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 a significant 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!
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Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the four games on today’s schedule.
Boston Bruins @ Minnesota Wild – 7.30PM ET
The road trip continues on for the Boston Bruins, who on Wednesday night will travel to Minnesota and take on the Wild. The Bruins are playing two nights in a row, and last time out they beat the Blackhawks in overtime, 2-1. The Wild have lost their last two games against the Blue Jackets (2-3, shootout) and Predators (2-6).
Marko Nadin
The Minnesota Wild are fifth in the Western Conference with a 34-20-4 record. The Wild are going through a tough period of the season as they have lost 8 of the last 11 games including a 2-6 loss to the Nashville Predators in the last one. Minnesota is the fourth-best offensive team in the league scoring 3.7 goals per game. The Wild has won 8 of the last 11 games after two days of rest and 14 of the last 20 against Eastern Conference opponents. Minnesota has played over the total goals margin in 24 of the last 27 games as home favorite,
The Boston Bruins are seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 37-18-5 record. Boston has won 5 of their last 6 games, most recently 2-1 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Boston had a six-game winning streak over Minnesota before losing the first matchup of the season by 3-2. Boston has won 6 of the last 7 road games and 7 of their last 8 in the third game of a 3-in-4 situation. Boston is going into this game as underdog and has lost 4 of the last 5 games in that situation. The Bruins have gone over the total goals margin in their last 4 road games and in 5 of the last 7 games overall.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-120)
Tony Battalio
The Boston Bruins are coming into this game with a record of 37-18-5 through their first 60 games of the season. Boston is currently sitting in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, but holds onto one of the Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference at the moment. Boston has put together a decent season as they look to make what seems like one final run with their core of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. They come into this matchup having won their last three games in a row.
“One said come over for pizza”
The fans signs have been fantastic this year. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/fYTK0fLwdn
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 15, 2022
The Minnesota Wild were the top team in the National Hockey League at one point. Now they are sitting in the middle of the pack in the Central Division and in danger of missing the playoffs if their current losing streak continues to extend further. They hold on to one of the two Wild Card spots in the Western Conference at the moment. They have lost their last two games in a row to the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets, and will be looking to bounce back in this game. However I don’t see it happening as I have the Boston Bruins getting the win in this one on the road.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (+100)
Jeffery Thomas
It’s been an up and down stretch for the Minnesota Wild, going 3-5 so far in the month of March so they’ll hope having Monday and Tuesday off will give them an opportunity to regroup and play some of their best hockey down this stretch run. They sit 4 points inside the playoffs, ahead of the Golden Knights, so it’s imperative for them to try and scrape points together in every game possible. On Sunday however, the Wild were not able to do that, losing 2-6 to the Nashville Predators in a game they never led. Boston will be on the back-to-back after a 2-1 overtime win in Chicago over the Blackhawks. The game was scoreless up until the 04:43 mark in the third period when Patrice Bergeron scored his 16th goal of the season.
Based on recent form, it is a little shocking to see the Minnesota Wild coming into this one as the favorites. But they will be the more rested team and at home so it makes sense. They also already own a win over the Bruins in Boston way back in January, a win that ended a five-game losing skid for Minnesota, and sent them on a run of winning eleven of thirteen games. Now fast forward to March and the Wild are coming in losers of four of their last six and will see the Bruins once again as a good starting point to a great run of games. I love the home ice advantage for Minnesota and it will be a big factor in this nationally televised game that the home team will take.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-120)
Columbus Blue Jackets @ Ottawa Senators – 7.30PM ET
The Columbus Blue Jackets have just one game on the road when they take on the Ottawa Senators, who themselves are in the middle of a five game homestand. The Blue Jackets will be looking to build on their current two game winning streak, which includes wins over the Wild and Golden Knights. The Senators, on the other hand, are currently on a two game losing streak, and this takes their overall record on the season to 21-33-5.
