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 an 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 four games on today’s schedule.
Dallas Stars @ Edmonton Oilers – 8.30PM ET
The first of four games on tonight’s schedule in the NHL will see the Dallas Stars go toe-to-toe with the Edmonton Oilers. The fight for a spot in the postseason continues on for the Dallas Stars, as the Wild Card race in the Western Conference couldn’t be closer, they currently hold the second Wild Card spot, but they have a few teams that could steal it from them, and they could also steal the number one Wild Card spot. The Oilers are sitting fairly pretty in the Pacific Division (in second place), but they are yet to be officially confirmed for the postseason.
Marko Nadin
The Edmonton Oilers are fifth in the Western Conference with a 44-26-6 record and with a win tonight will definitely clinch the playoffs. They have won four of the last five games and are coming off back-to-back 4-0 wins over Nashville and Vegas. The Oilers are ranked 7th in the league scoring 3.4 goals per game and third with 25.9% conversion of power play situations. The Oilers have won 10 of the last 11 home games and 8 of the last 10 games against Western Conference opponents.
The Dallas Stars are 7th in the Western Conference with a 43-28-5 record and have only a 4 point advantage over the Vegas Golden Knights who are ninth. They have won 3 of the last 5 games but are coming off a 2-6 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Dallas is ranked 20th in the league with 2.9 goals per game and 15th allowing 3 goals per game. They have won 7 of the last 10 games against Edmonton, 6 of the last 8 road games and the last 4 games played on Wednesday.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-160)
Tony Battalio
The Dallas Stars come into this game desperate for a victory over the Edmonton Oilers after they lost to Vancouver on Monday. Now they come into this matchup with a record of 43-28-5 through their first 76 games of the season. With only six regular season games remaining, Dallas finds themselves in fifth place of the Central Division as they hold onto a Western Conference Wild Card spot at the moment. They currently have a four point lead over the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Edmonton Oilers had a shaky start to the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. But have since stepped up their level of play and put themselves in a great position to win the Stanley Cup this postseason. As they come into this matchup with a record of 44-26-6 through their first 76 games of the season. They currently find themselves in second place of the Pacific Division with slim hopes to win the division title. As for the result of this game, I am taking the Edmonton Oilers to get the win over the Dallas Stars.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-160)
Jeffery Thomas
The Dallas Stars will travel north of the border to take on the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday after getting Tuesday off. Monday’s game was a 2-6 loss for the Stars to the Vancouver Canucks who are in a mad dash for a Wild Card spot. Dallas’ lead in the Wild Card race over the Nucks shrunk to just 5 points with six games remaining for each team, so I’m sure the Stars are really feeling the pressure of getting points in every game. That may be a tough task on the road against the Oilers who have been resting since Saturday, and are coming off back to back 4-0 shutout wins over the Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights.
The Oilers are sitting comfortably in a playoff spot, at 2nd place in the Pacific Division with 94 points. The Dallas Stars are coming in with struggles offensively, scoring 2 goals or less in four straight games and that isn’t a good thing when coming in to face the Edmonton Oilers who possess one of the most lethal attacks in the league. I think the crowd will be juiced up for this marquee matchup and a well rested Oilers will take care of business in this one.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-160)
Chicago Blackhawks @ Arizona Coyotes – 10.00PM ET
A game that has no playoff implications whatsoever, but will still be an interesting clash between two teams near the bottom of the league, when the Chicago Blackhawks face off against the Arizona Coyotes. The Blackhawks come into this clash losing 10 of their last 11 games, and the Coyotes aren’t much better, losing nine of their last 11 games.
Marko Nadin
The Arizona Coyotes are at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 26-49-5 record. The last time they won was more than 2 weeks ago and they have lost the next 7 straight games scoring no more than 1 goal in 6 of them. The Coyotes are scoring a league-low 2.4 goals per game and are ranked 30th allowing 3.8 goals per game. Arizona has won 7 of the last 10 games against Chicago. They have lost 22 of the last 29 games following a game in which they allowed 5 or more goals.
