The Tampa Bay Lightning continue their road trip as they face the San Jose Sharks. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Lightning-Sharks prediction, pick, and how-to-watch
The Lightning come into the game sitting at 37-25-6 on the year, good for fourth in the Atlantic Division. They have won five of their last six games though, and last time faced the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights struck first, but goals by Anthony Cirelli and Anthony Duclair gave the Lightning the lead going into the second period. In the second, the Golden Knights would tie it up. Brayden Point gave the lead back to the Lightning, but Ben Hutton would tie it up. Then, Point scored again, and Nikita Kucherov sealed the game, giving the Lightning the 5-3 win.
Meanwhile, the Sharks are 16-45-7 on the year, in last in the Pacific division. They have just one win in their last 15 games. Last time out, they faced the Predators. The Predators struck first, but the Sharks would tie it up on a Mikael Granlund goal. They would take the lead on a Mario Ferraro goal in the second, but it would go downhill from there. Nashville scored three times in the second, then four more in the third, winning 8-2.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Lightning-Sharks Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (-160)
Moneyline: -385
San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (+132)
Moneyline: +300
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-119)
How to Watch Lightning vs. Sharks
Time: 10:30 PM ET/ 7:30 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Lightning Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Lightning sit sixth in the NHL in scoring this year with 3.49 goals per game. Nikita Kucherov leads the team in goals, assists, and points this year. He comes into the game with 41 goals on the season and 77 assists, good for 118 total points. Kucherov leads the NHL in points this year while sitting sixth in goals. He has been great on the power play this year, with 12 goals and 32 assists on the power play this year. Meanwhile, Brayden Point sits second on the team in goals and points this year. He has 38 goals and 37 assists this year, good for his 75 points. He has 12 goals and 13 assists on the power play this year.
Joining him as a top scorer is Steven Stamkos. Stamkos comes in with 27 goals this year and 35 assists good for 62 points. He also has been solid on the power play, with 14 goals and 18 assists this year. Meanwhile, Lightning also gets a lot of help from the blue line on offense. Victor Hedman comes into the game with 12 goals and 55 assists this year, good for 67 points. This gives the Lightning five players with 60 or more points.
The Lightning have been great this year on the power play. This year, they have a 28.8 percent success rate on the power play, with 60 total power-play goals. That is the first in the NHL this year. Further, the Lightning have been average when man-down this year. They are ninth in the NHL on the penalty kill with an 81.4 percent success rate this year.
The Lighting is expected to send Andrei Vasilevskiy to defend the net in this one. He is 25-16-1 on the year with a 2.96 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. He has been solid this month, with a .908 save percentage and a 2.81 goals-against average while going 5-1.
Why The Sharks Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Sharks sit 31st in the NHL in goals per game, with 2.19 goals per game this year. Mikael Granlund leads the way for the Sharks this year. He comes in with 10 goals, and 25 assists, good for 45 total points. His assists and points totals are both tops on the team. Further, this year, he has a goal and 16 assists on the power play. The leading goal scorer this year is Fabian Zetterlung. He comes in with 18 goals and 14 assists on the year, giving me a total of 32 points. This year, he also has three goals and seven assists on the power play.
Meanwhile, William Eklund is third on the team in points this year. He comes in with 10 goals and 20 assists, good for 30 total points. He also has five goals and six assists on the power play this year. Further, Filip Zadina comes in with 12 goals and 10 assists this year, while Mike Hoffman has 10 goals and 12 assists on the season.
The Sharks are 18th on the power play this year, with a 20.5 percent conversion rate. The Sharks are 28th in the NHL on the penalty kill this year. They have a 74.4 percent conversion rate this year on the penalty kill.
The Sharks will be starting MacKenzie Blackwood in this one. He is 9-18-3 on the year while having a 3.48 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. In his last game, he allowed no goals in a 13-shot appearance, but he left the game at 17:34. He has a .904 save percentage this month with a 3.06 goals-against average.
Final Lightning-Sharks Prediction & Pick
While the Lightning are not playing the best this year, they are much better than the Sharks. The Sharks have continued to struggle and will give up goals in bunches. The Lightning is more than capable of scoring plenty of goals in this one. While taking the Lighting would be wise, the odds are not worth it. The best play in this game is to assume plenty of goals. Take the over.
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Final Lightning-Sharks Prediction & Pick: Over 6.5
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