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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6:52 PM ET
Today
ESPN+
Chicago Blackhawks
Tampa Bay Lightning
Blackhawks
Lightning
Puck Line Pick
TB Lightning -1.5(-125)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are currently riding a 3-game losing streak and will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night. The Blackhawks come into the game at 3-2-2 on the season. The Lightning offense, which is normally their strong suit, has been struggling to begin the year. They average only 2.67 goals per game. Nikita Kucherov, who missed the Lightning’s last game, expects to be in the lineup. He is a massive boost as he drives much of their offense. Going up against this young Blackhawks team may be exactly what the Lightning need to get back into the winning column. The veteran lineup of the Lightning will play them tough to prevent things from spiraling even further out of control. They will also be looking for their first win on home ice. Despite it being very early in the season, this is an important game for the Lightning.

The Blackhawks appear as though they will be a much more competitive team this year, but stacking up against the Lightning, they do not match their depth. The Lightning will be able to grind down their young forwards and the veteran defenseman of the Lightning should be able to shut down Connor Bedard. The Lightning should get this done on home ice. I will be taking them on the puck line.

Blackhawks vs. Lightning prediction: Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5 (-125) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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7:07 PM ET
Today
Victory+, NESN
Anaheim Ducks
Boston Bruins
Ducks
Bruins
Game Totals Pick
Over 5.5(-125)

The Ducks and Bruins have both been very volatile this season. In a game with one volatile team, the over has appeal, let alone a game with 2 volatile teams. Anaheim has scored or allowed 4+ goals in 4 out of their last 5 games. Their average game total over those 5 games is 7.00 and they are 3-1-1 during that span. Whether win or lose, home or road, Ducks game totals are trending on the high side.

The Bruins have scored a respectable 3 goals per game so far this season. That is not enough to carry a game over the total. But their goal prevention, or lack thereof, has been enough. Boston has allowed 4+ goals in 4 out of their last 5 games. They allowed 21 goals during that span, which has not left much work remaining for a couple Bruins goals to get the game over the total. Boston’s average scoring and weak goal prevention, matched up against the Ducks’ similar strengths and weaknesses, bodes well for another over.

Ducks vs Bruins prediction: Over 5.5 (-125) available at the time of publishing. Playable to that number.

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7:07 PM ET
Today
RDS2, TSN5, NBCSP
Philadelphia Flyers
Ottawa Senators
Flyers
Senators
Money Line Pick
PHI Flyers Win(+135)

So far, the Senators have struggled this season, and they have even more of an uphill battle as their captain and best player is out. After their opening night win, the Senators have just 1 win in their last 6 games. That includes consecutive losses entering this game. Ottawa still looks to be a good team on paper, but they are not a reliable play right now.

Meanwhile, the Flyers, who are widely expected to be a basement dweller, have enjoyed a nice last week and a half. After dropping their first 2 games, Philadelphia has won 3 out of their last 4 games. Opponents they beat included the Panthers, Wild, and Kraken. Those teams are not pushovers. Philadelphia beat those teams by a combined 7 goals. The Flyers are playing good hockey right now and have an extra day’s rest over the Sens. The plus-money looks like good value for the Flyers here.

Flyers vs Senators prediction: Philadelphia Flyers +136 available at the time of publishing.

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7:07 PM ET
Today
NBCSCA, MSG
San Jose Sharks
New York Rangers
Sharks
Rangers
Game Totals Pick
Over 6.0(-110)

The San Jose Sharks are still searching for their first win of the 2025-26 season as they head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers. Offense hasn’t been too big of an issue for the Sharks, as they’ve scored 3 or more goals in 4 of their 6 games. The problem has been preventing goals. San Jose yields a league-high 4.83 goals per game this season, and has allowed 4 or more goals in all but 1 game. That is good news for the Rangers, who enter Thursday’s contest looking to find an offensive rhythm in the worst possible way.

The Rangers have scored just 1 total goal on home ice this season. That’s right; through 4 games at home, New York has scored just a single goal. This could be the perfect time to get rolling, as the Rangers simply have too much skill and depth to keep being held scoreless in front of their home fans. If they can’t get going against this Sharks team, then the Rangers have some serious flaws to address. Make it a small play, but consider the over in this one.

Sharks vs Rangers prediction: Over 6 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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8:07 PM ET
Today
FDSNMW, Utah16
Utah Mammoth
St. Louis Blues
Mammoth
Blues
Money Line PickBest Bet
STL Blues Win(-120)

The Utah Mammoth and St. Louis Blues are set for a Thursday night showdown at Enterprise Center. The Mammoth are hitting the road for the first time in 4 games after a 4-game home stand. It was a successful home stand, as Utah won all 4 games. It’s a small sample size, but the road hasn’t been as kind to the Mammoth so far this season. In 3 road games, Utah is just 1-2-0, and its lone win cam by a single goal against the Predators. The Blues are a tough team coming off a loss, and will be ready to give the Mammoth some problems.

St. Louis enters this contest off a 2-1 defeat in overtime at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. The Blues played good enough to win, but just couldn’t get the timely goal they needed. Jordan Binnington has turned things around after a rough season debut, posting a .928 save percentage over his last 4 games. The Mammoth have scored just 5 total goals in 3 road games this season, and with Binnington in a groove, they could have a tough time getting pucks past him. Playing on home ice, take confidence backing the Blues in this one.

Mammoth vs Blues prediction: St. Louis Blues ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable to -130.

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9:07 PM ET
Today
FDSNSO, ALT
Carolina Hurricanes
Colorado Avalanche
Hurricanes
Avalanche
Game Totals Pick
Under 6.0(-110)

The Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado avalanche are set for an intriguing matchup on Thursday night at Ball Arena. This will be the Hurricanes’ 5th game of a 6-game road trip, and going to Denver’s elevation could be problematic at this point in the trip. After scoring 13 goals over the first 3 games of the trip, Carolina scored just a single goal in its last outing against the Vegas Golden Knights. Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood has been fantastic while Mackenzie Blackwood is out with an injury, and should be able to limit the damage from Carolina in this one. The Avalanche have allowed the fewest goals in the NHL this season with 13.

Offensively, Colorado has ranks 6th in the league with 3.43 goals per game. They can score in a hurry, but Carolina’s defense-first mentality could give the ‘Avs some trouble. Nothing comes easy against Rod Brind’Amour’s team. After losing 4-1 in their last game, look for the Hurricanes to come out with a strong defensive structure against Nathan MacKinnon and company. Make it a small play, but consider the under in this one.

Hurricanes vs Avalanche prediction: Under 6 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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9:07 PM ET
Today
ESPN+, HULU
Los Angeles Kings
Dallas Stars
Kings
Stars
Game Totals Pick
Under 5.5(+105)

It has not been the best start to the season for the Kings and Stars, especially considering their perennial playoff appearances. The Kings just snapped a 4-game losing streak for their 2nd win of the season through 7 games played. The Stars enter this game having dropped 3 straight games by a combined score of 13-5. What both teams have in common in their struggles is goal scoring.

Last season, the Kings ranked 2nd in the NHL in goal prevention. Just behind them were the Stars, ranked 6th in the league. The identity of these teams has not changed enough year-over-year to expect the strength of goal prevention to slip. When teams hit a slump, they try to get back to basics and stick to what makes them successful. Goal scoring is not working. Look for these teams to lean on goal prevention and containment to win this one and break out of their slump.

Under 5.5 (+105) available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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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.

Check out our site every single day for some of the best bets in every major athletic contest and make sure to follow us on social media as well.

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