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.
Detroit Red Wings @ Philadelphia Flyers – 7.00PM ET
The Detroit Red Wings and the Philadelphia Flyers play each other in back-to-back games, and this Wednesday night clash is the first leg. The Red Wings have been alternating wins and losses for the last four games, which takes their season record to 20-21-6. The Flyers are currently on a two game winning streak, after beating the Kings and Jets.
Marko Nadin
The Philadelphia Flyers are 12th in the eastern Conference and the coaching change in the middle of the season has not brought much success as they are only 15-22-8. The Flyers started the 2022 with 12 straight losses before winning the last two games against Los Angeles and Winnipeg. The Flyers are 5-16-5 in Eastern Conference games. Cam Atkinson leads the Flyers with 17 goals and has 36 points. The Flyers are 27th in the league with 2.51 goals per game and 23rd with 3.29 goals allowed. The Flyers have won the last 5 games against the Red Wings.
The Detroit Red Wings are 9th in the Eastern Conference with a 20-21-6 record and are 9 points behind the Boston Bruins who are 8th. Detroit has lost 5 of the last 7 games, most recently 3-5 at home against the Los Angeles Kings. The Red Wings are 12-10-2 in Eastern Conference play. Detroit averages 9.5 penalty minutes per game, the ninth-most in the league. The Red Wings are 23rd in the league with 2.72 goals per game and 26th with 3.43 allowed goals per game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Under 6 (-118)
Tony Battalio
The Detroit Red Wings had a rough first half of the season. They will be looking to get it together in the second half of the year but the truth is they may be too far gone at this point to get themselves back into playoff contention. The Red Wings come into this game with a record of 20-21-6 as they are a full 7 games below the .500 mark while playing in one of the toughest divisions in the National Hockey League. The Red Wings come into this game on a one game losing streak as they are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division.
“Physically, I feel great. Mentally, I’ve been watching a lot of hockey games. I’m really excited to get back at it.”
Notebook: Vrána, Stecher nearing return » https://t.co/Gnirr04mGN pic.twitter.com/toSjIBYagn
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 9, 2022
The Philadelphia Flyers are not having a much better season than their opponents in this one. As they come into this game with a record of 15-22-8 through their first 45 games of the season. The Flyers had much higher expectations coming into this season and they are not living up to them thus far. They are currently in seventh place in the Atlantic Division at the moment. As for the result of this game, I have the Detroit Red Wings picking up the victory on the road in a battle of two of the National Hockey League’s most disappointing teams this season.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Detroit Red Wings (-105)
Jeffery Thomas
The Flyers will look to build upon the positive momentum that they had before they went on the All-Star break when they host the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night. After suffering from multiple 10+ game losing streaks this season, they put together consecutive wins, beating the Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets. They currently sit with a record of 15-22-8 and are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. For the Red Wings, it was a 2-2-0 split before the break, with the most recent game being a regulation loss to the Los Angeles Kings last Wednesday. They tied the game at 2 early in the third period, before letting in three straight, ultimately losing the game 3-5.
They’ll need a win to jumpstart a string of wins to end the season, because the playoffs are still a long shot with a record of 20-21-6. That places them at fifth in the Atlantic and 9 points behind the Bruins for the second wild card spot. The Flyers are home dogs to a team that is horrible on the road, so this is too much value to pass up. Detroit is also 1-4 in their last 5 trips to Philadelphia. The Flyers are starting to play better and getting healthier, as they will get winger Derick Brassard back for the first time since January 6. Goaltender Carter Hart has won back to back starts and hasn’t allowed more than 3 goals since early January. I think this is a good spot to back the Flyers to get a win here.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Philadelphia Flyers (-114)
Chicago Blackhawks @ Edmonton Oilers – 8.00PM ET
The Chicago Blackhawks kick off a three game road trip on Wednesday night when they travel to Edmonton and take on the Oilers. The Blackhawks have lost three games in a row, which includes losses to the Avalanche, Canucks and Wild. The Oilers are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they lost 0-4 to the Golden Knights.
