In a battle between two Western conference playoff hopefuls, the San Jose Sharks travel north of the border to face Edmonton Oilers. Welcome back to our NHL odds series, as it's time to include our Sharks-Oilers prediction and pick.
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As time is ticking down on the 2021-2022 season, the Sharks desperately need to find a way to make up ground with only a month's worth of games left. After losing three straight, San Jose is trying to right the ship by reeling off back-to-back wins and putting themselves back in the playoff conversation. The Sharks are currently 28-27-8 and are nine points behind the final wild card slot.
Meanwhile, Edmonton has played slightly better than San Jose during the season-long campaign, as there 35 wins puts them in the upper half of the Western Conference. The Oilers are a fantastic home squad with a record of 19-12-0 versus road opponents. Entering Thursday, the Oilers have lost two straight games against the Avalanche and Stars.
Here are the Sharks-Oilers NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Sharks-Oilers Odds
San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-158)
Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (+106)
Over: 6.5 (-108)
Under: 6.5 (-112)
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Why the Sharks Could Cover the Spread
To begin, the Sharks are usually fairly successful against the spread, with a record of 18-12 as the road team ATS. San Jose may in fact cover the spread simply because they are catching the Oilers at just the perfect time, as Edmonton is in the midst of a losing streak. The Sharks need every win they can get, and traveling to Canada and getting a hard-nosed victory versus an electric and speedy Oilers bunch would do wonders to the overall San Jose team morale. Leading the charge for San Jose is right winger Timo Meier, who astonishingly has been one of San Jose's most consistent players with 60 total points (27 goals, 33 assists). The Sharks are 6-2 ATS in their previous eight games, indicating that they are more than capable to do so again, even on the road in a hostile environment. If the Sharks can limit the penalties, which has been something they've struggled with, and play clean hockey, San Jose should cover the spread.
Why the Oilers Could Cover the Spread
Entering Thursday's big-time conference matchup with the Sharks, the Oilers have been hot at home as of late. After losing to Colorado and Dallas on the road, there is no doubting that Edmonton is excited to return home to the Great White North. Edmonton is especially ecstatic coming home because of the their six straight victories inside Rogers Place, and will try to make it a seventh versus a gutsy Sharks bunch. In their previous meeting on Valentine's Day, the Oilers were able to get the most out of their goaltending, shutting out the Sharks in San Jose, 3-0. Edmonton would love to replicate that kind of success, especially at the hands of victory-starved San Jose. Outside of superstar Connor McDavid, one X-factor that will need to come alive is center Leon Draisaitl, who has connected on 17 power play goals during the 2021-2022 season thus far. Overall, Edmonton is 29-27 ATS as a whole this season.
Final Sharks-Oilers Prediction & Pick
The Oilers have to lose at home eventually, right? Not so fast my friend. Even though the Sharks are playing well the last couple of games, traveling on the road to a place like Edmonton will be no easy task. San Jose got shut out at home the last time these two went to war in California, and hockey fans should expect something similar on Thursday evening. This one will be close early, but that is about it. The Oilers pull away late and cover the spread in doing so.
Final Sharks-Oilers Pick: Oilers -1.5 (+106)
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