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 five games on today’s schedule.
Anaheim Ducks @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM ET
The Anaheim Ducks are in the second of their five game road trip and on Wednesday they travel to Toronto and face off against the Maple Leafs. The Ducks are currently on a two game winning streak, as they have been victorious over the Lightning and Bruins recently. The Maple Leafs have been a little inconsistent as of late, and their season record currently sits at 25-10-3.
Denis Kirilov
The Anaheim Ducks will try to surprise the Toronto Maple Leafs in their Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. The Ducks managed to pull back from four straight losses in which they have been playing really bad. They have only scored 4 goals in these appearances as they have gone scoreless against the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks. However, they managed to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins in their last two endeavors in the NHL. This gave them more room to breathe as they remain sixth in the West with 49 points out of 44 matches.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are almost certain for the Playoffs despite being placed 7th in the Eastern Conference. Their advantage over the 5th placed, Detroit Red Wings, in the Atlantic Division comes at 11 points as the Canadian team also has 4 matches to play compared to them. They are coming back home after playing six matches on the road, losing three of them including an upset to the Arizona Coyotes, 1-2. Auston Matthews and William Nylander have been playing really well from the beginning of the campaign as they are the primary reason for the spike in Toronto’s performance throughout December. However, I think it’s a bit tough to pick a winner here, so I will go with the option for “over goals” as both the Maple Leafs and the Ducks are capable of scoring a lot of their clean chances in front of goal.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Over 6 (-112)
Tony Battalio
The Anaheim Ducks have been a roller coaster type of team all season long as they’ve had big winning and losing streaks alike. Through their first 44 games on the season they come into this matchup with a record of 21-16-7, as they are 2 games below the .500 mark currently. Despite the up and down season they are still in second place of the Pacific Division, only three points behind the leaders, the Vegas Golden Knights. Anaheim comes into this clash on a two game winning streak they will be looking to extend, as they will be playing the second game of a five game road trip in this one.
The @AnaheimDucks are flying! (See what we did there?)#NHLNow | @EJHradek_NHL | @Jackie_Redmond pic.twitter.com/GJskySPt8F
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) January 26, 2022
The Toronto Maple Leafs have arguably been the best team that resides north of the border in Canada this season. Through their first 38 games of the season they come into this contest with a record of 25-10-3 as much like the other Canadian teams they will have a few games to make up due to COVID-19. Despite the string of postponements, the Maple Leafs are currently in a playoff spot as they are in third place of the Atlantic Division. As for the result of this game, I have them picking up the victory over the Anaheim Ducks at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-310)
Jeffery Thomas
The Anaheim Ducks started off their 5 game road trip with a win over the Boston Bruins, on Monday and are hoping to keep that momentum going in a Wednesday matchup with the Maple Leafs. That Bruins win was actually their second straight, after losing 4 straight. It’s been quite the turnaround as they only scored 4 total goals during the losing streak, and now have combined for 10 in their last two contests. The Ducks are 2nd place in the Pacific, 3 points behind first place Vegas. The Leafs are also coming in off of a win, defeating the Islanders 3-1 on Saturday. They haven’t been able to string together successful outings in the month of January, as they have alternated wins and losses over their past 7.
Being called out by their coach prior to the Islanders game had the Leafs playing inspired hockey and I think that will carry over into this Ducks game. As previously mentioned it’s been a struggle at times for Anaheim to get their offense going and that’s kind of how I see this game going for them. The Leafs will be at home and fired up, so getting a slumping team is exactly what they need to get a run going heading down the stretch. I think this will be a comfortable win for Toronto so the puck line is the play for me in this one.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (-114)
San Jose Sharks @ Washington Capitals – 7.00PM ET
The San Jose Sharks kick off their four game road trip with a game against the Washington Capitals. The Sharks will be looking to get back on track, after winning just one of their last five games. The Capitals have gone win-loss-win-loss-win-loss in their last six games, and this takes their season record to 23-11-9.
Denis Kirilov
The San Jose Sharks will try to stay out of the danger zone with a win over the Washington Capitals in their Capital One Arena. The Sharks have been playing really poorly in their last 5 matches as the sole victory over the Los Angeles Kings can serve as a bright light at the end of the tunnel. The team lost the remaining four games and the last meeting was the most devastating one as the Tampa Bay Lightning punished their mistakes in defense seven times, winning the match 1-7. The Sharks still have a chance to make the Playoffs, but they will need to level up their game as there are a total of 7 teams that will fight for four spots from the Pacific Division.
