In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the San Jose Sharks and the Edmonton Oilers meet at Rogers Place for a divisional matchup. The opening face-off takes place at 9 p.m. ET on Monday, December 18, and you’ll be able to view it live on Sportsnet West.
San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers Odds
With a -135 moneyline, Edmonton heads into the game as the favorite. The line for San Jose sits at +115, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -125 for the under and +105 for the over.
San Jose is 17-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 31 regular season contests, 21 of its games have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2017-18 Sharks team is 8-6 SU on the road.
San Jose has converted on 20.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Additionally, it has the third-strongest penalty kill in the league, and the teams successfully killed off 85.6 percent of all penalties.
The Sharks, as a collective unit, have been penalized 3.9 times per game overall in the 2017-18 season, 3.6 per game over its past five total, and 4.4 per game over its last five on the road. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
With a .914 save percentage and 25.7 saves per game, Martin Jones (11-11-4) has been the best option in goal for San Jose this season. If it chooses to give him a rest, however, head coach Peter Deboer may roll with Aaron Dell (6-6-1 record, .939 save percentage, 1.75 goals against average).
Logan Couture and Joe Thornton will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Sharks. Couture (26 points) has tallied 15 goals and 11 assists, and has recorded multiple points seven times. Thornton has five goals and 17 assists to his credit, and has registered at least one point in 18 games.
Over on the other bench, Edmonton is 14-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 33 regular season matches, 16 of its games have gone over the total, while another 16 have gone under and just one has pushed. The teams 5-10 SU at home this season.
The Oilers have converted on just 17.2 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 31st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 73.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Edmonton skaters have been sent to the penalty box 4.2 times per game in total this season, and 3.5 per game over their last ten games. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Cam Talbot (26.0 saves per game) has been the top choice in goal for the Oilers. Talbot has 11 wins, 12 losses, and one OT loss to his name and has registered a mediocre 2.96 goals against average and a fairly-weak .905 save percentage this season.
The home team will be led on offense by Connor McDavid (12 goals, 28 assists).
San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Oilers, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Oilers are 7-10 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Sharks are 7-6 SU in games where they serve more minutes than the opposition.
- The total has gone under in three of Edmonton’s last five outings.
- Edmonton has averaged 16.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.6 giveaways per game (ranked 25th in the NHL).
- San Jose is ranked 29th this season with 14.1 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as the teams averaged 11.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 11.4 giveaways over its last five.
- The Oilers this season have registered the second-most hits in the NHL (27.1 per game).
