NHL Picks (Today's Free Predictions, Tips, Parlays)

Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 4/21/2014

The Montreal Canadiens were able to take a 3-0 series lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning after beating them 3-2 on Sunday night. The Canadiens looked like they would cruise to victory after scoring just 11 seconds into the contest, but the game was close throughout and they needed a late goal to be able to secure the win.

Boston Bruins at Detroit Red Wings Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/21/2014

The Boston Bruins had a great bounce-back game on Sunday as they were able to beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-1 to tie their series at 1-1. Detroit led in the shots on goal department 35-29 in the game, but Boston was able to score on two of their four power plays while the Red Wings couldn't convert any of their power play opportunities.

Anaheim Ducks at Dallas Stars Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/20/2014

In Game 2 of the Quarterfinal series between the Anaheim Ducks and the Dallas Stars, the Ducks were able to take a commanding 2-0 lead after beating the Stars 3-2 on home ice. This was the second straight close game between the teams, and once again Anaheim's Ryan Getzlaf stepped up in a big way to help his team get the victory.

St Louis Blues at Chicago Blackhawks Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/20/2014

Barret Jackman scored the overtime game-winner and the St. Louis Blues won 4-3 to take a 2-0 series lead over the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks shot themselves in the foot all game with bad penalties, resulting in 41 penalty minutes. The Blues finished the game with a 26-18 hit advantage and outshot the Blackhawks 31-28 on the night.

Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 4/20/2014

Just like during the regular season, the Colorado Avalanche relied heavily on their youth to help get them the win as they were able to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2 on Saturday night to take a 2-0 series lead. The Wild outshot and outhit the Avs, but Colorado looked like the better all-around team throughout the contest.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Columbus Blue Jackets Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/20/2014

The Penguins got off to a fantastic start when Brian Gibbons was able to score two goals in the opening four and a half minutes, including a shorthanded tally on his second goal. Ryan Johansen scored a power-play goal not long after Gibbons' second, but Matt Niskanen's power-play goal made it 3-1 Penguins heading into the second period.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Montreal Canadiens Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/19/2014

The Montreal Canadiens were able to take a commanding 2-0 series lead against the Tampa Bay Lightning by getting the 4-1 win on Friday night. Montreal was not known for their offense in the regular season, but they have now put nine goals past the Lightning in two road games.

Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/19/2014

The San Jose Sharks were able to use a great first period to eventually beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-3 in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series. The Sharks' sixth-best offense was able to overcome the Kings' top-rated defense despite being outshot and outhit.

Detroit Red Wings at Boston Bruins Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 4/19/2014

The Detroit Red Wings aren't known for their defense the way that the Boston Bruins are, but they were able to step it up in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal matchup to get a 1-0 victory. The road win takes away the home ice advantage that the Presidents Trophy-winning Bruins had and makes this a much more interesting matchup than many anticipated.

Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/19/2014

The New York Rangers were able to take a 1-0 series lead when they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 at home on Thursday. Center Brad Richards was the top performer for the Rangers, while their defense was able to keep the Flyers from scoring for two and a half periods.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/18/2014

On Wednesday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Blue Jackets will look to avoid a 2-0 hole before traveling home for game 3 of the series when they take on the Penguins at the Consol Energy Center.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/18/2014

Going into this playoff series, many wondered how the young Avalanche team with their rookie head coach would handle the playoff atmosphere. It turned out that it didn’t take long for Colorado to realize that once the puck drops, it’s still just a hockey game. 13:14 into the 1st period, the Avalanche took a 1 – 0 lead on a goal by Gabriel Landeskog.

Chicago Blackhawks at St Louis Blues Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 4/18/2014

On Thursday night, the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues played one of the best games of the 2013-14 National Hockey League season. It took 3 overtimes for the Blues to walk away with the win in game 1 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, 4-3. Game 2 will be held on Saturday at 3 p.m. from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/17/2014

The Stars showed they wouldn't back down by being the last team to qualify for the NHL playoffs. Even after falling down to the Ducks 4-0 by 9:04 into the second period in Wednesday night's series opening game they hung tough. Dallas scored three straight goals to give themselves a chance with a little over 6:00 remaining but couldn't light the lamp in falling 4-3.

Detroit Red Wings at Boston Bruins Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 4/17/2014

The Red Wings and Bruins finally get to face off against each other Friday night for their first playoff series in 57 years. Detroit is the new kid on the block after coming over to the Eastern Conference to start the season but they can make their mark immediately with an upset of the President's Trophy winning Bruins.

Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/17/2014

Montreal went into Tampa Bay in game one Wednesday night and abruptly left with home ice in their hands. This was a big coup in the 2-3-2 days but the 2-2-1-1-1 format gives the home team a better chance at survival. Tampa Bay finds themselves in a must-win situation much sooner than they would've liked but a win Friday is the first step in getting back on track.

Los Angeles Kings at San Jose Sharks Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Guy Bruhn - 4/16/2014

The San Jose Sharks come into their series against the Los Angeles Kings as the higher seed from the Pacific Division, but most people are expecting another classic series like the one they had in the second round in last year's playoffs. The Sharks finished this season with 111 points and are the No. 2 seed, while the Kings are the No. 3 seed after finishing up with 100 points.

Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/16/2014

The top-seeded Colorado Avalanche will go into their series against the wild card Minnesota Wild as the favorites, but the Wild did have a good end to the regular season so it could be closer than many people think it will be. Colorado finished the season with 112 points, while Minnesota was fourth in the Central with 98 points.

Chicago Blackhawks at St Louis Blues Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Tony Sink - 4/16/2014

The No. 2 seed St. Louis Blues will be hoping to overcome their injury woes when they take on the No. 3 seed and defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Neither team is very satisfied with their seasons after starting off as two of the favorites in the West, but they both have enough talent to go deep in the playoffs.

Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers Free NHL Picks & Odds
by Josh Schonwald - 4/16/2014

If the games that the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers played during the season are any indication of how this series is going to go, there will be plenty of toughness shown by both sides and it should at least come close to going seven games. This will be the first time that the Rangers and Flyers have played each other in the playoffs since 1997.