Bridgestone Arena is playing host to an enticing matchup as the San Jose Sharks pay a visit to the Nashville Predators. It’s the third and final time that the two clubs will go at it in the regular season. The first puck will drop at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 10, and you’ll be able to catch this Western Conference matchup live on NBC Sports California.
San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators Odds
Nashville comes into the contest as the heavy favorite with a moneyline of -170. The line for San Jose is standing at +150, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 7 goals. If gamblers want to wager on this matchup’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -105 money on the over and -115 for the under.
San Jose is 15-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 32 regular season contests, 16 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just one has pushed. As an away team in 2019-20, the Sharks are 6-10 SU.
San Jose has converted on 16.7 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the second-best penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off a whopping 88.5 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, San Jose has been penalized 4.3 times per game overall during the 2019-20 season, 3.8 per game over its past five outings total, and 4.2 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays 11.0 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Boasting a .889 save percentage and 24.6 saves per game, Martin Jones (12-13-1) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose this season. If head coach Peter Deboer chooses to rest him, however, San Jose could go with Aaron Dell (3-8-1), who has a .893 save percentage and 3.32 goals against average this year.
Logan Couture and Evander Kane will both be relied on to facilitate things for the visiting Sharks. Couture (29 points) has tallied nine goals and 20 assists, and has recorded two or more points six times. Kane has 13 goals and 11 assists to his credit, and has registered at least one point in 16 games.
Over on the other bench, Nashville is 13-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 28 regular season outings, 17 of its games have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 8-9 SU as the home team this year.
Nashville has converted on just 15.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that places it in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
The Predators have been penalized 3.7 times per game this season, and 4.4 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to kill penalties 12.2 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Pekka Rinne has stopped 23.6 shots per game as the top option in goal for Nashville. Rinne has 10 wins, seven losses, and three overtime losses and has maintained a poor .897 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average this season.
Roman Josi (seven goals, 18 assists) will pace the attack for Nashville.
San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Predators, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- San Jose is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Nashville is 1-2 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Nashville’s last five outings.
- San Jose has managed 30.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Nashville has been attempting 38.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Six of San Jose’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 2-4 in those games.
- San Jose skaters have accounted for the 11th-most hits in the league (22.6 per game).
