Two of the league’s very best at fending off power plays, the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks clash at the SAP Center. The first puck will drop at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 2, and fans at home will be able to view this Pacific Division matchup live on CBC Sports.
Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks Odds
Oddsmakers have not yet posted moneyline or Over/Under odds for this matchup.
Vancouver is 8-5 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 4.8 units this year. Through 13 regular season contests, six of its games have gone over the total, while five have gone under and just one has pushed. The Nucks are 4-4 SU as the away team in 2019-20.
Vancouver has scored on 21.1 percent of its power play chances so far. That’s a good step forward from last year, when it was ranked 22nd in the league by scoring on 17.1 percent of its extra-man advantages. Its penalty kill has also gotten stronger year-over-year, as the team has gone from successfully defending 81.1 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 10th overall last season) to 87.5 percent this year.
Vancouver, as a collective unit, has been penalized 4.4 times per game this season, a number that’s regressed some from the 3.5 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 8.8 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 10.0 minutes per matchup this year.
Averaging 28.2 saves per game with a .917 save percentage, Jacob Markstrom (5-4-2) has been the best option in goal for Vancouver this year. Markstrom played last night, however, so head coach Travis Green could opt to rest him and instead go with Thatcher Demko (3-1 record, .941 save percentage, 1.73 goals against average).
The visiting Canucks have relied heavily on Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller this year. Pettersson has 18 points on four goals and 14 assists, and has recorded two or more points five times. Miller has six goals and eight assists to his credit (and has logged at least one point in eight games).
On the other side of the rink, San Jose is 4-10 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Six of its games have gone over the total, while another six have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 2-3 SU at home so far this year.
San Jose has converted on 23.4 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked first overall, and it’s successfully killed off 90.7 percent of all penalties.
San Jose players have been sent to the penalty box 4.7 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.7, the eighth-highest mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 9.6 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to kill penalties for a noteworthy 13.5 minutes per matchup this season.
Martin Jones has stopped 25.1 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for San Jose. Jones has two wins, nine losses, and one OT loss and has recorded a mediocre 3.52 goals against average and a subpar .887 save percentage this season.
Brent Burns (three goals, 10 assists) will pace the attack for the Sharks.
Vancouver Canucks at San Jose Sharks Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The over has hit in four of Vancouver’s last five outings.
- The Canucks have averaged the league’s fourth-most shots on goal (34.5) while San Jose has attempted the 25th-most (only 29.2).
- The Sharks are 1-4 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 4-6 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- After posting a 6-6 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Vancouver is off to a 2-1 start in shootouts this season. San Jose went 0-3 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
