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.
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 for the four Round 1 games on today’s schedule!
Carolina Hurricanes @ Boston Bruins – 7.00PM ET
The first game on the schedule in the NHL will see the Carolina Hurricanes face off against the Boston Bruins for Game 6. The Hurricanes are in the box seat at the moment, as they have a series lead of 3-2 and have their first shot at moving into the next round tonight. The Bruins will be playing at home, and need the win to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive.
Marko Nadin
The Carolina Hurricanes are traveling to Boston in hope to put an end to the series against the Bruins. The Hurricanes are 3-2 up after a dominant 5-1 win in Game 5 at home. The Bruins were a major underdog going into this series but managed to stay in it with back-to-back home wins. Now Boston needs to win this one as well and send the series to the decisive game. The momentum is definitely on the Hurricanes side and despite the fact that the Bruins won pretty easily at home so far in the series, Carolina will end this series tonight in dominant fashion.
Carolina has won 6 of the last 7 games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game, 5 of the last 6 games after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game and 39 of the last 56 games following a win. Boston has won 10 of the last 13 games after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game, 13 of the last 18 games when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game and 39 of the last 57 home games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+112)
Tony Battalio
This has been a great series thus far as the Boston Bruins are putting up a better fight than most people would’ve expected. They currently find themselves down 2-3 in what will be a must win Game 6 in this one against the Carolina Hurricanes at home at TD Garden. They have been decent at home this season as they have a record of 26-13-2 in 41 games. They are still a huge dark horse team in my opinion if they can find a way to win this series in seven games against one of the best teams in the National Hockey League.
The Carolina Hurricanes have been great all season long. They played decently on the road this year as they finished the regular season with a road record of 25-12-4. They will be looking to grab a huge win against the Bruins in their own building, much like the Milwaukee Bucks just did in TD Garden to the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs. As for the result of this one however, I have the Boston Bruins picking up the win.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Boston Bruins (-134)
Jeffery Thomas
The Carolina Hurricanes kept up the theme of this first-round series in their Game 5 win, which is dominance by the home teams. Every game has been won by the home team and by a margin of at least 2 goals which is a crazy statistic that the Bruins will hope continues to keep their season alive. Boston is not only facing elimination but they are also facing a decision in the net, as they may have to turn back to veteran Linus Ullmark who lost the first two games of the series.
Rookie Jeremy Swayman got shelled in Game 5 and now with the season on the line it’ll be tough to trust an inexperienced guy in that spot. There’s just enough uncertainty going on around the Bruins right now to get me to roll with the Hurricanes to close this series out. I know the road teams have struggled all series but Carolina has been the better team in this matchup all year and now with the chance to put that final hammer in, I think we’ll get a great performance from them in the close out win.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Carolina Hurricanes (+112)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Tampa Bay Lightning – 7.30PM ET
If the Tampa Bay Lightning want to keep their hopes of winning three Stanley Cup titles in a row alive, then they need to win this game, as the Toronto Maple Leafs have a series lead of 3-2. The Maple Leafs got the 3-2 series lead after winning Game 5 at home, 4-3.
Marko Nadin
The Tampa Bay Lightning are hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs in a must win game for them. The defending champions are in a deficit for the third time in this series and were able to get things equal in the previous two games following a loss. The Lightning played pretty well in Game 5 on the road and will have to play even better tonight or the dream of winning the third straight Stanley Cup will be over. Toronto is going to Tampa without much pressure which can be a big advantage for the second-best scoring team in the league.
Toronto opened the series with a 5-0 road win and tonight they will do that again and advance to the next round. Tampa Bay has won 6 of the last 8 playoff games as a favorite, 58 of the last 83 games as a home favorite and 79 of the last 113 home games. Toronto has won 12 of the last 16 games playing on 1 days rest, 5 of the last 7 games against a team with a winning record and 62 of the last 92 games following a win.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs (+115)
Tony Battalio
This has been an amazing first round series and the storylines surrounding it have been much better. As the two time reigning and defending Stanley Cup champions are on life support. They currently find themselves down 2-3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into Game 6. They finished within games of each other in the Atlantic Division standings and now they are having a classic first round series, this one could easily and most likely will go seven games.
It has been a back and forth series up until this point as the Tampa Bay Lightning have won Game 2 and 4, while the Maple Leafs have won Game 1, 3 and 5. It’s been over two years since the Lightning have lost a playoff series and it will be a classic moment when or if they do this year. As for the result of this game however, I don’t expect it to happen just yet, as I look for the Tampa Bay Lightning to force a Game 7.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-140)
Jeffery Thomas
The Toronto Maple Leafs got the win in Game 5 by the score of 4-3 and now find themselves one game away from knocking out the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. This is where things usually go wrong for the Leafs in recent history, as you can look no further than just last season when they blew a 3-1 series lead against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round.
They haven’t been out of the first round in their past five tries and it’s hard to imagine them just routinely closing out the battle-tested Lightning in 6. Tampa has responded to every loss this series with wins of their own, and each of them by two goals or more. They are back at home, and there’s no way they let their season end in their own home arena in the first round. Give me the champs to once again battle back from some adversity and force a Game 7.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-140)
Minnesota Wild @ St. Louis Blues – 9.30PM ET
The St. Louis Blues have one of the greatest chances of moving into the next round of the NHL playoffs tonight, as they have a 3-2 lead over the Minnesota Wild, and they will also be playing this game at home. The Wild really do have their backs against the wall, and they need to give it their all if they don’t want this to be the last game they play in the 2021-22 season.