The Washington Capitals are almost certain for the Playoffs this year, despite being only halfway through the season. They are 4th in their Metropolitan Division with 55 points from 43 matches as their closest chasers are the Columbus Blue Jackets, sitting at 18 points behind them. This will surely have an interesting impact on their performance in the near future, but they can use this to their advantage by making some key rotations that might come in handy for the upcoming months. In my opinion, Alexander Ovechkin is still hungry to beat more records as he will be looking to win his second Stanley Cup this year. I would suggest picking the Capitals as they seem to be more disciplined and relaxed at the moment.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-210)
Tony Battalio
The San Jose Sharks are having an average year as the first half of the season has passed. Through their first 42 games of the year, they come into this game with a record of 21-19-2 as they are exactly at the .500 mark. San Jose is currently sitting in fifth place in the Pacific Division, as they will be looking to string wins together to climb back into playoff contention. The Sharks are having a rough run at the moment as they have lost four of their last five games on the year. They are currently on a two game losing streak they will be looking to break after dropping back to back games against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Seattle Kraken.
The Washington Capitals come into this game with a record of 23-11-9 through their first 43 games of the season. Alexander Ovechkin is on a mission to set the all time scoring record, and the better he plays the more of a threat the Washington Capitals tend to be. However, in their last five games they have been a bit up and down as they’ve gone 2-3, with four of those games coming on their own home ice. As for the result of this game, I have the Washington Capitals picking up the victory over the San Jose Sharks in the nation’s capital.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-210)
Jeffery Thomas
This is a matchup of a couple struggling teams as the Sharks have lost 4 of 5 and Caps come in losing 7 of 10 games in January. The Caps are coming in off a shutout loss to Vegas and have been outscored 23-33 in January. When the calendar flipped they were tied with the Lightning for the top spot in the league with 47 points, but after a 3-5-2 stretch, they’ve fallen to 4th in the Metro and 9th in the league. Something they can hang their hats on though, is their 6-0-1 record against the Sharks since their March 9, 2017 meeting. San Jose will be looking to regroup following a 1-7 defeat to Tampa Bay on Saturday. It was their 3rd time this year allowing 7 goals in a game. The Sharks do however, remain in the Wild Card race, so they will be a motivated bunch looking to string together some positive results.
There’s just too many inconsistencies with the Sharks, which can also be said for the Capitals, but being the better team and the team on home ice, tip the scales in their direction. I’m taking the Caps to finally get consecutive victories when they take down the Sharks in their matchup on Wednesday.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Washington Capitals (-210)
Calgary Flames @ Columbus Blue Jackets – 7.00PM ET
The Calgary Flames kick off a short two game road trip, and their first stop is Columbus where they take on the Blue Jackets. The Flames have won two of their last three games, and this takes their season record to 19-12-6. The Blue Jackets are currently on a two game losing streak, after losing to the Penguins and Senators.
Denis Kirilov
The Columbus Blue Jackets will take on the Calgary Flames in Nationwide Arena on Wednesday. Both teams have been underperforming in the last couple of weeks. However, the situation for the Blue Jackets is way worse as they are 5th in their Metropolitan Division with very slim chances to make the Playoffs. They have 37 points, while the 4th placed team of the Capitals have accumulated a total of 55 points. The Blue Jackets lost their last two matches at home, suffering defeats to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators.
