The San Jose Sharks will play the Calgary Flames on Thursday night the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. San Jose has lost three of their last four games, while Calgary has won four of their last five. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Sharks vs Flames prediction.
Sharks Preview
The San Jose Sharks are 14-33-5 this year after they lost to Winnipeg by a score of 1-0 in their last game. San Jose allowed one goal in the first period and couldn’t generate much offense in the shutout loss. The Sharks were out shot by a total of 39-17 and went 0-1 on the power play in the game. San Jose lost to Anaheim by a score of 3-2 in the game prior to Winnipeg, but did beat Seattle before that. The Sharks are scoring 2.08 goals per game and they are allowing 3.82 goals against per game, while going 16.9% on the power play and 73% on the penalty kill. Mikael Granlund has five goals, 24 assists, and 76 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for San Jose is Mackenzie Blackwood, who is 8-17-3 this year with a 3.51 goals against average and a .899 save percentage.
Flames Preview
The Calgary Flames are 25-23-5 this season after they lost to the Rangers by a score of 2-0 in their last game. Calgary allowed one goal in the second period and one in the third for the shutout loss. The Flames were out shot by a total of 31-29 and went 0-2 on the power play in the game. Calgary had won their previous four games against the Islanders, Devils, Bruins, and Blackhawks. The Flames are scoring 3.08 goals per game and they are allowing 3.00 goals against per game, while going 14.8% on the power play and 84.7% on the penalty kill. Nazem Kadri has led Calgary with 16 goals, 28 assists, and 171 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Calgary is Jacob Markstrom, who is 17-14-2 this year with a 2.50 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.
Calgary Flames Team Facts
- The Flames have lost nine of their last 10 Thursday games as home favorites.
- The Flames have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven home games against Western Conference opponents.
- The Flames have won the third period in seven of their last eight games as favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in 10 of the Flames’ last 11 night games against opponents on a losing streak.
San Jose Sharks Team Facts
- The Sharks have lost each of their last seven games on the second leg of a back-to-back against the Flames.
- The Sharks have covered the puck line in each of their last eight night games.
- The Sharks have won the third period in four of their last five night games at Scotiabank Saddledome.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 14 of the Sharks’ last 16 games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
Sharks vs Flames Betting Prediction
Calgary had their winning streak snapped in their last game against the Rangers, but they get a great chance to bounce back against a bad San Jose team. The Sharks have one of the worst records in the NHL and they are on a back to back here. San Jose lost 1-0 against the Jets on Wednesday and they are 5-20-3 on the road. This San Jose offense has really struggled on the road this season and I can’t back them in this spot. Take the Flames to win by two goals.