Marko Nadin
The Edmonton Oilers are 9th in the Western Conference with a 23-17-3 record which puts them three points behind the spot that leads in the playoffs. Edmonton has won 6 of the last 8 games losing the last one 0-4 to the Vegas Golden Knights. Leon Draisaitl is having another amazing season for the Oilers as he is second in the league with 32 goals. The Oilers are 17-4 in their last 21 games against a team with a winning % below .400. Edmonton defeated the Blackhawks 5-2 earlier this season.
The Chicago Blackhawks are having a difficult season as they are 14th in the Western Conference with a 16-23-7 record. They have lost 7 of the last 8 games, most recently 0-5 against the Minnesota Wild. Chicago is the fourth-worst team in the league with 2.37 goals per game and they allow 3.37 which puts them 25th. The over is 20-6-2 in Blackhawks last 28 games playing on three or more days rest. Chicago has won 2 of the last 3 games against Edmonton and has scored at least 2 goals in the last 9 against this opponent.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-184)
Tony Battalio
The Chicago Blackhawks come into this game with a record of 16-23-7 through their first 46 games of the season. They started out of the year as one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League but have gotten better as the season has progressed. However as the second half of the season is set to begin, it seems less and less likely that they will be able to save their season and get into the playoff contention. The Blackhawks enter this one on a three game losing streak and they have lost four of their last five overall.
The Edmonton Oilers will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one. The first game of their back to back against the Vegas Golden Knights was disappointing as the Golden Knights held a three to zero lead heading into the final period. The loss to Vegas dropped the Oilers record down to 23-17-3. It ended a hot streak that the Oilers were on as well. However, as for the result of this game I have the Edmonton Oilers picking up the victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-184)
Jeffery Thomas
The Chicago Blackhawks are squaring off against the Oilers in a Western Conference clash on Wednesday night. They are seventh in the Central Division with a record of 16-23-7 and went into the break on a three game losing streak. Their last game was a 0-5 shutout loss to the Minnesota Wild in a game where Marc-Andre Fleury gave up 5 goals on 30 shots before being pulled.
This game will likely be decided on special teams and the Oilers have the clear advantage when it comes to that. Coming into Tuesday, they were scoring on 28% of their power plays compared to only 19% for Chicago. It has shown in the offensive output of the two teams as well, as the Oilers have turned things around offensively (aside from the dud against Vegas) and the Blackhawks have only scored 2.6 a game in their last 5. The home team has also won the last 4 in their head to head matchups, and I see that continuing in this one. Give me the Oilers.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-184)
Nashville Predators @ Dallas Stars – 8.00PM ET
Two teams from the Central Division will face off against each other on Wednesday night when the Nashville Predators travel to Dallas and take on the Stars. The Predators have won four of their last five games, with their only defeat coming at the hands of the Oilers, 2-3, in a shootout. The Stars have won five of their last seven games, and this takes their season record to 23-18-2.
Marko Nadin
The Dallas Stars are 10th in the Western Conference with a 23-18-2 record. They have won 5 of the last 7 games but have lost 3-4 to the Calgary Flames at home in the last one. The Stars are 10-10-2 in Western Conference games. Dallas ranks eighth in the Western Conference averaging 5.1 assists per game. The Stars are 17th in the league with 2.95 goals per game and 20th with 3.02 allowed goals per game. The Stars have played over the total goals margin in 4 of the last 5 games against conference opponents.
The Nashville Predators are currently second in the Western Conference with a 28-14-4 record. They are coming off a 4-2 win over Vancouver which was their 4th win in the last 5 games. Filip Forsberg leads the Predators with 24 goals and has 38 points. The Predators are 14th in the league with 3.11 goals per game and 8th with 2.67 goals allowed. The Predators are 12-2 in their last 14 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game. Nashville has won the last three games against the Dallas Stars.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Nashville Predators come into this huge Central Division matchup with a record of 28-14-4 through their first 46 games on the season. The Predators are in my opinion one of the threats to make it out of the Western Conference and into the Stanley Cup Finals. They enter the second half of the season sitting in second place of the Central Division as well. They are currently on a hot streak as they won four of their last five heading into the end of the first half of the season. They will be looking for a second straight win in this one.
