leafs in what promises to be an electrifying game. Both teams have struggled to find their rhythm in the opening games, but are now entering into this game with a couple of consecutive victories. The Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche, the Dallas Stars, and the Anaheim Ducks in their last three matches, while the Maple Leafs got wins over the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings.
In my opinion, the team that is in better shape at the moment seems to be the Vegas Golden Knights. Toronto hasn’t done anything special as they have recorded wins against the weakest teams in the League and suffered huge losses to some of their potential direct rivals. The Golden Knights, on the other hand, had troubles in front of goal, and this is their main issue so far. However, throughout the last couple of matches they showed progress in this aspect of the game. With the match being played in Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, I believe that the hosts will also display a greater performance, which will result in many goals on both ends. My pick here is over 6 goals for the match.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Over 6 (-102)
Tony Battalio
This game will be a battle of two squads who have been up and down so far in this 2021-22 season. The Vegas Golden Knights and the Toronto Maple Leafs have both struggled to find a rhythm through the first few weeks in the season. Both teams come in with virtually identical records, Toronto is 4-4-1 and Las Vegas is 4-4-0. They will both be looking for a win to jumpstart a winning streak and potentially some momentum to carry them through the month of November.
This could be a game that goes back and forth to the very end and may very well need Overtime or a Shootout to decide a winner. With the game being played in Toronto, I think it provides them with enough of a home ice advantage to pull out a victory in this one. However, I do not see them covering the one and half goal spread, so taking the moneyline is the safer and much more likely winning bet.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-172)
Michael Lantz
Still hit with injuries, the Vegas Golden Knights will have to skate into Scotiabank Arena Tuesday night to face a Toronto Maple Leafs team that’s hoping they’ve finally taken off. After a rough start to the season, Toronto have won two in a row. Only thing is, they’re against a terrible team in the Chicago Blackhawks and an unproven one in the Detroit Red Wings. If that wasn’t enough to be pessimistic, they only won each game by one goal. Still the Leafs will take the ugly wins and they’re hoping to make it three in a row against Vegas.
Meanwhile the Golden Knights have stayed resilient despite all their injuries, racking up a 4-4 record. They’ve won three straight and are hoping to make it four against a shaky Toronto team. I’m not convinced about Toronto yet, and even at home I’m going to go for the upset and pick Vegas.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (+142)
Ottawa Senators @ Minnesota Wild – 8.00PM EDT
The Ottawa Senators continue their road trip when they take on the Minnesota Wild. The Senators have a season record of 3-4-0, and in their last game they lost to the Blackhawks, 1-5. The Wild have had a good start to the season, with their record at 5-3-0, but in their previous game they lost, 1-4, to the Avalanche, and are now on a two game losing streak.
Denis Kirilov
The Ottawa Senators are one of the teams without big hopes for this season and they will do their best to get to the middle of the table and remain there for as long as possible. The team from Canada have just given the Chicago Blackhawks’ first win of the season after a 1-5 loss. The Senators find themselves in 15th place in the Eastern Conference with just 6 points from 8 matches.
The Minnesota Wild on the other hand, started off their 2021/22 NHL campaign with 4 straight wins. The momentum has been taken away from them in the game against the Nashville Predators, who found a way to stop them in Xcel Energy Center. However, Minnesota is a better team than Ottawa and they should be a great favorite to win the upcoming fixture between them. The Wild rely much on their consistency and although they are coming into this game with 2 consecutive losses, I believe that they can easily forget about them, move onto the next game and display a great performance. Therefore, I will pick the Minnesota Wild as the winner in regular time.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild – Moneyline Including Tie
Tony Battalio
The Ottawa Senators were the lucky team in the 2021-22 National Hockey League lottery and they are the ones who gave the Chicago Blackhawks their first victory of the season. It did not come with much pressure from Ottawa as Chicago raced to a victory by a score of five to one at home. This will be the third and final game of a three game road trip for the Ottawa Senators and they currently sit at .500 with a 1-1 record so they will be looking to end it on a positive note. They will face a Minnesota Wild team that started hot but has struggled in the past week and a half.
