The New York Islanders and San Jose Sharks meet Saturday in NHL action at the SAP Center. Here’s a Sharks vs. Islanders Prediction. This article will include a Sharks vs. Islanders pick.
New York Islanders Betting Preview
The New York Islanders lost to the Ducks and Kings, and they play the Blues next. The Islanders have won 5 of their last 7 games.
The New York Islanders are averaging 2.89 goals per game and are scoring 15.8 percent of their power play opportunities. Bo Horvat leads New York with 26 goals, Mathew Barzal has 39 assists and Anders Lee has 156 shots on goal. Defensively, the New York Islanders are allowing 2.81 goals per game and are killing 80.8 percent of their opponent’s power plays. David Rittich has allowed 67 goals on 648 shots faced, and Ilya Sorokin has given up 96 goals on 1,102 shots.
San Jose Sharks Betting Preview
The San Jose Sharks lost to the Blues and beat the Habs, and they play the Sabres next. The Sharks have lost 6 of their last 9 games.
The San Jose Sharks are averaging 3.1 goals per game and are scoring 20 percent of their power play opportunities. Macklin Celebrini leads San Jose with 31 goals, Alexander Wennberg has 27 assists and Tyler Toffoli has 139 shots on goal. Defensively, the San Jose Sharks are allowing 3.48 goals per game and are killing 78.6 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Yaroslav Askarov has given up 124 goals on 1,086 shots faced, and Alex Nedeljkovic has allowed 72 goals on 717 shots.
Why the San Jose Sharks will win
- The underdogs have won seven of the Sharks’ last eight games.
- The Islanders have lost four of their last five games as an away favorite when playing with a rest advantage.
- The Islanders have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games as favorites following a road loss.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in eight of the Sharks’ last nine games.
- The Islanders have lost the third period in seven of their last eight games as road favorites against Western Conference opponents when trailing after the second period.
Why the New York Islanders will win
- The Islanders have won each of their last four games against the Sharks.
- The Sharks have lost five of their last six night games.
- The road team has covered the puck line in five of the last six games between the Islanders and Sharks.
- The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five night games.
- The Sharks have lost the third period in eight of their last nine home games against Metropolitan Division opponents when trailing after the second period.
Total Goals Facts
- Seven of the Sharks’ last eight home games on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Each of the Islanders’ last four road games against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total goals line.
- Eight of the last nine Saturday night games between teams from different divisions have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Sharks’ last nine games after coming off overtime.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in eight of the Islanders’ last nine night games at SAP Center at San Jose.
San Jose Sharks Player Prop Facts
- Pavol Regenda has scored a goal in each of his last four appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Collin Graf has recorded at least one assist in each of the Sharks’ last four games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
New York Islanders Player Prop Facts
- Anthony Duclair has scored at least one goal in each of his last five appearances with his team as a road favorite against Pacific Division opponents.
- Anthony DeAngelo has recorded at least one assist in four of the Islanders’ last five games.
- Anthony Duclair has scored the first goal in three of his last four appearances at SAP Center at San Jose.
Matchup/League Facts
- The San Jose Sharks rank 30th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.48).
- The San Jose Sharks have recorded the largest comeback win this season—trailing by four goals vs. the Penguins on December 13.
- The New York Islanders rank 32nd in the league in power play percentage this season (15.76%).
- The New York Islanders rank 5th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.81).
Sharks vs Islanders Prediction
The Islanders are probably the better team and they’ve won 7 of the last 10 games against the Sharks. However, as I’ve said before, the Islanders are one of those teams that lets me down once I start to believe in them. After winning 5 straight games, the Islanders have been outscored 4-10 in their last 2 games. Also, the Sharks are a team that’s been kind to me all year. The Sharks weren’t supposed to be good this season, but they have 30 wins. The Sharks keep getting priced like they’re not winning games and we’ve taken advantage of it all season. I’ll take the plus money with the Sharks at home.