Mattias Ekholm: “For us, it’s about just keeping the foot on the gas, not slowing down knowing that we have a deadly division.” pic.twitter.com/h7blJNooxT
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) February 8, 2022
The Dallas Stars come into this game with a record of 23-18-2 through their first 43 games on the year. It has been somewhat of an up and down season for the Stars so far as they come into this one only three games above the .500 mark. The Stars are currently in fifth place in the Central Division as they are on the outside looking in for the playoffs at the moment. They will be looking to get back into the winners column after dropping their last game before the All-Star break to the Calgary Flames. As for the result of this game however, I have the Nashville Predators picking up the win over Dallas.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Nashville Predators (-110)
Jeffery Thomas
The Nashville Predators return to the ice after eight days and I’m sure they didn’t want the break to come with how well they were rolling as a team. They were winners of 4 of 5 (4-0-1) going into the break and will look to keep that going here against the Stars. Their last game was a 4-2 home win over the Vancouver Canucks. In that one, their leading goal scorer, Filip Forsberg, netted two goals to lead the way. Their current run has pushed them ahead of the Minnesota Wild for 2nd place in the Central going into Tuesday night. For the Dallas Stars on the other hand, the break probably came at a good time for them as they were losers of two of the last three following a 3-4 setback against the Calgary Flames last time out.
In that one, they led 3-1 heading into the 3rd period before conceding three unanswered goals to send them into the break with a sour taste in their mouth. They are still very much in the playoff race, with 48 points, which is only 4 back of the aforementioned Flames for the second wild card spot, so this will be a motivated bunch. The recent head to head matchup between these two teams has been dominated by the Preds, who have taken 6 of the last 7, including a 4-2 win over Dallas back on November 10. However, I’m expecting that trend to end on Wednesday, as these Stars are one of the best home teams in the league with a record of 15-6-1 on home ice. They are also dominant when getting at least 3 days of rest, notching a record of 46-19 in that situation. Back the slight home favorite to get things going following the All-Star break.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Dallas Stars (-110)
Vegas Golden Knights @ Calgary Flames – 9.30PM ET
The Vegas Golden Knights wrap up their quick two game road trip in Calgary on Wednesday night when they take on the Flames. The Golden Knights are playing on back-to-back nights, and last time out they beat the Oilers, 4-0. The Flames will be looking to build on their three game winning streak, which includes wins over the Canucks, Stars and Coyotes.
Marko Nadin
The Calgary Flames were on top of the Western Conference in the first month of the season but now are 8th with a 23-13-6 record. They have won 5 of the last 6 games, 4-2 against Arizona in the last one. Calgary are 12th in the league with 3.19 goals per game and second allowing only 2.48 goals per game. Calgary has won the last five games entering the contest as favorites. The over is 3-0-1 in their last four games against a team with a winning record.
The Vegas Golden Knights are 4th in the Western Conference with a 28-16-3 record. They have won the last three games, a 4-0 shutdown against Edmonton in their last one. Vegas is 8th in the league with 3.35 goals per game and 17th with 2.91 allowed. Vegas are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 21-6 in their last 27 second games on back-to-back nights. The Golden Knights have won the last 4 games against Calgary, most recently 3-2 in December.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-134)
Tony Battalio
The Vegas Golden Knights will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one after facing off with the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday evening. In the first game of their back to back, it ended up going well for the Golden Knights as they picked up a big win over the Edmonton Oilers. Now Vegas will be looking for their second win in two nights. The win over Edmonton improved the Vegas Golden Knights record to 28-16-3 on the season.
The Calgary Flames are coming into this game with a record of 23-13-6 through their first 42 games of the season. The first half of the season was decent for the Calgary Flames but they will have to keep it up and string some more wins together to keep the momentum going into the second half of the season. They ended the first half of the season winning their last three games and four out of their last five overall. As for the result of this game, I look for the momentum to carry over for the Flames as I have them picking up the victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-134)
Jeffery Thomas
Vegas will be coming into this one off the back to back after shutting out the Edmonton Oilers 4-0 on Tuesday. Laurent Brossoit stopped all 28 shots he faced on his way to earning first star of the game. The Knights dominated from start to finish, scoring in every period and pushing their record to 28-16-3, good for 59 points and 1st place in the Pacific. For the Flames, it will be their first game back from break as they took down the Coyotes 4-2 in their last time out. That was a big 2 points to pick up and every game will be crucial going forward as they are clinging to that second wild card spot, only 3 points ahead of Edmonton.
