Colorado Avalanche vs San Jose Sharks prediction 12-31-23 NHL Picks

The San Jose Sharks will play the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. San Jose has lost seven games in a row, while Colorado has won three of their last four. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Sharks vs Avalanche prediction.

Sharks Preview

The San Jose Sharks are 9-24-3 this year after they lost to Edmonton by a score of 5-0 in their last game. San Jose allowed four goals in the first and one in the second for the shutout loss. The Sharks were out shot by a total of 30-25 and went 0-3 on the power play in the game. San Jose has also lost to LA (2x), Vancouver, Arizona(2x), and Colorado during this losing streak. The Sharks are scoring 2.06 goals per game and they are allowing 4.08 goals against per game, while going 18.9% on the power play and 73.8% on the penalty kill. Tomas Hertl has led San Jose with 12 goals, 15 assists, and 89 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for San Jose is Mackenzie Blackwood, who is 4-14-2 this year with a 3.92 goals against average and a .889 save percentage. 

Avalanche Preview

The Colorado Avalanche are 22-11-3 this season after they defeated St. Louis by a score of 2-1 in their last game. Colorado was tied at one in the third period, but they were able to get a late goal for the win. The Avalanche were out shot by a total of 29-23 and went 0-2 on the power play in the game. Colorado lost to Arizona by a score of 5-4 in the game prior to St. Louis, but beat Arizona in the game before that. The Avalanche are scoring 3.61 goals per game and they are allowing 3.03 goals against per game, while going 24.2% on the power play and 84% on the penalty kill. Nathan MacKinnon has led Colorado with 19 goals, 37 assists, and 159 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Colorado is Alexandar Georgiev, who is 18-8-2 this season with a 2.93 goals against average and a .900 save percentage. 

Colorado Avalanche Team Facts

The Avalanche have won each of their last 11 games against the Sharks at Ball Arena.
The Avalanche have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine games against the Sharks at Ball Arena.
The Avalanche have won the first period in six of their last seven games as favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
The ‘Over 2.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in each of the Avalanche’s last three games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.

San Jose Sharks Team Facts

The Sharks have lost each of their last 11 night games at Ball Arena.
The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six games.
The ‘Over 2.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in three of the Sharks’ last four games at Ball Arena.
The Sharks have lost the second period in each of their last five games following a loss.

Colorado Avalanche Player Prop Facts

Nathan MacKinnon has scored the last goal in three of the Avalanche’s last four games against Pacific Division opponents at Ball Arena.
Nathan MacKinnon has scored at least one goal in each of the Avalanche’s last four games against Pacific Division opponents at Ball Arena.
Gabriel Landeskog has recorded at least one point in each of his last seven appearances against Pacific Division opponents at Ball Arena.
Nathan MacKinnon has recorded at least one assist in each of the Avalanche’s last 11 home games against Western Conference opponents.
Nathan MacKinnon ranks 1st in the league for multi-point games (18) this season.

San Jose Sharks Player Prop Facts

Alexander Barabanov has recorded at least one point in four of the Sharks’ last five games at Ball Arena.
Justin Bailey has recorded two blocks against the Avalanche this season – equal-most against any opponent.

Matchup/League Facts

The Colorado Avalanche rank 8th in the league in power play percentage this season (24.24%).
The Colorado Avalanche rank 1st in the league for Period 3 goals scored per game this season (1.33).
The San Jose Sharks rank 28th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (73.77%).
The San Jose Sharks rank 32nd in the league for shots per game this season (25.6).

Sharks vs Avalanche Betting Prediction 

San Jose comes into this game on a seven game losing streak and they have played very poorly over that span. The Sharks have allowed at least five goals four straight games and they have scored two goals or fewer in seven of their last eight games. Colorado is 14-4-0 at home and they should win this game easily. Take the Avalanche -1.5 here.