San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks Series Odds
Anaheim Ducks (-125)
San Jose Sharks (+105)
The Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks will face off as two of the four Pacific Division representatives in the 2018 NHL playoffs. With the league’s realignment a few years ago, the #2 and #3 seeds within a division now play each other. So, the Ducks host the Sharks after edging San Jose by just one point in the standings. Perhaps San Jose doesn’t care where the series is played, since the Sharks racked up seven of eight possible points in the season series, but three of those games required shootouts. In other words, buckle up for a tight series.
The Ducks certainly earned their way into the playoffs by winning five straight and eight of the last 10 to not only get in, but be at home in Game 1. The Sharks scuffled a bit down the stretch, but were safely in the postseason for a while before officially punching a ticket. It looked like they had a chance to run down Vegas for the Pacific Division title, but it was not meant to be. These two teams are very familiar with each other, but have not faced off in the playoffs since 2009. We’ll have to see if the other team from the Los Angeles area gives the Sharks as many problems as the Kings did for so many years.
Anaheim Ducks (-125 )
As you would expect, this series is a virtual toss-up, with the Ducks getting home ice advantage. The Ducks once again made things hard on themselves this season with a slow start. Through 28 games, the Ducks were just 11-11-6. But, Anaheim finished 33-14-7 to make it to the playoffs for the sixth straight season and the 11th time in the last 13 years. Anaheim is offensively challenged and was a bit of an overachiever. The Ducks played more like a team that was -10 in goal differential at 5-on-5 than a team that was +23, which the Ducks actually were. They did not rate well per the advanced metrics, which is why we’ve seen some initial investment on San Jose for the series.
San Jose Sharks (+105)
The San Jose Sharks didn’t make a whole lot of noise this season en route to the playoffs. The Sharks were solid, as usual, but it took a while for Martin Jones to get going and Joe Thornton missed about half of the season. Thornton, who has been out since January 23, is unlikely to be ready for Game 1 on Thursday, but we’ll see if he is able to get back out there at some point during the series. It would certainly help, as San Jose had a lot of balanced scoring, but missed Thornton’s pace with 36 points in 47 games. Logan Couture was the only 30-goal scorer this season for the Sharks.
Pick & Prediction (San Jose in 6 games) San Jose Sharks (+105)
The wrong team is favored in this series. San Jose rates far better in all of the advanced metrics. The one area where Anaheim seems to have an edge is in the net with John Gibson, but we’ll have to wait and see how healthy he actually is to contribute. The Sharks are a better possession team and were better in both special teams areas, including on the penalty kill, where they had the second-best shorthanded unit.
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