With the Knights coming off a big win Tuesday where they had to exert a lot of energy, I expect the Flames to try and come out firing and see this as an opportunity to jump on the Knights early. They were also putting a nice run together prior to the break winning 5 of 6, but the Knights are one of the best teams on back to backs. They are 21-6 in the last 27 games on no rest so they’re no stranger to this situation and as the better team who was already able to work off rust on Tuesday, I expect them to get this win over Calgary.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights (+112)
New York Islanders @ Vancouver Canucks – 10.30PM ET
The final game on Wednesday night’s schedule will see the New York Islanders face off against the Vancouver Canucks. The Islanders have lost three of their last four games, and this takes their season record to 16-17-6. The Canucks are another team that will be playing two nights in a row, and last night they played the Coyotes, in a game they won, 5-1.
Marko Nadin
The Vancouver Canucks are 12th in the Western Conference with a 21-20-6 record. They have lost 5 of the last 8 games but are coming off a 5-1 win over Arizona. The Canucks are 28th in the league with 2.43 goals per game while allowing 2.67 which ranks them 8th. Vancouver are 1-5 in the last 6 games as a home underdog. Six of their last 8 have finished under the goal margin. Vancouver has won the last two games against the New York Islanders.
The New York Islanders are 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 16-17-6 record. They have lost 3 of the last 4 games, most recently 0-3 to the Seattle Kraken. The Islanders score only 2.36 goals per game which ranks them 30th in the league but at the same time they are a great defensive team with only 2.62 goals per game which ranks them 5th in the league. The Islanders are 10-2 in their last 12 games as favorites to win but they are 2-9 in the last 11 games against a Western Conference opponent.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Under 5 (+116)
Tony Battalio
The New York Islanders have been one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League so far this season. As they come into the second half of the season, they have a record of 16-17-6 and they are 7 games under the .500 mark through their first 39 games of the season. They will have plenty of games to make up that have been postponed due to the recent COVID-19 surges that have impacted the league. The Islanders ended the first half of the year losing three of their last five games.
“The goaltending, like usual, was out of this world.” 🌎
🗣 Coach Bruce Boudreau meets with the media after the 5-1 win over Arizona#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/65ohYxKuN3
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) February 9, 2022
The Vancouver Canucks come into this game after playing the first game of a back to back against the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday evening. The Canucks would go on to pick up the victory in that game and improve their record on the season to 21-20-6 through their first 47 games of the season. Now they will be looking to get their second win in two nights when they take on the New York Islanders. As for the result of this game, I have the Vancouver Canucks picking up with the victory over the New York Islanders on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Vancouver Canucks (+110)
Jeffery Thomas
The Islanders were shutout by the Kraken 0-3 in their last game before the break, as they only challenged Philipp Grubauer with 19 shots. It was a scoreless game through the first 2 periods before the Isles defense started to fold and the offense obviously never got going. That has been the story of New York’s season, as they rank 30th in goals scored per game (2.4) along with the 23rd ranked power play unit. At 16-17-6, they sit at 6th place in the Metropolitan Division at 38 points. The Canucks come into this one on a back to back after beating the Coyotes 5-1 on Tuesday. Thatcher Demko stopped 34 of 35 shots and held the Yotes scoreless in the final 2 periods.
That win moved them within 4 points of the second wild card so they will be looking to bank another 2 points in this one. This is a pretty even matchup of two teams who are playing decent but not great hockey. The Canucks are 8-8-3 at home on the season while the aisles are 7-7-3 on the road. Both teams are also built on great goaltending and defense so this will surely be a low scoring one. With this one being a coin flip of a matchup and the Islanders having the rest advantage, I’m going side with them to take advantage of the Canucks’ tired legs and get this win on road ice.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: New York Islanders (-132)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
