The Anaheim Ducks at the SAP Center in Game 3 of the opening round of the NHL Playoffs. The matchup will get underway at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 16, and fans at home will be able to witness it live on CNBC, RSN1, TVA2 and NSCA.
Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks Odds
San Jose (-140) is currently favored over Anaheim (+120) and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 5 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Earning 2.2 units for moneyline bettors, San Jose is 47-37 straight up (SU) overall this year. That win percentage, ranked second in the Pacific Division so far in the early season, is right in line with what the team posted during last year’s regular season (46-36). Of its 84 regular season outings, 44 have gone under the total, while 37 have gone over and just three have pushed. This season, the team is 25-16 SU at home.
After sporting the 15th-rated power-play unit in the regular season (scoring on 20.8 percent of all opportunities), the Sharks have been able to score on 22.2 percent of their extra-man advantages in the early stages of these playoffs.
The Sharks’ offensive skaters attempted 33.0 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.1 goals per outing (ranked 12th overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the club is attempting an average of 34.5 shots on goal ( 3.0 goals per game).
Sporting a .916 save percentage and 25.9 saves per game, Martin Jones (33-29-7) has been the best goalkeeper for San Jose this season. If the Sharks choose to give him a rest, however, the team may turn to Aaron Dell (15-14-14 record, .914 save percentage, 2.64 goals against average).
The Sharks will continue to look for offensive production from Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. Pavelski (69 points) has tallied 22 goals and 47 assists and has recorded multiple points 14 times this year. Burns has 13 goals and 55 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 48 games.
Anaheim is 44-40 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. Through 84 regular season matches, 50 of its games have gone under the total, while 32 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the visiting team, the Ducks are 18-23 SU.
The Ducks have converted on just 17.4 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fifth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Anaheim’s skaters have been penalized 4.2 times per game this season, and 3.4 per game over their last five on the road. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
John Gibson (.925 save percentage and 2.45 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Anaheim. Gibson is averaging 29.0 saves per game and has 33 wins, 29 losses, and eight OT losses to his credit.
Rickard Rakell (34 goals, 35 assists) will pace the attack for the visiting Ducks.
Anaheim Ducks at San Jose Sharks Betting Predictions
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Anaheim is scoring 2.6 goals per game over their five-game winning streak.
The Sharks are 14-13 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Ducks are 29-18 SU when they serve more minutes than their opponent.
San Jose is 5-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Anaheim is 4-7 in shootouts.
The total has gone over in three of San Jose’s last five outings.
San Jose is ranked 20th this season with 10.0 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team’s averaged 8.0 giveaways over its last 10 games and 7.0 giveaways over its last five.
Anaheim has averaged 10.8 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 10.2 giveaways per game (ranked 22nd in the league).
Anaheim skaters have accounted for the seventh-most hits in the league (24.0 per game), but that number’s down to just 18.0 hits over their last five away games.
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