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

Free NHL Picks: Blues at Oilers Odds
by George Monroy - 12/20/2013

The St. Louis Blues will be closing out the year with four of their next five games on the road. However, that road-heavy schedule is nothing for St. Louis to be worried about because the team is healthy, already has 50 points through 34 games this season, and has a lot to be excited about heading into 2014. St. Louis is tied for the second-best Stanley Cup title odds with the Chicago Blackhawks, according to Sportsbook.ag, and only trails the Pittsburgh Penguins as the favorite to win it all.

Free NHL Picks: Islanders at Rangers Odds
by George Monroy - 12/19/2013

New York fans may wish that Friday’s in-state rivalry game between the Islanders and Rangers meant something a little more than a matchup between two slumping teams. The Islanders have the second-fewest points in the entire NHL and are in the middle of a brutal slump that has seen only one victory in 14 games. Even worse, the team has not won in regulation since Nov. 12, which was nearly six weeks ago. If there were any silver lining for the Islanders it would be that they have at least been competitive over their last two matchups and sent both games into overtime.

Free NHL Picks: Flames at Red Wings Odds
by George Monroy - 12/18/2013

When the Detroit Red Wings get into a slump, they really get into a slump. The team is currently in the middle of a six-game losing streak to go along with the four- and seven-game losing streaks it already owns through 36 games this season. Detroit’s roster has been crippled by injury over the last month as the team is currently missing many of its key players. The Red Wings’ center and team captain Henrik Zetterberg has not played in over two weeks due to a herniated disk in his back.

Free NHL Picks: Penguins at Rangers Odds
by George Monroy - 12/17/2013

The Pittsburgh Penguins are simply chugging along through the season, racking up wins and setting themselves up for the playoffs. The team has the most points in the Eastern Conference and has already built a huge gap between its closest division competitor, the Washington Capitals. Sidney Crosby and the Penguins lead the Metropolitan by 10 points and are not planning on relinquishing that lead any time soon.

Free NHL Picks: Jets at Sabres Odds
by George Monroy - 12/16/2013

The Buffalo Sabres are bad—but when I state “bad,” what I really mean is historically bad. The team is on pace to earn the fewest points during a season in over 13 years, and it might not even crack the 40-point mark if things do not get better. Buffalo’s management has probably already given up on the year and may be looking toward next season, but for the players and coaching staff, things are simply getting embarrassing.

Free NHL Picks: Canadiens at Islanders Odds
by George Monroy - 12/13/2013

The Montreal Canadiens are right in the Atlantic Division race despite losing back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Kings and Philadelphia Flyers. The Canadiens went on a stretch where they won eight of nine games and rocketed up the Eastern Conference Playoff standings and still firmly sit in the third spot.

Free NHL Picks: Blue Jackets at Rangers Odds
by George Monroy - 12/11/2013

The New York Rangers may be letting a golden opportunity to move up in the Eastern Conference Playoff standings slip through their fingers. The team started off a nine-straight home game stretch by getting blown out in its first three matchups, and it has won only one game during its last five attempts.

Free NHL Picks: Kings at Maple Leafs Odds
by George Monroy - 12/10/2013

The Los Angeles Kings may be in a bit of an offensive slump over the last month of the season, but the team isn’t worried because its outstanding defensive play and goaltending has made up of for any scoring deficiencies as of late. Los Angeles is allowing opponents to score only two goals per game and has not given up more than two goals in regulation since a 4-3 loss to the Nashville Predators during the beginning of November.

Free NHL Picks: Sabres at Canadiens Odds
by George Monroy - 12/6/2013

The Montreal Canadiens are on a monster winning streak that has propelled the team into the top of the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Montreal has won four straight games but is in the middle of a nine-wins-in-11-tries stretch that has established the team as one of the best in the NHL. The Canadiens have not allowed opponents to score more than three goals in a single game since early November and have not been beaten in regulation during their last nine outings.

Free NHL Picks: Red Wings at Devils Odds
by George Monroy - 12/5/2013

Just as the Detroit Red Wings were finally starting to become accustomed to Eastern Conference and their new Atlantic Division opponents, injuries may send the team into another extended losing streak. After the offseason realignment that sent Detroit from West to East, the team struggled to find its footing in an unfamiliar conference. Detroit lost four games in a row during the month of October and had a seven-game losing in the middle of November.

