The Florida Panthers and the San Jose Sharks meet Thursday in NHL action from the SAP Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Florida Panthers vs. San Jose Sharks prediction.
Florida Panthers Recap
The Florida Panthers come into this game looking to add on to their 1-0 OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes to open the season with a 1-0 record. After this game, Florida will head on the road for a game against the Anaheim Ducks.
Panthers Looking to Add On To Strong Defensive Showing In Opener
The game was a low-scoring, defensive effort with not much action even in terms of shots through the first 60 minutes, with the Panthers logging just 12 shots through 2 period and holding the Hurricanes to 3 shots through the first 40 minutes. We almost went to a shootout, but the Panthers would convert a Gustav Forslin point shot with 5 seconds to go in the extra frame to spoil the Hurricanes’ banner raising night. Jacob Markstrom stopped all 15 shots faced in the winning effort to start the year at 1-0 this season.
San Jose Sharks Team Preview
The San Jose Sharks come into the 2026-27 season looking to build on significant progress after finishing 5th in the Pacific Division with a 39-35-8 record last year. The franchise officially ushered in a new era by naming Macklin Celebrini the 11th team captain in franchise history as he enters his third NHL campaign following a breakout 2025-26 season. Celebrini leads an exciting young core that includes playmaker Will Smith and 2026 second overall pick Ivar Stenberg, who made the roster out of training camp to bolster the top six forward group. San Jose elected to move on from William Eklund in a draft week deal with Ottawa, but they added secondary scoring up front by signing Mason Marchment in free agency. The front office completely revamped the defensive unit to provide physical veteran leadership, acquiring Darnell Nurse, Jacob Trouba, and Dmitry Orlov while letting Mario Ferraro walk in free agency. Between the pipes, the Sharks are trusting young goaltender Yaroslav Askarov to take over the starting job, supported by veteran backup Alex Nedeljkovic to solidify a roster aiming for a potential playoff push.
Florida Panthers @ San Jose Sharks Betting Trends: October 1, 2026
Why the San Jose Sharks will win
- The Panthers have lost each of their last six games as road favorites.
- The underdogs have won each of the Panthers’ last four games.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games as favorites.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Sharks’ last four games.
- The Panthers have lost the third period in each of their last seven games as road favorites against Western Conference opponents when trailing after the second period.
Why the Florida Panthers will win
- The Sharks have lost 12 of their last 13 night games at SAP Center at San Jose against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Panthers have won eight of their last nine road games against the Sharks.
- The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last six home games against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Panthers have covered the puck line in each of their last four games.
- The Panthers have won the second period in each of their last four games against the Sharks when leading after the first period.
Total Goals Facts
- Each of the Panthers’ last six road games following an overtime win have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Five of the Sharks’ last six games have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Panthers’ last 14 games after coming off overtime.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Sharks’ last 11 home games against opponents on a winning streak.
San Jose Sharks Player Prop Facts
- Dmitry Orlov has recorded an assist in six of the Sharks’ last seven home games.
- Macklin Celebrini has scored at least one goal in four of the Sharks’ last five games as underdogs.
- Macklin Celebrini ranked 4th in the league for Points (115) last season.
Florida Panthers Player Prop Facts
- Matthew Tkachuk has recorded at least one assist in each of his last five road appearances against the Sharks.
- Brad Marchand has scored the first goal in three of his last four road appearances against the Sharks.
- Brad Marchand has scored at least one goal in each of his last seven road appearances against Pacific Division opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The San Jose Sharks ranked 30th in the league for goals against per game last season (3.54).
- The San Jose Sharks ranked 26th in the league in penalty kill percentage last season (76.42%).
- The Florida Panthers ranked 28th in the league for goals against per game last season (3.34).
- The Florida Panthers ranked 32nd in the league for Period 3 goals allowed per game last season (1.30).
Florida Panthers vs. San Jose Sharks Prediction
I’m on the Sharks in this one. The Panthers looked better than I gave them credit for in the opener, but there’s also the problem that they only scored one goal. This is a Sharks team I have making a huge ascent here and this is just a tough cross-country spot off of such a big win to start the year. Give me San Jose and the plus price here.