The Chicago Blackhawks are 14th in the Western Conference with a 25-40-11 record. They have lost 10 of the last 11 games and are coming off a 2-5 loss to the Calgary Flames. The Blackhawks are ranked 27th in the league with 2.7 goals per game and 26th allowing 3.6 goals per game. They have won the last 4 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals differential and 4 of the last 5 games played on Wednesday. Chicago has played over the total goals margin in in the last 5 games against a Western Conference opponent.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
Both of these teams have had rough seasons as they both find themselves towards the bottom of the Central Division and Western Conference standings. With a week or so left in the regular season both Chicago and Arizona have had their eyes towards the off-season since the All-Star break. The Blackhawks come into this one with a record of 25-40-11 through their first 76 games of the season. They are currently in seventh place in the Central Division, ahead of only their opponents in this one.
It’s been an even worse year for the Arizona Coyotes as not only has their play on the ice been terrible but their financials off the ice as well. As they were nearly locked out of their arena due to non-payment. They come into this game with a record of 22-49-5 through their first 76 games of the season, as they find themselves in last place of the Central Division. They are currently on a seven game losing streak and will likely finish the year as the worst team in the National Hockey League as well. As for the result of this game, I’m taking the Chicago Blackhawks to pick up the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (-170)
Jeffery Thomas
It’s been a rough month of April for the Chicago Blackhawks who will travel down to Arizona to face the Coyotes on Wednesday. The Hawks have only won 1 game this month out of 8, which was a shootout win over the San Jose Sharks on April 14. Other than that it’s been all losses, all but one in regulation, as they just play out this disappointing season. The Coyotes can relate to it being a disappointing season, as they have the lowest point total in the entire league. They’ve also only won 1 game in April, interestingly enough a 3-2 overtime win over the Blackhawks on April 3. Every other game has been a loss, and bad losses by 2 goals or more.
I’m not looking to back a side in this matchup of two teams who have no motivation and are just flat out bad. Instead I’m looking at the total because I feel like there are going to be plenty of goals with how bad these defenses are. The Coyotes have allowed 43 goals during their current seven-game losing streak and the Blackhawks are giving up an average of 4.8 in their last five games. Give me the over as both teams can’t stop anybody right now.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-110)
Washington Capitals @ Vegas Golden Knights – 10.00PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, as they travel to Vegas to face off against the Golden Knights. The Capitals have the second Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference locked down, and they will be making an appearance in the postseason for 2022. It is a completely different story in the Western Conference, as everything is up for grabs, the Golden Knights currently sit third in the Wild Card race, and need wins to get to a spot that leads to the playoffs.
Marko Nadin
The Vegas Golden Knights have missed great opportunities to reach the playoffs but they are still in as they stand 9th in the conference with a 41-31-5 record. The Golden Knights have lost 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 2-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils. They are ranked 14th in the league scoring 3.1 goals per game and 8th with 34.2 shots on goal per game. Vegas has won 3 of the last 5 games against Washington, 6 of the last 8 games and 5 of the last 7 games played after one day of rest.
The Washington Capitals are 8th in the Eastern Conference with a 43-23-10 record. They have won 6 of the last 7 games and are coming off a 3-2 road win over the best team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche. Washington is ranked 8th in the league with 3.4 goals per game and 14th allowing 2.9 goals per game. They have won 6 of the last 10 games against Vegas, 41 of the last 60 road games and 5 of the last 6 games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (-137)
Tony Battalio
The Washington Capitals enter this one having a decent year as they are set for the Stanley Cup playoffs this season. They come into this game with a record of 43-23-10 through their first 76 games of the year. I think they are a dark horse team to win it all as long as Alexander Ovechkin remains healthy throughout the playoffs. They currently hold into a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference but only trail the third place Pittsburgh Penguins by a single point in the Metropolitan Division.
