In their fourth and final head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the San Jose Sharks and the Edmonton Oilers take the ice at Rogers Place for a divisional tilt. The match will get going at 9:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 14, and fans at home can catch it live on Sportsnet ONE.
San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers Odds
San Jose is 37-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 69 regular season contests, 40 of its games have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just two have pushed. This 2017-18 Sharks team is 16-18 SU on the road.
San Jose has converted on 21.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked first overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 85.0 percent of its penalties.
The Sharks, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.3 times per game during the 2017-18 season, and 1.9 per game over its last ten contests. The team’s had to kill penalties just 3.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .917 save percentage and 25.8 saves per game, Martin Jones (24-25-7) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose this season. If San Jose decides to rest him, however, they may go with Aaron Dell (14-12-3 record, .914 save percentage, 2.65 goals against average).
The visiting Sharks have relied on Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns heavily this year. Pavelski has 55 points on 18 goals and 37 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 11 different games. Burns has 10 goals and 43 assists to his credit (and has registered a point in 38 games).
Edmonton is 30-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 33 of its matches have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 16-19 SU at home this year.
The Oilers have converted on just 14.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is also ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Oilers players have been penalized 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their past ten outings. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot has denied 27.4 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for the Oilers. Talbot has 26 wins, 30 losses, and two overtime losses and has registered a fairly-weak .907 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average this season.
The home team offense will be led by Connor McDavid (33 goals, 51 assists).
San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers Betting Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The Sharks are 12-12 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Oilers are 13-24 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
- Two of Edmonton’s last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 2-0 in those games and 4-1 overall in shootouts this year.
- The total has gone under in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
- Edmonton is ranked 30th this season with 12.6 giveaways per game. That figure has regressed, as the team’s averaged 14.7 giveaways over its last 10 games and 16.6 giveaways over its last five.
- San Jose is ranked 23rd this season with 10.5 giveaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it’s averaged 6.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 7.2 giveaways over its last five.
- The Oilers this season have registered the second-most hits in the league (27.2 per game), but the team’s averaged 31.8 over their past five games as the home team.
