The NHL is back and better than ever! Today there are two games that get our full attention. It is going to be an exciting day of NHL action, so you don’t want to miss this. Four teams take the ice today and all are hopeful they can get the win they need to boost up their season record.
What will today’s games bring? Which teams will have the ability to get the all important win on the board? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, we are in for some great games! So gear up, sit back, relax and watch. And if you like to have a bet, then you have certainly come to the right place.
Look below to find our free NHL picks, as we preview the two games on today’s schedule.
Boston Bruins @ Philadelphia Flyers – 7.30PM EDT
The Boston Bruins play just their second game of the regular season when they are on the road and take on the Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins won their first game of the season, 3-1, against the Stars. This will be the Flyers third game of the season, last time out they put the Kraken in their place, winning 6-1.
Denis Kirilov
Two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference are facing each other on Wednesday in Philadelphia. The Bruins are coming into this game after a well-deserved victory against the Dallas Stars on Saturday. They have stated their ambition as they are aiming for 1st place in the Atlantic Division. The team might struggle with this goal, but with the likes of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak, they will definitely be a huge contender for a spot in the Playoffs.
On the other hand, the Philadelphia Flyers began the season with a surprising defeat at home against the Vancouver Canucks after penalties. They went on to defeat the Seattle Kraken in the next game which will definitely give them enough confidence for the upcoming fixture against the Bruins. Hayes, Laczynski, and Ristolainen will miss the game for the hosts, while Curtis Lazar is the only one who is sidelined for the Bruins. Both teams will be waiting for mistakes on the other end and this makes me think that the game will be patient and without many risky or open plays.
Denis’ NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (+100)
Tony Battalio
Boston will be playing only its second game of the season as they take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Coming in at 1-0 after a home victory over the Dallas Stars to open the season, the Bruins will look to build on that. Meanwhile Philadelphia is 1-0-1 after beating Seattle 6-1 at home as well. This will be another home game for the Flyers as they will again be looking to defend their home ice. It should not be as easy this time as Boston is a much better team than the upstart Seattle Kraken at the moment.
Looking fly. ✈️ #OnTheRoad | @Enterprise pic.twitter.com/F6uLsGPZ9v
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 19, 2021
Philadelphia are the underdogs in this game, but overall we should see a pretty evenly matched hockey game on Wednesday night in the city of brotherly love. Boston will always have a fighting chance as long as Marchand and Bergeron are suited up and on the ice for the Bruins. Meanwhile Philadelphia is playing well early on in this season led by Farabee and Yandle. Despite this being a home game for the Flyers, I’m still going to give the edge to the Boston Bruins.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-146)
Michael Lantz
In each game this season, the Philadelphia Flyers’ offense has been more in sync than the last. They started off the season losing by one in a shootout against the Canucks (where they still scored four goals) and then they broke out with a 6-1 bashing of the Seattle Kraken. Now that both their Pacific Northwest visitors are out of the way, the Flyers hope both sides of the puck can carry that momentum over into what should be a gritty home game against the Boston Bruins.
The Bruins are the only team in hockey to have played a lone game. They hope to use that rest to the best of their advantage. It already worked in their favor once as they handled the Dallas Stars pretty easily, thanks in large part to Brad Marchand’s two goals. Boston may have the rest, but Philly has the heart going for them right now, as they’ve had an assortment of goal scorers in the first two games.This one should be a collision course in the making. I’ll go for a bit of a surprising underdog pick and go with the home team Philly.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Philadelphia Flyers (+126)
St. Louis Blues @ Vegas Golden Knights – 10.00PM EDT
The Blues continue their road trip when they travel to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights. Being on the road for every game this season so far has not fazed the Blues one bit, they have won the opening two games of their season. Last time out, the Blues won 7-4 against the Coyotes. The Golden Knights have one win and one loss so far this season, last time out they lost to the Kings, 2-6.
Denis Kirilov
The Blues are traveling to Las Vegas to face the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights didn’t start the 2021/22 NHL season the way they wanted to. They had troubles against the rookies from Seattle Kraken at home, but somehow managed to defeat them in the 3rd Period. Two days later, they lost 6:2 in an away game against the Los Angeles Kings. Their actions on the ice seemed easily predictable for the Kings’ defensemen and goalkeeper. The team is struggling with injuries as Janmark, Pacioretty, Stone, Tuch, Carrier, Howden, and Roy are uncertain about the upcoming match against the St. Louis Blues.
The lack of several key players in the roster of the Golden Knights suggests that they will need to experiment throughout the game. On the other hand, the St. Louis Blues just cannot stop scoring. They scored 7 goals against the Arizona Coyotes and 5 goals against the Colorado Avalanche. To put it in other words – they managed to score in each single period they have played so far this season. Although sometimes it’s difficult to play several games on a high level, I still believe that the St. Louis Blues can surprise their opponent on Wednesday.
Denis’ NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+120)
Tony Battalio
The St. Louis Blues have looked like a well oiled offensive machine through their first 2 games of the 2021-22 season. They have already netted 12 Goals in two wins, however they will need to clean up their defensive performance to stay perfect. St. Louis has also given up a multitude of Goals as well, 7 to be exact. You cannot continue to expect them to keep scoring so many goals each night, so it will have to be a fast fix.
this guy has been in the right place at the right time all season 😜 pic.twitter.com/OwA2UXYmPv
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 19, 2021
As for the Las Vegas Golden Knights they are 1-1-0 on the season after dropping a game to the Los Angeles Kings by a 6-2 scoreline. This game will be a home game for Vegas, it will be their 2nd of the season, out of 3 games played. They will also be the favorites in this one, which is surprising considering the tear that St. Louis is on thus far. Despite Vegas being at home I still think the safer bet is the St. Louis Blues, I look for them to continue their offensive dominance.
Tony’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+120)
Michael Lantz
Through two games, the St. Louis Blues have totaled 12 goals, with rising star Jordan Kyrou totaling six points in those two games. The Blues seem to be riding the success of both their veterans (Ryan O’Reilly/ David Perron) and their youngsters (Kyrou/ Klim Kostin). It should be said that their first two games came against a Colorado Avalanche team that had no Nathan MacKinnon and no Gabriel Landeskog and the second came against the unimpressive Arizona Coyotes. They face a real test against Stanley Cup contenders the Vegas Golden Knights.
Only thing is, Vegas hasn’t exactly had a walk in the park. They almost blew a 3-0 lead to the Seattle Kraken in the franchise’s first ever game. They followed that near-disastrous performance by getting a whopping courtesy of the Los Angeles Kings. Vegas has so much talent, especially up front but will they be able to handle a hot scoring St. Louis’ team? That’s to be seen, but with the way St. Louis has been scoring, and the firepower Vegas has, in addition to being at home, I like the “over” here.
Michael’s NHL Pick: Over 6 (+100)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