The Vegas Golden Knights are in a dog fight for that third spot in the Pacific Division and they cannot afford to keep making mistakes down the stretch. After spending the majority of the year leading their division, they now find themselves on the outside looking in for the playoffs. As they come into this game with a record of 41-31-5 through their first 77 games of the season. They currently find themselves in fourth place, three points out of third in the division and four points out of a Wild Card spot. As for the result of this one, I’m taking the Golden Knights to win at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (-137)
Jeffery Thomas
The Vegas Knights will host the Washington Capitals in a very important game on Wednesday as the season continues to close in and playoff spots are solidifying. The Knights’ 2-3 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Monday made every game from here on out a must-win and all of the Vegas players and coaches know it. They outshot the Devils by 16 and hit the post three times, so they’ll hope their luck turns around against the Caps who will be playing their 4th game of a 5-game road trip. They became the first Eastern Conference team to beat the Colorado Avalanche in Denver in regulation all season, with their 3-2 win on Monday.
The win also snapped a nine-game winning streak the Avs were on, so Washington will not be lacking in confidence in this one. This is a prime let down spot for the Washington Capitals after such a huge win on Monday and especially against Vegas who will be giving their all in this desperation spot. These fans have experienced the postseason in all their years of existence and I’m sure they will be very loud and try to push their team to a home win and a vital 2 points that could do wonders for their playoff hopes. Give me the Knights here in what could be their last chance this season.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (-137)
Colorado Avalanche @ Seattle Kraken – 10.00PM ET
The Colorado Avalanche are a team that has already been confirmed for the playoffs, whereas the Seattle Kraken have been out of playoff contention for a long time now. The Avalanche come into this clash with their nine game winning streak just being snapped by the Capitals. The Kraken are on a two game winning streak at the moment, with wins over the Devils and Senators.
Marko Nadin
The Seattle Kraken are 15th in the Western Conference with a 25-44-6 record. They have won 3 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Kraken are 28th in the league scoring 2.6 goals per game and 4th allowing only 28.9 shots on goal per game. Seattle has won the last few games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game and 4 of the last 5 games against teams from the Central Division. They have lost 18 of the last 26 home games.
The Colorado Avalanche are the best team in the league with a 55-15-6 record. They are coming off a 2-3 home loss to the Washington Capitals which put an end to their nine-game winning streak. Colorado is ranked third in the league scoring 3.8 goals per game and 4th converting 25.8% of the power play situations. Colorado has won both previous games against Seattle this season. They have also won 19 of the last 26 road games and 55 of the last 67 games against teams with a losing record.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-400)
Tony Battalio
This one has real potential to get ugly real fast as the best team in the National Hockey League is taking on one of the worst teams in the league. The Colorado Avalanche get set to head to the Pacific Northwest to play the Seattle Kraken. The Avalanche were expected to be in this position before the season started but they certainly had some doubters after a slow start. However they have bounced back and now sit here with the league’s best record. As they come into this one with a record of 55-15-6 through their first 76 games of the year.
The Seattle Kraken on the other hand have been poor this year. However, they are being given some leeway as it is their first year in the National Hockey League and their roster is made up of mismatched parts. I think they were given too high of expectations after the success of the Vegas Golden Knights in their first season in the league. The Kraken enter this game with a record of 25-44-6 through their first 75 games of the season. As for the result of this game, I am taking the Colorado Avalanche to pick up the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-400)
Jeffery Thomas
The Colorado Avalanche will have to start up a new winning streak on Wednesday when they take on the Kraken in Seattle. The Avs’ nine-game winning streak was snapped on Monday when the Washington Capitals came into their arena and beat them 2-3. It was their second winning streak of nine or more games this season, the first of which occurred back on January 14-30. The Seattle Kraken have a win streak going themselves, coming in winners of two straight over the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators.
It’s going to be a shock if that streak lasts past this game though, as Colorado has already won the previous two meetings and is the best team in the league. This game is not one that needs much of a breakdown. The Avalanche will make easy work of the expansion Kraken who are one of the worst teams in all of hockey. This is the Avs way back into the win column as they try to end the regular season as the team with the most points in the NHL.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (-137)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
