The San Jose Sharks, spearheaded by Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski, are set to take the ice against Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in a cross-country matchup. The puck will drop at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 21, and it will be shown live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
San Jose Sharks at Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Pittsburgh (-125) is currently favored over San Jose (+105), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-135 money on the under, +115 on the over).
Though the team is 35-25 straight up (SU) this season, San Jose has actually lost 2.2 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 36 of its outings have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the road team in 2018-19, the Sharks are 16-15 SU.
San Jose has converted on 24.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 24.9 saves per game with a .896 save percentage, Martin Jones (29-16-5) has been the top option in goal for San Jose this year. If San Jose chooses to rest him, however, they may roll with Aaron Dell (8-10-3 record, .892 save percentage, 3.04 goals against average).
Over on the other bench, Pittsburgh is 32-28 straight up (SU) and has lost 11.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 29 of its matches have gone over the total, while 26 have gone under and just five have pushed. The team’s 17-13 SU at home this season.
The Penguins have converted on 24.8 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Casey DeSmith has stopped 27.4 shots per game as the primary choice in the crease for the Penguins. DeSmith has 14 wins, 19 losses, and five overtime losses and has registered a .915 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average this year.
San Jose Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Penguins are 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Sharks are 0-3 in shootouts.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five matches.
- This game features two clubs that take a heavy amount of shots on goal. San Jose has attempted the league’s second-most shots on goal (34.0) while Pittsburgh has attempted the ninth-most (32.6).
- Over Pittsburgh’s last ten outings, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
- The Pens this season have registered the second-most hits per game in the NHL (29.4), but that average has jumped up to 37.4 over their last five home outings.
