NHL Picks

Free Expert NHL picks throughout the 2025/26 NHL season. We crunch the numbers, analyze the data, and provide free NHL picks every day of the regular season and throughout the NHL Playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals.

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7:00 PM ET

Today

TNT

Canadiens

Sabres

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Game Totals Pick

Over 5.5(-120)

Reasoning

The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens will play Game 2 of their second-round series on Friday night. The Sabres won Game 1 by a score of 4-2. If you did not watch the game, the scoreline may make it seem like the Canadiens actually dominated the game, as they out-shot the Sabres 28-16. However, I expect the Sabres to have more pucks to the net in Game 2.

In the regular season, these were 2 of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL. The Sabres averaged 3.45 goals per game, while the Canadiens averaged 3.40. Game 1 showed us that despite a tighter game being played from both teams, goals still can be scored. We are still awaiting some goal scoring from Cole Caufield, a player who had 51 goals in the regular season. Including Game 1, the Canadiens and Sabres have met 4 times in total this season, and all 4 of those games have gone over the Game 2 total of 5.5 goals.

Look for the Sabres to come out with a stronger performance offensively, as they will not be able to win often with only 16 shots on net. I like the chances of Game 2 going over 5.5 goals once again. Give me the over in this one.

Canadiens vs Sabres Game 2 prediction: Over 5.5 (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to -130.

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9:30 PM ET

Today

TNT

Golden Knights

Ducks

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Game Totals Pick

Over 6.0(-110)

Reasoning

The Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights have played a pair of low-scoring games to begin this series, but things could open up a bit more in Game 3 on Friday night. The Ducks are happy to see the series shift to Anaheim, as Joel Quenneville’s squad has been great at lighting the lamp on home ice all throughout this season. During the regular season, the Ducks ranked 8th in the NHL scoring 3.44 goals per game at home. For comparison, they ranked 16th, scoring 3.02 goals per game on the road. Anaheim played 3 home games in the first round against Edmonton, scoring 7, 4 and 5 in those contests. Furthermore, Anaheim has fired 62 shots on goal so far in this series. While they’ve generated just 4 goals up to this point, that total could have very easily been higher, as the Ducks found many Grade A scoring chances in Games 1 and 2. I don’t expect them to miss those opportunities in Game 3.

Vegas had scored 4.5 goals per game over their last 4 contests before being held to just a single goal in Game 2. The Golden Knights had scored at least 2 goals in every postseason up until that point. Vegas is a veteran team full of players with plenty of playoff experience, and John Tortorella should have his team well-prepared for a bounce back performance. It’s also worth mentioning that both of these teams have been fairly undisciplined so far in this series, as we’ve seen 15 total power plays through 2 games. Only a single power play goal has been scored, but if the chances continue to pile up, it could be only a matter of time before one (or both) teams get their man advantages rolling. The over is the play.

Golden Knights vs Ducks Game 3 prediction: Over 6 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -115.

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Your Home For Free NHL Expert Picks For The 2025/26 Season

At Pickswise we have expert NHL picks for all of the top NHL action throughout the 2025/26 season. We crunch the numbers, analyze the data, and provide the best free NHL expert picks every day. The NHL is an exciting sport to wager on and there are plenty of opportunities for wins during the bumper 2025/26 NHL season.

Lots of hockey is to be played before we find out who the next Stanley Cup champions will be. Check out all things hockey, every day of the season with our free NHL picks and analysis.

How Do I Get NHL Picks For Today’s Games?

NHL Picks are most similar to MLB Picks, in that the most popular NHL wagering is done via the Money line (ML) where a bettor simply picks a winner or loser of the game finding value in the price. Just like an MLB pitcher, NHL game lines are determined largely by the goaltender matchup. You’re going to pay a premium price (-180 or more) for putting in an NHL free pick on a solid goaltender – but it’s one position that can win or lose the bet for you. Fatigue is also a factor in finding the best NHL picks as Team A may be playing their first game in a week while Team B is in their 3rd contest in 5 nights.

We try to post our NHL picks for today at least 24 hours in advance. However, due to the huge volume of games, this can sometimes be impossible if teams are playing back-to-back games. We want to get our picks up as close as possible to the opening lines so we can get on the early line value, but team news and research is always key to making the best possible NHL Picks.

NHL Picks Against the Spread

NHL betting has a 1.5-goal spread known as the puck line (PL). Again just like baseball betting has the run line (-1.5). NHL wagers are exciting until the very last second of the game as teams often pull their goaltender near the end to get an extra skater on the ice. All of a sudden an empty-net goal pushes your NHL free pick to victory – or defeat. Betting on the puck line provides better payout odds and NHL picks against the spread can also be pushed to higher numbers such as -2.5 or 3.5 goals for an even better return on investment.

Free NHL Over / Under Picks

Most games are listed right around 5.5 goals in the NHL. The total number of goals is the total of combined goals by both teams and you can either select over or under the total. If the line is 5.5 and you wish to wager on the over then the total combined goals for the game must be 6 or more for you to cash your ticket.

NHL over/under betting is an interesting wager. A huge factor to take into consideration is the goaltenders as they have a huge part to play in influencing the number of goals in the game. A goaltender’s Goals Against Average (GAA) is a key stat to measure the effectiveness of a goaltender.

NHL Consensus Picks

NHL Consensus Picks is a way of saying the popular pick or often referred to as a public pick. What this actually means is where the majority of the bets are being placed. If we’re looking at Money Line markets, for example, if 70% of the tickets are on the Pittsburgh Penguins to beat the New York Islanders, then the Penguins are the consensus pick for that game. Bettors can use this in their research or check possible line moves in the lead-up to a game.

Ice Hockey Betting Picks

Our ice hockey betting picks will typically follow and feature on the NHL season with picks and Predictions available all season long. Our experts will be primed and ready in times of Olympic years and select other competitions throughout the year too. Our ice hockey picks, as expected will include picks on the money line, puck line, totals, and several player and team Hockey Prop Bets

Hockey Computer Picks

With so many hockey games played each season, analytics, lineups, and small changes can make a huge difference in a matchup. These are just some of the reasons why bettors may opt to use or consider hockey computer picks, as a metric that can be rid of human bias, and offer a solely data-driven analytical look at a matchup, betting markets, and projections.

Free Hockey Picks Today

Here at Pickswise, our hockey handicappers bring you all of the top action, picks, and previews of today’s best NHL matches today. We offer free hockey picks all season, right through until the Stanley Cup Finals themselves. Each match will have an expert hockey pick on the Puck Line, Money Line, and Goals totals, accompanied with detailed analysis and stats. Check out all of our free hockey picks today.

More Than Just NHL Picks

We also specialize in every major North American sport including the following throughout their respective seasons so check out the links below for our top plays right now.