The San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet Thursday in NHL action from the PPG Paints Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a San Jose Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins prediction.
San Jose Sharks Recap
The San Jose Sharks come into this game looking to add on to their 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last time out to sit at 15-14-3 this season. After this game, San Jose will take on Calgary at home.
Sharks Alternate Wins & Losses In 4 Straight
Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks in scoring with 44 points including 15 goals and 29 assists while Will Smith has 29 points with 12 goals and 17 assists this season. Tyler Toffoli has 18 points with 7 goals and 11 assists and William Eklund’s also added 19 points with 7 goals and 12 assists as well. Dmitry Orlov’s chipped in 16 assists while Alexander Wennberg’s had 18 points with 7 goals and 11 assists and Philipp Kurashev’s added 15 points with 6 goals and 9 assists as well this season. Yaroslav Askarov’s gone 10-8-1 with a 3.14 GAA and a .903 save percentage in goal for the Sharks while Alex Nedeljkovic is 5-6-2 with a 2.94 GAA and a .902 save percentage this season.
Why the San Jose Sharks will win
- The Penguins have lost four of their last five games as favorites.
- The underdogs have won eight of the Penguins’ last 11 games at PPG Paints Arena.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Penguins’ last seven games.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in 14 of their last 16 games as home favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
San Jose Sharks Player Prop Facts
- Tyler Toffoli has scored the last goal in three of his last four road appearances against the Penguins.
- Tyler Toffoli has scored at least one goal in four of his last five road appearances against the Penguins.
- John Klingberg has recorded an assist in each of the Sharks’ last three games.
- Macklin Celebrini has recorded at least one point in seven of the Sharks’ last eight day games.
- Macklin Celebrini ranks T2nd in the league for Assists (29) this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to bounce back from a 4-2 loss at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens last time out to sit at 14-8-7 this season. After this game, Pittsburgh will take on Utah at home.
Penguins Lose 3 In A Row
Going into the game against Montreal, Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh in scoring with 31 points including a team-high 18 goals and 13 assists while Evgeni Malkin has 29 points with 8 goals and a team-high 21 assists. Justin Brazeau has 12 points with 6 goals and 6 assists and Anthony Mantha has 17 points with 9 goals and 8 assists. Erik Karlsson has 19 assists while Bryan Rust has 21 points with 8 goals and 13 assists. Arturs Silovs has gone 4-4-5 with a 2.98 GAA and a .900 save percentage in goal for the Penguins so far this season while Tristan Jarry is 9-2-1 with a 2.54 GAA and a .913 save percentage this year. Sergei Murashov is 1-1-1 with a 1.90 GAA and a .913 save percentage in goal for Pittsburgh this season.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Sharks have lost each of their last seven day games following an overtime win.
- The Penguins have won five of their last six games against the Sharks.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight games against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last four road games following a road win.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Rickard Rakell has scored at least one goal in each of his last four appearances in day games at PPG Paints Arena.
- Erik Karlsson has recorded an assist in 10 of his last 11 appearances with his team as a home favorite against Pacific Division opponents.
- Erik Karlsson has recorded at least one point in each of his last seven home appearances against the Sharks.
- Noel Acciari has recorded three blocks against the Sharks this season – equal-most against any opponent.
Total Goals Facts
- Eight of the Sharks’ last nine road games have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Each of the Penguins’ last five games as favorites following a loss have gone UNDER the total goals line.
San Jose Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction
I’m on the Sharks in this one. The Sharks have some confidence after rallying for that win over Toronto and Pittsburgh has been so up and down this season that it’s hard to trust them laying this kind of price, even at home. I think the Sharks take care of business in this one, so give me San Jose to get it done here.