We have loved the action throughout this impressive NHL season and now it’s the time everyone has been waiting for – playoffs time! It is sure to be a cracking playoffs this season with many high quality teams looking to stop the Tampa Bay Lightning from winning the Stanley Cup for a third time in a row. But before we get to the Stanley Cup final, teams must make it through the first round.
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Look below to find our free NHL picks for the four Round 1 games on today’s schedule!
Boston Bruins @ Carolina Hurricanes – 7.00PM ET
We kick off the playoffs for the 2021-2022 season with the series between the Boston Bruins and Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins come into this clash with a decent amount of confidence, they have won six of their last eight games. The Hurricanes are currently riding a six game winning streak from the regular season that they are hoping carries over into the playoffs.
Marko Nadin
The Carolina Hurricanes finished the regular season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 54-20-8 record. They finished the regular season with six consecutive wins and are in good shape going into the series against the Boston Bruins. The Hurricanes are the best defensive team in the league as they are ranked first in allowed goals and shots on goal per game as well as defending the power play situations. Carolina has won the last four games against Eastern Conference rivals and the last 4 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
The Boston Bruins finished the regular season as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51-26-5 record. They lost the last regular season game but won the previous four. Boston is fourth in the league allowing 2.7 goals per game and ranked 15th scoring 3.1. The Bruins have lost the last three games against the Hurricanes. Boston has won 6 of the last 7 games of the first playoff round and the last four games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Under 5.5 (-105)
Tony Battalio
The Boston Bruins goal all season long has been to make one final run with their main core of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Step one of that goal was to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now that they are here they will need to get past their first round opponent who just happens to be the current Eastern Conference favorites, the Carolina Hurricanes. Boston finished the regular season with a record of 51-26-5 as they finished as the sixth seed in the conference.
The Carolina Hurricanes were dominant all year long on their way to a Metropolitan Division title. They finished as the number two seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 54-20-8. They ended the year with the third most home wins in the East as well with 29. As their home ice advantage is one of the best in the National Hockey League from a fan and environment perspective. As for the result of this one, I am taking the Carolina Hurricanes to get the win in Game 1 of this series.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (-126)
Jeffery Thomas
The NHL playoffs are finally here and we start in Carolina where the Hurricanes will play host to the Boston Bruins. In the regular season, the Metro Division winning Canes dominated this head to head matchup, winning all 3 games by an average margin of five goals. The bad news for Carolina though, is they will be without star goalie Frederick Andersen who was manning the net in all three of those regular season wins over Boston. With him being out, it gives Boston a real chance to steal home ice away from Carolina and put all the pressure on their opponents in the series.
Even with Andersen in I felt the Bruins would have a chance to make this series very competitive, but now with him out I think it’s safe to even like Boston as the team to win Game 1. The Bruins will be on the road but they have a roster full of guys with deep playoff runs and experience so I don’t think we’ll see many nerves on their side. Despite the lopsided regular season matchups, I’m going with Boston here to pull the upset and create enough offense against Carolina’s backup goalie to steal Game 1 on the road.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (+105)
Tampa Bay Lightning @ Toronto Maple Leafs – 7.30PM ET
The Tampa Bay Lightning face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in this first round clash. The Lightning have won five of their last six games to close out the regular season, which includes an 8-1 win over the Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs are currently on a three game winning streak and would like to show the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions just what they are made of in Game 1.
Marko Nadin
The Toronto Maple Leafs finished the regular season as the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a 54-21-7 record. They won the last three games of the regular season. It’s been almost 20 years since the Maple Leafs have won a playoff series and they are hoping that this is the season when they will finally do it. The Maple Leafs are second in the league scoring 3.8 goals per game led by the NHL top scorer Auston Matthews. They are also the best team when it comes to power play conversion with 27.3%. Toronto has won 3 of the last 5 games against Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are entering the playoffs hoping to win their third straight championship, something that no team has done in almost 40 years. The Lightning finished the regular season as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 51-23-8 record. The Lightning won 5 of the last 6 regular season games including a 8-1 win over the Maple Leafs. They are eighth in the league with 3.5 goals per game and fifth allowing 2.8. Tampa Bay have won 7 of the last 9 games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (+108)
Tony Battalio
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s quest for a third straight Stanley Cup trophy begins now. As they come into this game as the number five seed in the Eastern Conference. They finished the season with a record of 51-23-8 and on the road they managed to grab 24 wins which is among the top in the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay is going to have a harder road ahead than they have had in the previous two seasons as the league is a lot more competitive. However, they are still very capable of getting the job done for a third straight year.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are just one of a few teams in Canada that could bring the great white north their first Stanley Cup trophy in several decades. They finished the season as the number four seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto has been consistent throughout the season as they finished the year with a record of 54-21-7. They will be looking to grab an advantage in this one. As for the result of this game, that is exactly what I see happening as I have the Maple Leafs picking up the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (-130)
Jeffery Thomas
The Toronto Maple Leafs will come into this playoffs with very high expectations after setting a franchise-record for wins (54). The Leafs have not won a playoff series since 2004 and standing in their way will be none other than the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa is setting out to become the first team in the league to three-peat since the New York Islanders of 1980-84 who won four straight. It’s expected that they at least make a great run at it again, with 14 players still remaining on their roster from last year’s championship team.
