Two teams that’ve positioned themselves squarely in the playoff hunt, the San Jose Sharks and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet at Amalie Arena. Fox Sports Sun will air this cross-country matchup, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 7.
San Jose Sharks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
Tampa Bay (-195) is noticeably favored over San Jose (+170), and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -130 for the over and +110 for the under.
San Jose is 15-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 15 of its games have gone over the total, while 14 have gone under and just one has pushed. This 2019-20 Sharks team is 6-8 SU on the road.
San Jose has converted on 16.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the top penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off a whopping 91.4 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, San Jose has been penalized 4.3 times per game this season, and 3.2 per game over its last five outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays 8.6 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
Sporting a .892 save percentage and 24.8 saves per game, Martin Jones (12-11-1) has been the best option in goal for San Jose this season. If head coach Peter Deboer decides to rest him, however, the team might turn to Aaron Dell (3-7-1 record, .897 save percentage, 3.09 goals against average).
Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl will both lead the way for the visiting Sharks. Couture (29 points) has tallied nine goals and 20 assists, and has recorded multiple points in six different games. Hertl has 10 goals and 13 assists to his credit (and has registered a point in 13 games).
Tampa Bay is 13-13 straight up (SU) and has lost 8.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 16 of its contests have gone over the total, while 10 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 6-6 SU as the home team.
Tampa Bay has converted on 28.7 percent of its 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 20th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.7 percent of all penalties.
Tampa Bay skaters have been sent to the penalty box 4.3 times per game this season, and 3.6 per game over their last five games. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays 9.6 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
Andrei Vasilevskiy (27.8 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for Tampa Bay. Vasilevskiy has 10 wins, nine losses, and one overtime loss to his name and has registered a fairly-weak .903 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average this season.
The home team will be led on offense by Nikita Kucherov (10 goals, 21 assists).
San Jose Sharks at Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five matchups.
- Over Tampa Bay’s last ten outings, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
- This game features two of the tougher teams in the league. San Jose skaters have accounted for the 11th-most hits in the league (22.7 per game) while the Bolts have recorded the 10th-most (23.6).