Monday morning work ☑️#mnwild pic.twitter.com/VRKqeCu1fM
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 1, 2021
As for the previously mentioned Minnesota Wild, they are currently sitting at 5-3-0 after an impressive 4-0-0 start they have dropped three of their last four games. They are currently riding a two game losing streak and will be looking to stop this short skid and find the success they had early on in the year. It truly has been the best of both worlds for the Minnesota Wild this season and a win here against an average team like Ottawa could get them going in the right direction again.
As for the game, this is expected to be a back and forth game between two decent but not great teams. Minnesota has the upper hand playing in front of their home fans which is what puts them over the top in this one in my opinion.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild
Michael Lantz
After starting off the season 3-0 on the road, the Minnesota Wild suffered back-to-back losses against the Kraken and Avalanche while playing as the away team. It should be noted they were without a couple guys due to COVID protocols, including leading scorer Mats Zuccarello. Now, back in the Twin Cities, the Wild look to get back on a winning streak against the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators are coming off a cringeworthy 1-5 loss against the Chicago Blackhawks—a team that was previously winless. It won’t get any easier for the Sens as they play in a back-to-back on the road against a very good (when healthy) Wild team. Whether or not the Wild have Zuccarello back tomorrow, I expect them to get a bounce back win against a Senators team punctured by defeat and running low on energy.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild
Dallas Stars @ Winnipeg Jets – 8.00PM EDT
The Dallas Stars hit the road when they take on the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. The Stars have a season record of 3-4-1, and in their previous game they lost, 1-4, to the Senators. The Jets are off to a pretty good start, with their season record standing at 4-2-2, and last time out they lost in overtime to the Sharks, 1-2.
Denis Kirilov
The Dallas Stars will have a tough away game in Canada Life Centre against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. The Stars are in a 3-game losing streak which has definitely affected their confidence coming into this fixture. They didn’t capitalize on the two games at home as they were defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights and the Ottawa Senators. The team is in a bad spot and will be looking to get a good momentum, before it’s too late.
On the other hand, the Winnipeg Jets had a rough start to their campaign as they lost their three opening matches. Eventually, they went on winning the next 4 games against easy opponents like the Ducks, the Predators, and the Kings. However, Kyle Connor and Pierre-Luc Dubois found a way to lead their team to the vital two points in the end. I believe that same thing will happen once again in this match, as I strongly recommend picking the Jets as the final winner.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Winnipeg Jets (-132)
Tony Battalio
Dallas heads north of the United States border for this game in Winnipeg on Tuesday night. More importantly they come into this game on a three game losing streak which has included two losses at home to Las Vegas and Ottawa. The wheels seemed to fall off the bus after they were defeated at home by the Columbus Blue Jackets and stories came out about their fans’ behavior being less than respectful while Columbus was in town. Unsure of it being bad karma or just a bad stretch of play, they will need to find the fix to their problem quickly to get things trending in the right direction again.
As for the Winnipeg Jets, they started the 2021-22 National Hockey League season on a three game losing streak of their own, but since then they have bounced back. Now after a few weeks have passed, they sit on a record of 4-2-2, despite the wins coming against less than impressive competition, they have seemed to find the right formula that Dallas is searching for.
Due to both teams recent forms of play and this being a home game for the Winnipeg Jets, I am going with them to pull out a close competitive win in this matchup on Tuesday night. It may require Overtime or a Shootout, but I believe Winnipeg will find a way to get the job done.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Winnipeg Jets (-132)
Michael Lantz
If you look at the Winnipeg Jets record, you’ll see they’ve got off to a reasonable 4-4-2 start. But considering this team started 0-2-1 and then went on to win four straight before losing a close 1-2 game to the San Jose Sharks in OT, you better believe the Jets are trending up. They’ll face a Dallas Stars team that’s looking for that similar trend, but just haven’t quite found it yet.