Marko Nadin
The Ottawa Senators are currently 14th in the Eastern Conference with a 21-33-5 record. After winning two straight games, the Senators lost the last two, 3-6 against Chicago and 3-5 against Arizona. The Senators score only 2.6 goals per game while allowing 3.3. They have lost 8 of the last 10 home games and 4 of the last 5 games after allowing 5 or more goals in the previous game. Ottawa has played over the total goals margin in the last 4 games overall and in the last 5 games played on Wednesday.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are ninth in the Eastern Conference with a 30-27-3 record but have an 11-point deficit to the Washington Capitals who are in eighth spot. The Blue Jackets have won 2 of the last 5 games and are coming off a 6-4 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Columbus is ranked 11th in the league with 3.3 goals per game. They have won 7 of the last 10 games against the Ottawa Senators. Columbus has won 6 of the last 7 games against teams with a losing record.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Over 6.5 (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been a very confusing team this season. As they can’t seem to figure out if they want to compete for a playoff spot or not. They have had several hot and cold streaks throughout the year and still find themselves hovering around the .500 mark with about a month and a half left in the regular season. The Blue Jackets come into this game with a record of 30-27-3, as they are currently at .500 on the season with 22 games left. In their last game, the Blue Jackets got a big win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Three Thoughts: #Sens dominate the shot column against the Coyotes but can’t come away with the two points. #GoSensGo
📝 https://t.co/nTDjruOEK6 pic.twitter.com/eLYRh6fonP
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) March 15, 2022
The Ottawa Senators have been one of the more disappointing teams in the National Hockey League this season. They come into this game with a record of 21-33-5 as they are 17 games below the .500 mark through their first 59 games of the season. Ottawa is currently in seventh place in the Atlantic Division and all but officially eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs at this point. They have lost their last two games to Arizona and Chicago. As for the result of this game, I think they will lose their third straight as I have Columbus getting the victory.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Columbus Blue Jackets (+114)
Jeffery Thomas
The Blue Jackets will make a quick stop in Ottawa to play the Senators before returning back home for the second-leg of a back-to-back against the Washington Capitals. It’s positive vibes for the rebuilding Columbus team who are winners of two straight after dispatching of the struggling Vegas Knights on Sunday by a score of 6-4. Columbus native Cole Sillinger, who is the youngest player in the NHL at 18-years old, recorded his first career hat trick in the win and will surely look for a great encore performance on Wednesday. His foe for that contest will be an Ottawa team that suffered a 3-5 loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, in the only game in the NHL that day.
It was Arizona’s second win over the Sens in as many tries, giving them a clean season sweep of the series. Now at 21-33-5, Ottawa sits at 7th place in the Atlantic Division with 47 points. It’s a battle of two inconsistent teams here and that always makes for a difficult prediction. It’d be easy to think this game will go over with the porous defenses both teams have, but it was a 2-1 score in their one earlier meeting this season so I can’t trust that. I do however, lean towards the Ottawa side due to the goaltending advantage they will hold with Anton Forsberg. He will be able to slow down the Jackets and give the Sens’ offense opportunities to claim the game with a few goals. Give me the home team here.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Ottawa Senators (-137)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Seattle Kraken – 10.00PM ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s six game road trip finally comes to an end on Wednesday night, when they hit the ice against the Seattle Kraken. The Lightning snapped their three game losing streak last time out, with a win over the Canucks, 2-1. Like the Lightning, the Kraken were also able to snap their losing streak in their last game, as they beat the Canadiens, 4-3, in a shootout.
Marko Nadin
The Seattle Kraken are at the bottom of the Western Conference with an 18-37-6 record which was expected since this is their first season and their roster is made mostly by the expansion draft. The Kraken has lost 11 of the last 13 games but are coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens. They are among the three-worst teams in the league in goals scored and shots on goal. Seattle has lost 10 of the last 12 games as home underdog and the last six following a win.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are third in the Eastern Conference with a 38-15-6 record. The Lightning snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in their last game. They defeated Settle 3-0 in their first game this season. The Lightning are ranked seventh in the league with 3.4 goals per game despite the fact that they are ranked 20th with 30 shots on goal per game. Tampa Bay has won 14 of the last 20 games against teams from the Western Conference.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-310)
Tony Battalio
The Tampa Bay Lightning come into this game with a record of 38-15-6 through their first 59 games of the season. The Lightning will be looking to be the first team to win three straight Stanley Cup trophies in a row in several decades. This year they will have a lot more competition than they did in the previous two seasons as they will have to play their best just to get out of the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay is currently on a 1 game winning streak after snapping a three game losing streak with a win in their last game.