Both of these teams possess a lot of star power and it’s a treat that we get this matchup in the first round. This could have easily been a conference final meeting. As far as Game 1 goes though, I’m going to have to side with the away team that is taking step 1 in defending their title again. They may be the lesser offensive team in the series, as Toronto has Auston Matthews, but the Bolts have all the experience. It may be a long series but Game 1 is going to Tampa.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (+108)
St. Louis Blues @ Minnesota Wild – 9.30PM ET
The St. Louis Blues are on the road for the first two games of this Round 1 clash with the Minnesota Wild. The Blues are coming into Game 1 of the playoffs having dropped their last two games of the regular season, to the Avalanche and Golden Knights. The Wild have won seven of their last eight games, including their last two games of the regular season, against the Flames and Avalanche.
Marko Nadin
The Minnesota Wild finished the regular season as the second seed in the Western Conference with a 53-22-7 record. They won 7 of the last 8 games to close out the regular season. Kiril Kaprizov will be the key factor for the Wild who is a top 5 scorer in the league but lacks playoff experience as this is only his second season in the league. The Wild are fifth in the league scoring 3.7 goals per game and are ranked 16th allowing 3 goals per game. Minnesota has won 6 of the last 7 games against Western Conference rivals.
The St. Louis Blues are heading to the playoffs as the fourth seed from the Western Conference with a 49-22-11 record. They finished the regular season with two consecutive losses but got the best possible matchup in the opening round as they have won 9 of the last 10 including the last 5 games against Minnesota. The Blues are third in the league scoring 3.8 goals per game and second in power play scoring with 27%. They have won 7 of the last 8 road games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+116)
Tony Battalio
The St. Louis Blues are a serious contender to win the Stanley Cup in my opinion. They are one of the most consistent teams in the National Hockey League and if they get hot during the course of this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, they are going to be a very hard team to beat four times in a seven game series. They finished the regular season with a record of 49-22-11. They won 23 road games this season as they were somewhat average on the road this season.
The Minnesota Wild are another dark horse team to win the title this season in my opinion. They finished the regular season with a record of 53-22-7. They will be facing off with their divisional rivals in this one. Minnesota is going to be a very hard team to beat in the playoffs this season as I expect this series between Minnesota and St. Louis to be one of, if not the best of the first round. As for the result of Game 1, I am taking the Minnesota Wild to get the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-140)
Jeffery Thomas
The Minnesota Wild were able to snatch home ice in that close race down the stretch with the Blues and will host Game 1 on Monday. The Wild are looking to make a deep run in the playoffs and will rely heavily on second-year forward Kirill Kaprizov who finished fifth in the league in goals (47) and points (108). The Wild will also likely turn to veteran Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 1 who is 9-2-0 with Minnesota since his trade from the Blackhawks in March. The Blues will counter with an equally hot goaltender in Ville Husso who was 9-0-2 in his last 11 starts before losing the season finale against Vegas.
I think this is the most evenly matched up series we have in the first round and I can’t wait to watch it. Minnesota having home-ice won’t bother Blues too much as they were one of the best road teams (23-12-6) all season. It’s hard to ignore Fleury’s struggles last season in the playoffs with Vegas and it’s a step down if they turn to Cam Talbot. The value here is on the Blues with these teams not being separated by much. I think the x-factor will be the Blues’ potent power play against a weak penalty kill of Minnesota.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (+116)
Los Angeles Kings @ Edmonton Oilers – 10.00PM ET
The final game on the NHL slate for Monday will see the Los Angeles Kings face off against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their series. The Kings come into this clash having their five game winning streak snapped in their last game of the regular season, 2-3 in overtime, against the Canucks. The Oilers are currently on a three game winning streak, which includes wins over the Penguins, Sharks and Canucks.
Marko Nadin
The Edmonton Oilers finished the regular season fifth in the Western Conference with a 49-27-6 record. They have won 7 of the last 8 games to finish the regular season. The Oilers have one of the best duos in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, and these two can win a game against any opponent in the league. Edmonton is seventh in the league scoring 3.5 goals per game and 18th allowing 3.1. The Oilers have won 4 of the last 5 and 7 of the last 10 games against Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Kings finished the regular season sixth in the Western Conference with a 44-27-11 record. They finished the regular season with a loss but won the previous five games. The Kings are 20th in the league scoring 2.9 goals per game and are ranked 27th scoring on only 17% of the power play situations. The Kings have won 4 of the last 5 games against Western Conference teams and 16 of the last 23 games after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-210)
Tony Battalio
The Los Angeles Kings fought hard all season long to get into the 2021-22 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now they have their shot to make a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. They finished the regular season with a record of 44-27-11. They ended the regular season in the number six spot in the Western Conference. Los Angeles is another one of the dark horse teams to pick up the title and end the Tampa Bay Lightning’s two year reign on top of the National Hockey League.
The Edmonton Oilers had a very slow start to the 2021-22 National Hockey League season. However, they managed to turn it around and get themselves in position to bring home the Stanley Cup title this season. As long as McDavid stays healthy, they are going to have a real shot as well. They finished the regular season with a record of 49-27-6. As for the result of this game, I am taking the Edmonton Oilers to get the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-210)
Jeffery Thomas
The Los Angeles Kings travel north of the border for Game 1 of this first round matchup with the Edmonton Oilers. Oilers fans are hoping this season is the one they finally get some playoff success, especially during the prime years of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The two have trophy cases filled with all types of individual hardware from their regular season accomplishments, but have only won one playoff series together. That was back in 2017 and now with two straight first-round exits under their belts, they’re hoping the third time’s the charm.
The Oilers won three of four of these matchups in the regular season and will come in supremely confident after finishing the regular season on a 31-11-4 run. I don’t think the Kings will fare very well on the road in this series and Edmonton will try and minimize any doubt towards their team. A good way to do that is to go out and protect home-ice and take a 1-0 lead which is exactly how I have it playing out.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-210)
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*Odds and spreads correct at time of writing, courtesy of FanDuel.
