Despite COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the NHL schedule, we are still lucky to have some games on today that aren’t postponed. We are loving the action throughout this impressive NHL season so far. As we move towards the mid way point in the season, each division’s ladder is starting to take shape. 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 two games on today’s schedule.
Edmonton Oilers @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.00PM ET
The first game on Wednesday night’s slate will see the Edmonton Oilers hit the road and take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. It may be panic station for the Oilers at the moment, as they haven’t won a single game since returning from the COVID / Christmas break, and this takes their losing streak to four in a row. The Maple Leafs are currently on a three game winning streak, with wins over the Blackhawks, Oilers and Senators.
Denis Kirilov
The high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs take on the hesitating Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers started off the season quite well as both Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid took a demanding lead early on in the total points leaderboard. They are still on the top of the list with 53 points for McDavid and 52 points for the German forward. However, the team’s overall performance suffered a huge decline as they are coming into this fixture on a 4-game losing streak. The Oilers lost all 4 matches away to the Blues, the Devils, the Islanders, and the Rangers.
The Maple Leafs, on the other hand, are looking better and better as we slowly enter into the second half of the season. William Nylander and Auston Matthews lead the way for the team in attack, but compared to Draisaitl and McDavid, they only have 33 points each. Even though the Maple Leafs are in a good streak, they are still in 6th place with 44 points out of 31 games. Both teams faced each other right before Christmas as Toronto took a demanding 5-1 win. In my opinion, the Maple Leafs will take yet another victory in their head-to-head games against the Oilers.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-310)
Tony Battalio
This all Canadian matchup should be a good one as two of the National Hockey League’s premier teams that reside north of the border are set to face off in this one on Wednesday evening. The Edmonton Oilers come into this game with a record of 18-13-2 as they have hit a bit of a rough patch recently. Despite their recent struggles they are still one of the top teams in the league, and have two of the top five players in the league on their roster. However since returning from the extended Christmas break the Edmonton Oilers have lost their last four games, all four of those losses have come on the road as well. They will be looking to snap their four game losing streak with a big win in this game over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“You’ve got to build your way out of it. It’s such a fine line in hockey.”
All the sights & sounds from today’s #Oilers skate at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke. pic.twitter.com/FclafZjcHi
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 5, 2022
The previously mentioned Toronto Maple Leafs are coming into this game with a record of 21-8-2. If you want a quick example of just how strong the Eastern Conference is this season, the Maple Leafs record is only good enough to get them into third place of the Atlantic Division, whereas in the Western Conference they would virtually be first place in any division. Before having their season derailed by Covid postponements the Maple Leafs had picked up victories in four of their last five games. They are entering this game against Edmonton on a two game winning streak as well. As for the result of this game, I have the Toronto Maple Leafs picking up their third straight victory at home.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-310)
Michael Lantz
Since the NHL returned to play after a quick COVID break, the Edmonton Oilers have been nothing short of awful. They’ve lost all four of their games since the league’s return from COVID pause. They dropped overtime games to two inferior opponents in the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders; even though losing to the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers aren’t bad things, the Oilers must beat good teams if they want any chance of excelling in the postseason. Their Wednesday matchup won’t make things any easier, as they face a Toronto Maple Leafs team that’s been a force on offense lately, and just beat the Oilers 5-1 a few games back.
The Maple Leafs had a great start to the new year as they beat the Ottawa Senators 6-0. While the Senators are one of the NHL’s worst teams, they’ve had some surprise wins. The Maple Leafs made sure there was none of that, in their dominating victory that was led by the likes of T.J. Brodie, Alexander Kerfoot, and William Nylander. Toronto is looking to end their drought of not winning a playoff series since 2004, and with great depth and a Vezina front-runner in Jack Campbell, they look well on their way. I’ll pick them to outmatch the Oilers again in this one.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-310)
St. Louis Blues @ Pittsburgh Penguins – 7.30PM ET
The St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against each other in what is the final game on Wednesday night. The Blues are currently sitting in first place in the Central Division, with a record of 19-9-5, and they are currently on a two game winning streak. The Penguins are on an impressive eight game winning streak, which dates back to early December, and takes their season record to 18-8-5.
Denis Kirilov
Two teams who are in fantastic form recently will face each other on Wednesday in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins take on the St. Louis Blues in their PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins are coming into this game on an 8-0 run, while the Blues have won 7 out of their last 9 games. The team from St. Louis is surprisingly second in the West with 43 points, while Pittsburgh sits in 7th place in the East with 41 points. Both teams have huge ambitions for this season as the Playoffs will be the smallest thing they will settle for.
The Penguins haven’t lost in a month which is a considerably big period in the NHL. Their winning run helped them close the gap to the top spots and they are now just a couple of wins away from breaking through the top 3. Both teams have a decent defense, but the Blues’ offense seems to be more consistent. There is an end to every streak and I think the Blues have high chances of being the team that will stop the Penguins’ progress. I will suggest picking the guest in this contest that promises to be one of the most electrifying and intriguing games for 2022.
Denis’ NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+116)
Tony Battalio
Both these teams are among the hottest in the National Hockey League at the moment as they both are coming into this game riding winning streaks and huge waves of momentum. The St. Louis Blues have picked up victories in four of their last five games on the season. They currently find themselves in first place of the Central Division, with a one point lead over the Nashville Predators. They come into this game with a record of 19-9-5 on the season, as they are a full 5 games above the .500 mark going into the start of 2022. They will be looking to pick up another big victory in this game on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Drew O’Connor has been added to the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol List.
The Penguins have re-assigned forward Anthony Angello to the @WBSPenguins.
Brian Boyle’s non-roster (personal reasons) status has been removed. pic.twitter.com/fFlq9cbBpR
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 4, 2022
As for the previously mentioned Pittsburgh Penguins, they come into this game with a record of 18-8-5 on the season as they have bounced back from a slow start to the 2021-22 campaign. Pittsburgh has won their last eight games on the year and if not for COVID postponements that total could be sitting at 13 games at the moment. They are currently in second place in a very competitive Metropolitan Division as the season is moving towards the halfway point. As for the result of this game, I have the Pittsburgh Penguins picking up win number nine of this streak, this time on their own home ice.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-140)
Michael Lantz
After a shaky start filled with injuries and COVID complications, the Pittsburgh Penguins seem to be back in the race. They’ve won eight straight games, and it seems like someone new is stepping up almost every night on offense. Yet one constant has been their goalie Tristan Jarry, who has come alive this season to become one of the league’s top goaltenders. The Pens will look to make it nine in a row on Wednesday as they face a very good St. Louis Blues team.
After a streaky start to the season, the St. Louis Blues are now riding high; sitting in first in the Central Division. While they’ve gotten some great offense from the likes of Jordan Kyrou, they also have gotten some stellar goaltending, thanks to the duo of Jordan Binnington and Charlie Lindgren. The Blues will look to continue to maintain their reign in the Central Division, and end the Pens win streak at eight. But, I think Pittsburgh keeps it going for the home crowd, as St. Louis has been just okay away from Enterprise Center.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins (-140)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