Dallas are still in the running at 3-4-1, but they need their offense to start putting a little fear in their opponents. So far they haven’t had a single game where they’ve scored more than three goals, and even though their defense has been adequate, they aren’t good enough to completely rely on. It’s been showing, as the Stars have lost 1-4 in two of their last three. I expect Winnipeg to continue that trend in the right direction and beat a Stars team that has yet to prove they can be the same team that made the Stanley Cup finals at the end of 2020.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Winnipeg Jets -1.5 (+186)
New York Rangers @ Vancouver Canucks – 10.00PM EDT
The New York Rangers continue their road trip when they take on the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. The Rangers have got a great season record so far, at 6-2-1, and in their last game they won, 3-1, against the Kraken. The Canucks are currently on a three game losing streak, with their season record at 3-5-1, and in their last game they lost to the Oilers, 1-2.
Denis Kirilov
The New York Rangers is a team that has a more defensive approach in their matches. The Canucks are implementing the same tactics, but it hasn’t been a success for them until now. The Rangers are looking at a 6-1 performance in their last 7 games, while the Canucks are coming into this match after 3 straight defeats in front of a home audience. They had to play some of the top-tier teams in the League, which surely took its toll on the team as they will desperately be looking for a win against the Rangers.
The team from New York rarely concedes more than 2 goals in a game and it has one of the highest conversion efficiencies in the NHL. On top of that, they are not struggling with injuries as the only player that is questionable for tomorrow’s game is Ryan Reaves. On the other hand, Vancouver has 6 players who are injured and will surely miss the match against the Rangers. However, I think that the Canucks are dealing well with this problem and they might put pressure on their guests. That’s why I would go with a more unorthodox pick and choose the tie as an outcome of the game.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Tie (+300)
Tony Battalio
After a somewhat slow start, the New York Rangers have caught fire in a huge way and are 6 for 7 in their last 7 appearances on the ice. With a record that currently stands at 6-2-1 they are riding a wave of momentum that will look to carry deep into the holiday season. The Rangers are getting the job done on both ends of the ice as well, and they may very well be the most balanced team in the National Hockey League at the moment.
.@BoHorvat goes back-hand shelf for this week’s edition of Move of the Week!#Canucks | @remaxwesterncan pic.twitter.com/ZjHdNCvvoB
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) November 2, 2021
As for the Vancouver Canucks, they are currently in the middle of a three game losing streak and the light at the tunnel does not seem to be getting any closer. They are a team that is beat up and tired as they have six players out for this game due to injury. Despite that, they have still managed to keep themselves in games over the course of 60 minutes every night.
This game could easily go one of two ways, New York could dominate and continue their excellent play, or Vancouver could find a way to stick around and sneak up on the Rangers with a late winner. For betting purposes I think taking the moneyline and the New York Rangers is the safer bet in this game.
Tony’s NHL Pick: New York Rangers (-122)
Michael Lantz
In a rematch of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks faceoff for the first time since early January 2020. The Rangers have taken the shift many of their fans were hoping they’d be able to make this year. So far, they’ve posted a 6-2-1 record and have got awesome performances from goalie Igor Shesterkin in back-to-back games. The Rangers hope Shesterkin and the defense can continue this dominant run against Vancouver.
They may just be in luck; Vancouver has had trouble finding the back of the net for most of the season. It’s been even more evident as of late: after rifling four through the net against the Seattle Kraken, the Canucks have only scored four in their past three games. On the other hand, in two of those games their defense limited high-scoring offenses like the Oilers and Flyers to only two goals a piece, so it’s unfortunate that their offense has failed to answer the call. With both of these teams in a defensive state of mind, I’ll play along and pick the under.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-114)
If you’re in need of 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
