The Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks meet Saturday 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 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. San Jose Sharks prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Recap
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to add on to their 4-2 win over Los Angeles last time out to sit at 3-2 this season. After this game, Pittsburgh will head home for a game against the Vancouver Canucks.
Penguins Snap Two-Game Slide
Evgeni Malkin leads Pittsburgh with 7 points and a team-high 6 assists while Sidney Crosby has 5 points with 2 goals and 3 assists so far this season. Justin Brazeau has a team-high 4 goals and Ryan Shea’s pitched in 4 assists while Rickard Rakell’s added 4 points with 2 goals and 2 assists. Anthony Mantha’s got 3 point with a goal and 2 assists while Erik Karlsson, Parker Wotherspoon and Bryan Rust all have 2 assists. Connor Dewar and Filip Hallander each have a goal and an assist while Blake Lizotte, Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel each have a goal as well this season. Arturs Silovs has gone 2-1 with a 2.67 GAA and a .908 save percentage in goal for the Penguins so far this season while Tristan Jarry is 1-1 with a 3.55 GAA and an .881 save percentage this year.
Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win
- The Sharks have lost each of their last 15 games.
- The favorites have won each of the Sharks’ last eight games at SAP Center at San Jose.
- The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in seven of their last eight night games.
Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts
- Tommy Novak has scored at least one goal in five of his last six appearances against the Sharks.
- Erik Karlsson has recorded at least one assist in 15 of his last 17 appearances with his team as a favorite against Pacific Division opponents.
- Sidney Crosby has recorded at least one point in each of the Penguins’ last eight games against the Sharks.
San Jose Sharks Recap
The San Jose Sharks come into this game looking to bounce back from a 6-3 loss to Utah last time out to slip to 0-2-2 this season. After this game, San Jose will head on the road for a game against the New York Islanders.
Sharks Still Hunting For First Win
Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks with 5 points including a goal and a team-high 4 assists while Jeff Skinner, Dmitry Orlov and Will Smith all have 4 points with Skinner logging a team-high 3 goals while Orlov and Smith each have 4 assists as well. Tyler Toffoli has 3 point with 2 goals and an assist while Alexander Wennberg has 3 points with a goal and 2 assists. Nick Leddy, Shakir Mukhamadullin and Ty Dellandrea all have 2 assists while William Eklund, Adam Gaudette and John Klingberg each have 2 points with a goal and an assist. Mario Ferraro, Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Reaves all have a goal for the Sharks as well this season. Yaroslav Askarov’s gone 0-1-1 with a 6.47 GAA and an .833 save percentage in goal for the Sharks while Alex Nedeljkovic is 0-1-1 with a 4.45 GAA and an .878 save percentage this season.
Why the San Jose Sharks will win
- The Penguins have lost seven of their last eight games as road favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
- The home team has won each of the last three games between the Penguins and Sharks.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in four of the Penguins’ last five games.
San Jose Sharks Player Prop Facts
- Dmitry Orlov has scored at least one goal in each of his last three appearances with his team as an underdog against the Penguins.
- Ryan Ellis has recorded an assist in each of his last five appearances with his team as a home underdog.
- Ryan Ellis has recorded at least one point in each of his last seven appearances in home games.
Total Goals Facts
- Seven of the Penguins’ last eight road games following a road win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Eight of the Sharks’ last 10 night games against Metropolitan Division opponents have gone UNDER the total goals line.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. San Jose Sharks Prediction
I’m on Pittsburgh here. Until the San Jose Sharks show some signs of life, it’s hard to give them any sort of benefit of the doubt, especially when we’re getting a reasonable price on the other side to fade them. The Penguins are a decent club that’s been able to find some solid results to start the year and I think Pittsburgh gets the job done on the road here. Give me the Penguins.