On the other hand, the Calgary Flames are looking in a good position, occupying 8th place in the Western Conference. This gives them good enough chances to make the Playoffs this year, but they will need to work hard until the end of the Regular Season. Their biggest asset is their defense that has only conceded 94 goals so far which puts them in first place in the West. The Flames’ attack has also been doing its job as Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and Andrew Mangiapane lead the way for the team. In my opinion, the Flames are slowly reaching out to their peak form and they will start dominating the NHL the same way they did early on in the season. Hence, my pick here goes in their favor.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-188)
Tony Battalio
Next to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Calgary Flames have been one of the best teams in Canada this season. They are also on the fringe of being a contender in the National Hockey League this season in my opinion. They come into this game with a record of 19-12-6 as they are floating above the .500 mark at the moment. They are currently in fourth place in the Pacific Division. In their last game they decimated the St. Louis Blues by a score of 7-1. Now they will be looking to pick up a second straight win, this time on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hi Boqy!! 👋 pic.twitter.com/Zae0XZmbOq
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) January 25, 2022
The previously mentioned Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game with a record of 18-20-1 through their first 39 games of the season. They are sitting three games below the .500 mark at the moment after starting off the year surprisingly hot. Now they currently sit outside of playoff contention at fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. They will be looking to break a two game losing streak in this one after dropping games to the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. As for the result of this game, I look for the Blue Jackets to break that streak, with a victory over the Calgary Flames at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets (+155)
Jeffery Thomas
Calgary is coming in riding high after a 7-1 thrashing of the St. Louis Blues on Monday. They have been struggling a bit since the team was hit hard by COVID in early December, but are winners of 2 of their last 3 netting 15 goals in that span. We could be seeing them regaining the form they were in to start the season, and if that’s the case they can be counted as serious contenders. They will see a matchup like this as a chance to build on their momentum. Their opponents, the Blue Jackets also started off the season well but their fall from grace has been much harder. In the last 10 games, they’ve only won 3, with a -15 goal differential. It was always supposed to be a rebuild year for Columbus, and it’s starting to show in their recent results, and it may really get ugly down the stretch with them losing confidence with every passing game. As it currently sits, they are 5th in the Metro but only 3 points ahead of the last place Flyers.
This is a matchup where Columbus is just overmatched in my opinion. Calgary is a team that is calculated in their attack and against a defense that is struggling, it could spell disaster. The Blue Jackets have 1 win in their last 6 home games, losing 4 of those by at least 2 goals. In fact, 7 of their last 8 overall losses have been by at least 2, while all four Calgary’s most recent wins have been by 2 or more. The Flames will take advantage of a bad team in this one and they won’t need OT to do it.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Moneyline (3-way) – Calgary Flames (-115)
Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings – 7.30PM ET
The Chicago Blackhawks wrap up their two game road trip in Detroit on Wednesday night when they take on the Red Wings. The Blackhawks are currently on a four game losing streak, and last time out they lost to the Avalanche, 0-2. The Red Wings are on a two game losing streak themselves, as they have lost to the Stars and Predators.
Denis Kirilov
The Chicago Blackhawks will travel to Detroit to try their luck against the Red Wings on Wednesday night in the NHL. They will need to get out of the current situation as soon as possible as they are coming into this match on a 4-game losing streak. Scoring just six goals in the span of four fixtures is certainly a concerning sign for the team that still wants to make their comeback this season. They started off quite awful with plenty of consecutive losses, but right now, the Blackhawks are 14th in the West with 37 points from 42 matches. However, their most recent performances have shown us that they will still need to put in a lot of effort before becoming competitive enough for the NHL.
The Detroit Red Wings share the same fate as the Blackhawks as they are the first team out of the Playoffs in the Atlantic Division at the moment, but at the same time, they are standing quite far from the Boston Bruins. The Red Wings have accumulated 42 points for 42 games, while the Bruins are 8 points ahead of them with three games to play. The team from Detroit didn’t impress us a lot throughout the season, but they still got some important victories in the process. Their defence is their biggest liability as they are still working on improving that part of their game. That’s why I think this is a great opportunity for the Blackhawks to put an end to their awful run.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (+105)
Tony Battalio
The Chicago Blackhawks have had a rough year as the season has progressed. They started out of the year as one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League. Now they are having trouble climbing their way back to the .500 mark as the season crosses the halfway mark. While it’s not completely a lost season yet for the Blackhawks, they will need to string more wins together quickly before they are officially eliminated from playoff contention. They come into this game with a record of 15-20-7 as they are a full 12 games below the .500 mark. They will be looking to break a four game losing streak in this one as well.
The Detroit Red Wings come into this game with a record of 18-18-6 through their first 42 games on the season. They are currently in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Detroit is currently on a two game losing streak after dropping games to the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators. They will be looking to pick up a big victory at home in this game as they look to keep up in the highly competitive Atlantic Division. As for the result of this game however, I don’t see Detroit picking up the victory in this one, as I have the Chicago Blackhawks picking up the victory in this one on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Chicago Blackhawks (+105)
Jeffery Thomas
It’s always great when we get a matchup of Original Six teams, even if both teams are in a slump. That’s the exact predicament we find ourselves in, with the Blackhawks taking on the Red Wings Wednesday night. Chicago is riding a 4 game losing streak, including a 0-2 shutout loss to Colorado on Monday. They have only scored 6 goals in that span. The Red Wings are also sliding, having won just 3 of their last 11, dropping their most recent one 1-4 to the Predators on Saturday. As you can imagine neither team is realistically in the wild card hunt, but we can still get some exciting hockey in a matchup of historic franchises.
