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

Blackhawks at Blue Jackets Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/14/2013

One of these teams seems to have forgotten how to lose a game in regulation time, while the other is really struggling to beat lousy teams. It is not at all surprising that that is the storyline heading into this game. It’s just shocking which team occupies each role. After going 24 straight games without a regulation loss, the Blackhawks have lost two in a row to Western Conference also-rans Colorado and Edmonton. Columbus, meanwhile, just had five-game winning streak snapped with a bizarre shootout loss last time out in Vancouver, but they have earned at least a point in their last eight games.

Flyers at Devils Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/13/2013

Martin Brodeur may be 40 years old, but it's pretty evident he's still the most indispensible player on the reigning Eastern Conference champion New Jersey Devils. Brodeur last took the ice for the Devils on Feb. 21 and beat the Capitals 3-2. That win improved the Devils to 10-3-4 (24 points), among the best in the East, and had Brodeur at 8-2-3 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .911 save percentage.

Oilers at Avalanche Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/12/2013

Neither of these teams is very good. The Avalanche have 24 points in 24 games, which is good enough for 12th in the Western Conference — four points out of a playoff spot. The Oilers have played one more game and have one less point. For Colorado, the performance is about what would have been expected from their season given the talent they have and the distraction of the Ryan O’Reilly contract holdout that only ended five games ago.

Flames at Kings Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/11/2013

As a result of a rare scheduling glitch, this Monday night the Calgary Flames will face the Los Angeles Kings for a second straight time on the road after getting hammered 6-2 at the Staples Center on Saturday night. This rematch is set to get underway at 10 p.m. (ET), and it will be available on NHL Center Ice.

Red Wings at Blue Jackets Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/9/2013

When the Columbus Blue Jackets traded the only star the franchise has known, Rick Nash, to the New York Rangers this past offseason, the team was essentially starting a reboot. You couldn't blame the Jackets because even with Nash it was never relevant.

Blackhawks at Avalanche Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/8/2013

The Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche will wrap up the back end of a home-and-home series this Friday night at the Pepsi Center. The puck is set to drop at 9 p.m. (ET) this time around, and the game will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.

Penguins at Flyers Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/7/2013

If the playoffs started today the Flyers would not be in them, while the Penguins would be hosting a first-round series. Despite the sub-.500 performance to date from the Flyers this year, there isn’t a rivalry I would rather watch in the NHL than the battle of Pennsylvania. There is ridiculous talent on both teams and pure hate between the squads. It’s must-see TV as far as I’m concerned.

Coyotes at Ducks Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/6/2013

You knew the NHL's schedule was going to have some odd quirks this season as the league attempted to cram in 48 regular-season games for each team in four months. However, the Coyotes and Ducks have to take the cake. The teams played back-to-back games in Phoenix on Saturday and Monday and face off again Wednesday night back in Anaheim to complete their mini-playoff series. The two don't play again until the regular-season finale.

Bruins at Capitals Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/5/2013

Last spring these two teams played one of the great playoff series in recent memory. Washington won in seven games, and for the first time in league history all seven games were decided by just one goal. It was an epic battle. Sadly, though, not much the Capitals have done since have been remotely epic, and that dims expectations for this one.

Predators at Kings Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/4/2013

The Nashville Predators wrap up a three-game West Coast swing this Monday night with a stop at the Staples Center to face off against the Los Angeles Kings. The puck drops at 10:30 p.m. in this Western Conference clash, and the game will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.

Penguins at Canadiens Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 3/2/2013

When I last previewed a Pittsburgh Penguins game, things were going swimmingly for Sidney Crosby and Co. The Pens were atop the Eastern Conference, right where they expected to be, and looked like the club that would face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals. Maybe the Pens still will be that team.

Wild at Ducks Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 3/1/2013

The Minnesota Wild wrap up a quick two-game road trip in two nights with a visit to the Honda Center on Friday to face off against the Anaheim Ducks. This Western Conference clash is set to get underway at 10:00 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NHL Center Ice.

Lightning at Rangers Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/28/2013

The Lightning have been a minor disappointment to me so far this season as they sit exactly at .500 19 games into the season. They are excelling, though, compared to the Rangers — also at .500 after 18 games. The Rangers were the preseason favorites to win the Stanley Cup after adding Rick Nash to an already deep roster. Now they sit as just the seventh choice at Bovada to hoist the trophy, and at 18/1 they are not among the chief contenders.

Red Wings at Kings Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 2/27/2013

The Los Angeles Kings appeared to suffer a bit of a Stanley Cup hangover when this season started despite the fact it began a few months later than normal because of the lockout. However, the Kings now look to be snapping out of things and are starting to resemble their championship selves as they welcome Detroit to the Staples Center for the only time this season on Wednesday night.

Flames at Wild Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/26/2013

This condensed schedule due to the lockout has led to no end of strange quirks of scheduling, and this game is yet another example. This is the third time in 16 days that these teams have met and the second time since Saturday night. Both of the previous games were played in Calgary — a 3-1 win by the Flames on Saturday night, and a 2-1 shootout win by the Wild on the 11th. They don’t play again after this until mid-April when they play twice within five days. For the Wild this is the second time in a row they have played Calgary, while the Flames fit in a Sunday night game against Phoenix — a 5-4 win at home — between meetings.

Stars at Predators Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 2/25/2013

The Dallas Stars will take a trip to Bridgestone Arena this Monday night for the first meeting this season with the Nashville Predators. This Western Conference clash is scheduled for an 8 p.m. (ET) start, and the game will be broadcast nationally on the NBC Sports Network.

Islanders at Sabres Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 2/23/2013

The first head coaching casualty of this lockout-shortened NHL season arrived early this week when the struggling Buffalo Sabres fired Lindy Ruff. He had spent 16 seasons behind the Buffalo bench, the longest-active tenured NHL coach by far and the second longest in the four major American team sports behind Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Since Ruff was named Buffalo's head coach on July 21, 1997, there have been 170 coaching changes in the NHL. Now Nashville’s Barry Trotz has the longest tenure in hockey, as he was hired as the expansion team’s coach in 1998.

Sharks at Blackhawks Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Dave Schwab - 2/22/2013

The San Jose Sharks will try and hand the Chicago Blackhawks their first loss in regulation this season when the two Western Conference foes square off this Friday night at the United Center. The game is set to get underway at 8:30 p.m. (ET), and it will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.

Sabres at Maple Leafs Picks and NHL Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/21/2013

I graduated from college 16 years ago. I was a senior when Lindy Ruff was hired as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. A whole lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then, but this will be the first game since then that Ruff will not be the man in charge. The longest tenured coach in the sport — and second longest in North American sports behind only Gregg Popovich — is suddenly unemployed after the disappointing start to the season for Buffalo, and the Sabres are in a very unfamiliar position right now.

Flyers at Penguins Picks and NHL Hockey Odds
by Alan Matthews - 2/20/2013

The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the Stanley Cup and Eastern Conference favorites (just behind the Rangers) when the season began, and the Pens haven’t disappointed. They are tied with surprising New Jersey for the most points in the conference with 22. Pittsburgh is now the East favorite on Sportsbook.ag at +250 and +500 to win the Cup, tied with the scorching-hot Chicago Blackhawks as the favorites.