Two teams currently on losing skids, the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks face off at the SAP Center for a Pacific Division tilt. The game will get started at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 21 and it is being televised live on Sportsnet Pacific.
Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks Odds
With a moneyline of -205, San Jose enters the matchup as the heavy favorite. The line for Vancouver sits at +175, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -130 for the under and +110 for the over.
Producing 2.5 units for moneyline bettors, the Sharks are 17-15 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Pacific Division so far in this young season, is fairly close to what the team produced during last year’s regular season (46-36). 21 of the teams 32 contests have gone under the total, while 10 have gone over and just one has pushed. The teams 9-8 SU at home this year.
San Jose has converted on 20.7 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated second overall, and it’s successfully killed off 85.8 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, San Jose has been whistled for penalties 3.8 times per game overall this season, 3.6 per game over its past five matchups total, and 3.4 per game over its last five at home. The teams had to kill penalties for just 7.8 minutes per game over its last five outings, in total.
With a .912 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Martin Jones (11-12-4) has been the best goalkeeper for the Sharks this year. If head coach Peter Deboer chooses to give him a breather, however, the Sharks may turn to Aaron Dell (6-6-6 record, .939 save percentage, 1.75 goals against average).
Logan Couture and Joe Thornton will both spearhead the attack for the Sharks. Couture (26 points) has tallied 15 goals and 11 assists and has recorded multiple points seven times this year. Thornton has five goals and 17 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 18 games.
On the other side of the rink, Vancouver is 15-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 35 regular season matches, 20 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and none have pushed. Vancouver’s 9-8 SU as the road team this season.
Vancouver has scored on 23.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places it in the top-five among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all penalties.
Vancouver’s skaters have been penalized 4.0 times per game in total this season, and 3.2 per game over their last five road outings. The teams been forced to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Jacob Markstrom (25.9 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom has nine wins, 15 losses, and three OT losses to his credit, while registering a .907 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Canucks will be Brock Boeser (18 goals, 14 assists) and Henrik Sedin (two goals, 23 assists).
Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Canucks, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in three of San Jose’s last five games.
- Vancouver has managed 27.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while San Jose is averaging 38.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- The Sharks are 6-8 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 10-12 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Vancouver is 0-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while San Jose is 1-1 in shootouts.
- One of the best at disrupting their opponents, San Jose is ranked 3rd in the NHL with 10.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower lately, however, as it has created 9.0 takeaways over its last 10 games and 8.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Vancouver is ranked 28th this season with 5.5 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower lately, however, as it’s created 4.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 4.2 takeaways over its last five.