Got it done in Vancouver. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/FKmfDwaNFM
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 14, 2022
The Seattle Kraken’s first season in the National Hockey League has not gone how they would have liked it to go, but to fans it went how it was expected. Seattle comes into this game with a record of 18-37-6 through their first 61 games of the season. With only 21 games left in their inaugural season, they are already certainly looking towards how to make improvements in the offseason and next season’s draft. As for the result of this game, I have Tampa Bay getting the victory over Seattle.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-310)
Jeffery Thomas
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be wrapping up a six-game road trip when they travel to Seattle to take on the expansion Kraken. It was a solid 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the Bolt’s last game to snap a three-game losing streak. It was the second leg of a back-to-back for Tampa, a spot they have thrived in all year and now their record sits 7-0-1 in back-to-back situations. Their 38-15-6 record still has them 4 points behind the Florida Panthers for the Atlantic Division lead. The Kraken are nowhere near the top of their Pacific Division, in fact they are in last place with 42 points. They are still competing though, covering the spread in three of their last four games, including beating the Montreal Canadiens in their last game.
It was a 4-3 shootout victory that interestingly enough puts them 2 points ahead of those Canadiens for the worst point mark in the league. The Tampa Bay Lightning have a road record of 19-10-2 compared to the Kraken’s 10-17-3 home record so there is a clear edge for the Bolts on that front, on top of all the statistical advantages. It’s a steep price to pay for Tampa in this game but I don’t see it going any way other than a beat down, as the Kraken just don’t have the pieces equipped to keep up with a team like this. Give me the Lightning by 2+ goals.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (-114)
New Jersey Devils @ Calgary Flames – 10.00PM ET
The New Jersey Devils are in the middle of their road trip when they travel to Calgary to take on the Flames. The Devils are playing on back-to-back nights, and in their previous game they lost to the Canucks, 3-6. The Flames have won four of their last six games, but last time out they were shutout by the Avalanche, 0-3.
Marko Nadin
The Calgary Flames are one of the hottest teams in the league recently as they managed to reach the second place in the Western Conference with a 36-16-7 record. The Flames have won 4 of the last 6 games and are coming off a 0-3 loss against the Colorado Avalanche. Calgary is the sixth best scoring team in the league with 3.4 goals per game but they are even better on the defensive end as they allow 2.4 which ranks them second in the league. Calgary has won the last 7 games against New Jersey. How good the Flames actually are lately is best described by the fact that they have won 14 of the last 16 home games.
The New Jersey Devils 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 22-33-5 record. They are going to Calgary after starting their three-game road trip with a 2-6 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The last time the Devils defeated the Flames was back in 2017. The Devils have lost 20 of the last 27 road games but have won 4 of the last 5 games against Western Conference teams. The Devils have lost 16 of their last 21 games without a day off and have played over the total goals margin in 3 of the last 4 of those.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-330)
Tony Battalio
The New Jersey Devils will be playing the second game of a back to back in this one. In the first game of their back to back they were defeated by the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 3-6 on the road on Tuesday evening. It has been somewhat of a rough season for the Devils as they have really failed to generate any positive momentum. They come into this game with a record of 22-33-5 through their first 60 games of the season and are already virtually eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs at this point.
“Consistency. That’s what I need to do, work hard every single day and show it in the games.”
Adam Ruzicka on his mindset in taking the next steps in his game. pic.twitter.com/C4Jeqydp0S
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 15, 2022
As for the Calgary Flames, they have been one of the best teams in the National Hockey League over the past couple of months. A lengthy winning streak propped them up to first place in the Pacific Division and that is where they have remained ever since. Calgary comes into this game with a record of 36-16-7 through their first 59 games of the season. They will be looking to bounce back in this one after being shutout by the Colorado Avalanche in their last game 0-3. As for the result of this game, I have the Calgary Flames getting the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames (-330)
Jeffery Thomas
The Calgary Flames proved that they are human after all in their last outing against the Avalanche on Sunday. After a 6-1-1 run where Calgary averaged 4.25 goals a game, they were shutout by Colorado 0-3. The Flames were on the second half of a back-to-back but they did control much of the play, outshooting the Avs 46-32 but just ran into elite goaltending that night.
The Calgary Flames have a very interesting pattern going right now where ever since February 26, they continue to win 2 games and then lose one over and over. I don’t believe in patterns but if that were to be their thing, then that means they’re due for a win here after losing the last game. The patterns won’t matter here as I just feel the Flames are the much better and in form team right now, going 14-2 in their last 16 home games. On the back-to-back the tired Devils will be handed a convincing loss in Calgary on Wednesday.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Calgary Flames -1.5 (-124)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