Marko Nadin
The St. Louis Blues were the favorites going into this series despite the fact that Minnesota was the second seed in the Western Conference and had the home court advantage in this series. The Blues started strong in Game 1 but really quickly found themselves being 1-2 down. Then, the Blues picked up the pace and won 5-2 in the next two games and now are going back home with a chance to finish the series. Minnesota won one game on the road in this series but that is pretty unlikely to happen again since the Blues have won 8 of the last 10 games against the Wild.
St. Louis has won 8 of the last 9 games after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game, 9 of the last 12 games when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game and 35 of the last 51 games after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game. Minnesota has won 11 of the last 14 games when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game, 20 of the last 28 games following a home loss of 3 or more goals and 21 of the last 29 overall games.
Marko’s NHL Pick: St. Louis Blues (-110)
Tony Battalio
The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues are having a great back and forth series that’s been high scoring and entertaining heading into Game 6. In Game 5, it was the St. Louis Blues that ran away with it to take a 3-2 lead over the Minnesota Wild. Now the series will shift back to St. Louis for Game 6 as the Blues will have an opportunity to close out this first round series and avoid a Game 7.
The Minnesota Wild are in a must win situation as they will have to grab a win to keep their 2021-22 season alive. They have been one of the most consistent teams in the entire National Hockey League this year but now they will have to prove it in Game 6. They were somewhat average on the road this season as they finished the year with a record of 22-14-5 in 41 road games. They won Game 3 on the road in this series. As for the result of this one, I am going with the Minnesota Wild to force a Game 7 and get the win in this one.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-110)
Jeffery Thomas
The Minnesota Wild lost Game 5 to the St. Louis Blues at home on Tuesday by a score of 2-5 and now find themselves facing elimination. It’s been a weird series full of blowout wins by both sides, but it’s the Wild who are hoping they can snap this two-game slide and keep their season alive. The Blues have gotten ahead in this series due to their depth on offense, getting production from multiple guys on multiple lines, while Minnesota is mostly reliant on Kirill Kaprizov to do their heavy lifting on offense. Kaprizov is doing a great job at it, as he leads the playoffs with seven goals, but other guys are going to have to step up if they have any chance of forcing a Game 7.
The Blues’ success on the power play from the regular season has transitioned right into the playoffs as well, as they have scored a goal with the man advantage in every game this series. However, this Wild team will respond in a big way in my opinion and show why they finished the regular season with the 5th most points in the league. They won’t go down quietly and I see them fighting to stay alive much like last season when they forced a Game 7 with Vegas after going down 1-3. Give me Minnesota on the road with their backs against the wall.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Minnesota Wild (-110)
Edmonton Oilers @ Los Angeles Kings – 10.00PM ET
Much like the Blues in the above game, the Los Angeles Kings are in a great position to advance into the next round, as not only do they hold a 3-2 series lead, but they will also be playing this Game 6 in front of their home crowd. It was a devastating overtime loss for the Oilers last time out, and they will need a quick bounce back if they want to keep their Stanley Cup dreams alive.
Marko Nadin
The Los Angeles Kings barely made it to the Western Conference Playoffs but there they are with a “match-point” at home in the series against the Edmonton Oilers. The Kings were underdogs in this series as the Oilers won by 6 goals difference in back-to-back games to take a 2-1 series lead. But from that point on, the Kings were the better team and now they have a chance to advance to the second round. The Oilers found themselves two goals down in the last game and managed to take the game into overtime but the Kings prevailed in the end. They are now traveling to Los Angeles with their backs against the wall and will have to put on another amazing performance in order to stay in this series.
The Oilers are capable of doing that and I would put my money on them tonight. Edmonton has won 8 of the last 11 games as a road favorite, 30 of the last 42 games after allowing 5 goals or more in their previous game and 7 of the last 10 games against a team with a winning record. The Kings have won 5 of the last 6 games when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game, 8 of the last 11 games overall and have lost the last 4 games after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Marko’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-140)
Tony Battalio
The Edmonton Oilers probably didn’t expect to be in this situation in their first round series against the Los Angeles Kings. They currently find themselves on the brink of elimination as they are staring another early playoff exit in the face. They are in a must win situation and they will need Connor McDavid and core to step up and get them the huge win to force a Game 7.
The Los Angeles Kings barely got into the playoffs and now they are looking great through their first five playoff games. They currently have a 3-2 lead over the Edmonton Oilers and will be looking to close the series out at home here in Game 6. If they can turn in another great performance in this one, they will score perhaps the biggest upset of the first round. As for the result of this one however, I don’t see happening as I have the Edmonton Oilers forcing a Game 7.
Tony’s NHL Pick: Edmonton Oilers (-140)
Jeffery Thomas
The Edmonton Oilers are now heading to Los Angeles facing elimination after losing Game 5 to the Kings in overtime by the score of 4-5. It’s going to be a tough ask for the Oilers to get this win, as the Kings are 4-1 in their past five home games and 8-3 in their last 11 overall. Edmonton on the other hand is favored which you would think is a good sign, but they are just 2-9 in their past 11 playoff games as a favorite.
The Kings have also won 16 of the past 21 meetings between these two teams in Los Angeles. Edmonton will likely be without their top defensemen in this game as well, as he could be suspended for his headbutt on Phillip Danault in Game 5. Connor McDavid can’t do it all by himself and with every trend working in the favor of the home team, I can’t pass up that value. Give me the Kings to close out this series on Thursday night.
Jeffery’s NHL Pick: Los Angeles Kings (+116)
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.
Watch the clock