Free NHL Picks: Senators at Lightning Odds
by George Monroy - 12/4/2013

The Tampa Bay Lightning are in their first slump of the season and as recently as two weeks ago had not lost consecutive games. Unfortunately, the team had to run the gauntlet of a brutal Western Conference road trip and came out of the other end with four straight losses. Tampa Bay has since lost four of its last six matchups and is on a two-game skid entering its first home game of the month against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

Free NHL Picks: Coyotes at Flames Odds
by George Monroy - 12/3/2013

The Phoenix Coyotes are about to begin an extended road trip, having lost four of their last five games, and they are in danger of slipping further down the Western Conference Playoff standings. As little as a month ago, Phoenix had won seven of eight and was one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Now, entering the month of December, the team is in the middle of a tight battle for the eighth seed in the West and will be forced to play of nine of its next 12 games outside of Jobing.com Arena

Free NHL Picks: Kings at Ducks Odds
by George Monroy - 12/2/2013

The Los Angeles Kings are set to head into the Honda Center when they face a division and cross-town rival, the Anaheim Ducks, on Tuesday night. The matchup will be the first of five meetings between the Western Conference powerhouses, and it could be a first-round playoff series preview as both teams currently hold the third and sixth spots in the postseason standings.

Free NHL Picks: Canucks at Senators Odds
by George Monroy - 11/27/2013

The Vancouver Canucks and Ottawa Senators have a lot to be thankful for heading into Thursday night’s Thanksgiving Day matchup—mainly that neither team is in last place after a horrendous two weeks of hockey. Both squads have a combined three wins over their last 14 games, and each continues to creep down to the bottom of their respective divisions. The Canucks recently wasted a golden opportunity to move up in the standings during a six-game homestand by losing five of those matchups.

Free NHL Picks: Blackhawks at Flames Odds
by George Monroy - 11/26/2013

Playing on the road in the NHL can be a difficult task for just about any team, unless that team is the Chicago Blackhawks. The defending Stanley Cup Champions have won three straight road games, and looks like they are ready to dominate the rest of the seven-game road stretch that they are currently on.

Free NHL Picks: Ducks at Stars Odds
by George Monroy - 11/25/2013

The Anaheim Ducks may still lead the NHL in points, but the team is just glad to have gotten out of a five-game losing streak without taking any damage in the Western Conference standings. The Ducks control the Pacific Division by two points and lead the Chicago Blackhawks by one point for the conference’s top spot.

Free NHL Picks: Coyotes at Predators Odds
by George Monroy - 11/25/2013

The Nashville Predators just took a huge blow to their streaking offense when the team’s leading scorer, Patric Hornqvist, was knocked out of Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers with an undisclosed lower-body injury. The 26-year-old right winger is still questionable for Monday’s matchup, and the team may need to find offensive production from other places if they wish to earn a fourth victory over their last five games.

Free NHL Picks: Canadiens at Capitals Odds
by George Monroy - 11/21/2013

The Washington Capitals started the season on a slower pace then they originally expected, but they have since turned things around and are quietly moving up the standings. The team trails the Pittsburgh Penguins by three points for the Metropolitan Division lead and sits in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff rankings. Washington’s team captain, Alex Ovechkin, has been his regular, spectacular self and has scored 17 goals on the season.

Free NHL Picks: Avalanche at Coyotes Odds
by George Monroy - 11/20/2013

The Colorado Avalanche finally hit their first rough patch of the season when they lost three straight games last week. The team had a particularly embarrassing loss to the St. Louis Blues where they allowed seven goals during regulation on only 24 shot attempts. Colorado even fell from first place in the Central Division into a tie for third. Don’t feel too bad for the team, though, because they are still sitting on 30 points—which is more than any team in the Eastern Conference—and are still on of the more talented squads in NHL.

Free NHL Picks: Devils at Ducks Odds
by George Monroy - 11/19/2013

The Anaheim Ducks have not won a game in nearly two weeks, and after four straight losses they still sit atop the Pacific Division with 32 points. Anaheim, in fact, has the most points in the entire NHL and is still a perfect 8-0 at home. The team, however, will be looking to end their slump when they return to the Honda Center for a two-game homestand starting on Wednesday night against the surging New Jersey Devils.