The San Jose Sharks and the Tampa Bay Lightning meet at Amalie Arena for an East-West matchup. The game gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 2 and it can be seen live on NBC Sports California.
San Jose Sharks at Tampa Bay Lightning Odds
Tampa Bay is 17-8 straight up (SU) and has netted 6.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked first in the league in this young season, is an improvement over the 42-40 record from last year’s regular sTeason campaign. Among the team’s 25 games this season, 14 have gone over the total, while 11 have gone under and none have pushed. The team is 9-3 SU at home this year.
The Lightning come into the matchup with the strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as the team has found the net on 27.4 percent of their extra-man chances this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.4 percent of all penalties.
The Lightning, as a collective unit, have been penalized 4.1 times per game overall this season, and 3.3 per game over their last ten matchups. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays for just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, in total.
Averaging 30.9 saves per game with a .932 save percentage, Andrei Vasilevskiy (16-5-1) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Bolts this season. If Tampa Bay chooses to give him a rest, however, the team might turn to Peter Budaj (1-3-3 record, .867 save percentage, 3.75 goals against average).
Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov will each look to continue their strong seasons for the Lightning. Stamkos (37 points) has tallied 11 goals and 26 assists and has recorded multiple points on 11 separate occasions this year. Kucherov has 17 goals and 19 assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in 19 games.
On the other side of the rink, San Jose is 14-10 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 17 of its matches have gone under the total, while five have gone over and just one has pushed. The Sharks are 7-3 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Sharks have converted on just 17.1 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked second overall and it’s successfully killed off 88.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
San Jose’s players have been whistled for penalties 3.7 times per game this season, and 3.0 per game over their past five match ups. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Martin Jones (.930 save percentage and 2.05 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose. Jones is averaging 25.1 saves per game and owns a 10-7-2 record.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Sharks will be Logan Couture (13 goals, eight assists) and Joe Thornton (four goals, 12 assists).
San Jose Sharks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Lightning, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
San Jose is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Tampa Bay is 1-1 in shootouts.
The under has hit in four of Tampa Bay’s last five outings.
Over San Jose’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-2 in those games).
