The San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights face off at the SAP Center in Game 1 of the NHL playoffs’s opening round. The opening face-off is at 10:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 10, and fans at home can witness the game live on NBC Sports Network.
Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks Odds
With a moneyline of -140, San Jose enters the game as the noticeable favorite. The line for the Golden Knights is standing at +120, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under). Those lines have shifted after originally opening at -110 for either.
San Jose is 46-36 straight-up (SU) and has recorded -11.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. That win percentage, ranked second in the Pacific Division so far in the early season, is right in line with what the team produced during last year’s regular season (45-37). Among its 82 games this season, 46 have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just three have pushed. The team is 25-16 SU at home this year.
The Sharks have been able to convert on 23.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 15th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.8 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 24.6 saves per game with a .896 save percentage, Martin Jones (37-25-5) has been the most dependable option in goal for San Jose this season. If head coach Peter Deboer chooses to give him the night off, however, the team could go with Aaron Dell (11-14-14 record, .886 save percentage, 3.17 goals against average).
On the other bench, Vegas is 43-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.2 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of 41 of its contests have gone under the total, while 37 have gone over and just four have pushed. As a road team, the Golden Knights are 19-22 SU.
The Golden Knights have converted on just 17.2 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 14th overall and it’s successfully killed off 80.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Marc-Andre Fleury (.913 save percentage and 2.51 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Vegas. Fleury is averaging 26.1 saves per game and has 35 wins, 26 losses, and five OT losses to his credit.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks Betting Predictions
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their past five matches.
- Two offenses that fire the puck toward the goal a lot, Vegas has taken the league’s third-most shots on goal (34.3) while San Jose has attempted the seventh-most (33.0).
- Five of San Jose’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 1-4 overall in those games.
- Vegas skaters have accounted for the league’s third-most hits per game (27.7), but the team’s recorded just 25.0 hits over their last five away games.
