Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and the Chicago Blackhawks will do battle against Brent Burns, Tomas Hertl, and the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center in a Western Conference tilt. The match gets underway at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 28 and it can be seen live on NBC Sports Chicago.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks Odds
The Sharks (-220) are being picked as the favorites over the Blackhawks (+180), and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under).
San Jose is 43-33 straight up (SU) and has earned 9.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 76 regular season matches, 42 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just three have pushed. The team’s 23-14 SU at home this year.
The Sharks have connected on 23.9 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 79.7 percent of all penalties.
With a .898 save percentage and 24.7 saves per game, Martin Jones (35 wins, 23 losses, and five OT losses) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for the Sharks this season. If the Sharks choose to rest him, however, head coach Peter Deboer might go with Aaron Dell (10-13-13 record, .887 save percentage, 3.14 goals against average).
In the other locker room, Chicago is 33-43 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.1 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of 47 of its matches have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under the total and just four have pushed. As a road team, the Blackhawks are 16-22 SU.
The Blackhawks have converted on 20.4 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 32nd overall and it’s successfully killed off 73.5 percent of all penalties.
Corey Crawford (27.8 saves per game) has been the main option in the net for Chicago. Crawford owns a 13-22-3 record, while registering a .909 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average this year.
Chicago Blackhawks vs. San Jose Sharks Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Sharks are 0-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Blackhawks are 2-1 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in each of Chicago’s last five games.
- Over San Jose’s last ten outings, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 2-4 in those games).
- Chicago skaters registered 16.8 hits per game last season, while the Sharks accounted for 18.4 hits per matchup.
