Our NHL picks see Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl teaming up to take down the hobbled Blackhawks as Vegas cruises to another victory. Free Golden Knights vs. Blackhawks predictions for Sunday, January 4.

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out.

Currently, the Red Wings sit first in the Atlantic, one point ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins have stumbled down to fifth in the Metro, one point back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Time: 12 p.m. ET

After the Calgary Flames traded Tkachuk to the Panthers in the summer of 2022, he instantly changed the fortunes of the franchise. Florida has reached the Stanley Cup Final in each season with him on the roster, and Tkachuk has 88 goals and 166 assists in 211 games. In the postseason, Tkachuk has 25 goals and 69 points in 67 games.

The New York Rangers face the Florida Panthers in the NHL Winter Classic on Friday night at LoanDepot Park.

The Rangers are 5-0-0 in outdoor games. Their most recent installment came when Trocheck potted a pair of goals against the Islanders at MetLife Stadium two years ago. It was Trocheck’s outdoor debut, and he finished the day with three points to seal a wacky 6-5 comeback.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times and is on a profitable 25-17 betting run on top-rated money-line and over/under NHL picks. Anyone following its NHL betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.