The San Jose Sharks will stay in California as they head south to take on Pacific Division rival, the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks have had a mediocre season up to this point as they are no longer looking into a playoff spot after an 8-0 shutout loss to the Predators last night. The Ducks, on the other hand, are still fighting for a playoff spot, just four points back from a wild card seeding. Can Anaheim keep their playoff hopes alive? It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Sharks-Ducks prediction and pick.
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Here are the Sharks-Ducks NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Sharks-Ducks Odds
San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-170) (+160 ML)
Anaheim Ducks: -1.5 (+138) (-194 ML)
Over: 6 (-106)
Under: 6 (-114)
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Why The Sharks Can Cover The Spread/Win
The San Jose Sharks enter this game on the tail end of their back-to-back where the first game could not have gone any worse, getting shut out 8-0 to Nashville. Their sub-par offense has been a problem for this team for most of the season as they're only scoring 2.04 goals per game, the second-lowest in the league. Their defense has also run into some issues, as they rank 20th in the league by allowing 2.56 goals per game (going up to 2.71 when they are on the road). Zach Sawchenko is looking to get the start between the pipes tonight where he's played four games in the NHL this season and posting a .902 save percentage while allowing 3.29 goals against per game. He'll look to just keep a spot on the roster for now as the Sharks' playoffs hopes are all but over.
Why The Ducks Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Anaheim Ducks now find themselves in fifth place in the Pacific Division with an uphill battle facing them in order to get back to the top, where they were very early on in the season. Over the last 25 games, the Ducks have scored just 2.26 goals per game, which is the fifth-worst in the league. However, when they play on their home ice, the Ducks improve to 2.48 goals per game. It is unclear who will defend the home crease tonight, but star goaltender John Gibson will probably end up being the one to get the call. He's allowing 2.90 goals against on the season with a .910 save percentage. He's definitely been better, but shouldn't have a problem stopping a struggling Sharks team.
Final Sharks-Ducks Prediction & Pick
San Jose is coming off of a dumpster fire loss last night and while they likely don't play that bad again tonight, I don't think they'll bounce back that quickly and take care of business in the tail end of their back-to-back series. The Ducks are 15-15 (Moneyline) when they are on their home ice, while the Sharks are 11-15 (Moneyline) while on the road. Both teams aren't doing great this year, but I think the Ducks can hang in there tonight and come away with a very desperate two points to keep their playoff hopes alive.
I don't love the odds on this game, for either team, so I'm going to go with the classic 3-Way Moneyline pick again tonight in favor of the Ducks. This game could very well go to overtime if both teams decided to keep it close, but I think Anaheim walks away with the win in regulation tonight.
Final Sharks-Ducks Prediction and Pick: Anaheim 3-Way Moneyline (-120)