The Blackhawks are 6-4 in their last 10 meetings with Detroit, but enter this one as small underdogs. The Red Wings will host this one and that’s good news for them, as they play their best hockey on home ice. In the last 3 home games, they’ve only given up 8 goals and Chicago will also find it hard to score against this defense. I like a possible play on the over but I think the best bet in this game is to back the home Red Wings to defend their turf.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Detroit Red Wings (-126)
Boston Bruins @ Colorado Avalanche – 10.00PM ET
The final game on Wednesday night’s slate will see the Boston Bruins take on the Colorado Avalanche. The Bruins are making a charge as of late, they have won 10 of their last 13 games, and this takes their season record to 24-13-2. The Avalanche have won seven games in a row and they are first in the Central Division.
Denis Kirilov
The Boston Bruins will face the Colorado Avalanche in one of the most entertaining games on Wednesday in the NHL. The Avalanche have been simply outstanding since the beginning of December, winning 17 out of their 19 matches in the process. This helped them climb to the top spot in the Western Conference as they are now 6 points ahead of the second placed team of the St. Louis Blues. Colorado’s offence has been astonishing throughout the last couple of weeks, averaging around 5 goals per game for their last 20 matches.
The Boston Bruins will have a really hard task not only because they will face the top team in the NHL, but also because they will need to become one of the three teams that have beaten the Avalanche in their Ball Arena. The Bruins are capable of doing so as they have won 10 out of 16 games on the road so far. They are actually on a 3-0 run as a guest which might help them come into this match with heads up high as they managed to outclass the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last meetings away from TD Garden. However, I doubt that the Bruins will be able to defy the odds against the Avalanche as I think Colorado will be able to defeat Boston and prolong their winning streak to 8 games.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Moneyline (3-way) – Colorado Avalanche (-120)
Tony Battalio
This season it feels like the Boston Bruins and their aging core led by Brad Marchand is making one last gasp and run at a Stanley Cup trophy. However it is not exactly going how they would have planned it as they come into this game with a record of 24-13-2 through their first 39 games of the season. While they do have a positive record, their 24 wins is only good enough for fourth place in the Atlantic Division at the moment, as it seems like they will have to fight for a Wild Card playoff spot in the stacked Eastern Conference this season.
What a READ, Mr. Rantanen. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/9e2YGKJ9A8
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 25, 2022
The Colorado Avalanche were the preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup trophy. As the season has crossed the halfway line they have absolutely lived up to that hype. Colorado comes into this one on top of arguably the best division in the National Hockey League, as they find themselves in first place of the Central Division. The Avalanche enter this game with a record of 29-8-3 on the season. They are currently on a seven game winning streak and have won 12 of their last 13 contests of the season dating back to the beginning of January. As for the result of this game, I have them picking up their eighth straight victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-192)
Jeffery Thomas
The Bruins will kick off a road trip against one of the league’s best home teams in the Colorado Avalanche. They have won all 3 of their road games so far in the new year, but this will surely be their best test yet. Boston is coming off a 3-5 loss to the Ducks, as newly-resigned goalie Tukka Rask’s struggles continued. He allowed 5 goals in 2 of his last 3 starts. For Colorado, they are coming off a good goaltending and defensive performance, blanking the Blackhawks in a 2-0 win. That win extended their franchise record home winning streak to 16. It was their 7th overall win in a row and improved their home record to 18-2-1. They sit at a league leading 61 points entering the game, tied with Florida and Tampa Bay.
This will be a fun matchup of two teams in very good form, and that can sometimes make picking a side difficult. However, this one I will have to side with the Avs, citing all the very impressive home stats I previously stated and the fact that this is probably the best team in the league. They have only lost one game in January and it was in overtime, so they bring it night in and night out and they’re at home, where they’re most comfortable. This game will go over the total so if you want to play that as well, I won’t talk anybody off of that, but back the Avalanche to tally another home win, as they’ve just made that a staple of their identity at this point.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Colorado Avalanche (-192)
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.
