Two teams that split their head-to-head series 1-1 a year ago, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the San Jose Sharks meet at the SAP Center in an East-West tilt. The matchup gets underway at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 1, and you can see it live on NBC Sports California.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. San Jose Sharks Odds
San Jose enters the game as the obvious favorite with a moneyline of -175. The line for Columbus sits at +155 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
The Sharks are 6-6 straight up (SU) and have lost 4.2 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 45-37 record that the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Of its 12 games this season, seven have gone over the total, while five have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 2-2 SU at home thus far.
San Jose’s converted on 22.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked sixth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 86.7 percent of all penalties.
San Jose, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties 4.4 times per game this season, a number that’s swelled some from last year’s 3.4 penalties per game the team surrendered. After serving an average of 8.3 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 10.6 minutes per matchup this season.
Sporting a .902 save percentage and 24.7 saves per game, Martin Jones (5-4-1) has been the top option in goal for the Sharks this season. If head coach Peter Deboer chooses to give him a rest, however, the team might turn to Aaron Dell (1-2-2 record, .921 save percentage, 2.59 goals against average).
Brent Burns and Timo Meier will both spearhead the attack for the Sharks. Burns (15 points) has put up three goals and 12 assists and has recorded multiple points four times this year. Meier has nine goals and five assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in nine contests.
Columbus is 6-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 11 regular season matches, seven of its games have gone over the total, while four have gone under the total and none have pushed. Columbus’ 3-1 SU as the visiting team this season.
Columbus has converted on just 13.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the bottom-five overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 27th overall and it’s successfully killed off 71.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Columbus’ skaters have been whistled for penalties only 3.5 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 3.1, which was the lowest mark in the league. After serving an average of 7.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to kill penalties for 7.3 minutes per matchup this season.
Sergei Bobrovsky (25.6 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus. Bobrovsky owns a 2-5 record, while registering a .882 save percentage and 3.58 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Blue Jackets, the offense will be facilitated by Artemi Panarin, who has 10 assists and five goals this year.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. San Jose Sharks Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
The over has hit in four of San Jose’s last five games.
The Sharks are 2-2 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Blue Jackets are 1-1 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
After going 5-3 in games decided by a shootout last year, San Jose is off to a 0-2 start in shootouts this season. Columbus was 6-4 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
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