In their fourth and last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks take the ice at the Honda Center in a divisional showdown. The action will get going at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 11, and fans at home can watch the game live on NBC Sports California.
San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks Odds
With a moneyline of -165, Anaheim comes into the matchup as the heavy favorite. The line for San Jose sits at +145, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over).
San Jose is 29-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 33 of its matches have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2017-18 Sharks team is 14-15 SU on the road.
San Jose has converted on 24.0 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for fifth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked second overall, and the team’s successfully killed off a whopping 84.7 percent of all penalties.
The Sharks, as a collective unit, have been whistled for penalties 3.7 times per game overall in the 2017-18 season, and 2.6 per game over its last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.5 saves per game with a .912 save percentage, Martin Jones (16-20-6) has been the primary option in goal for San Jose this year. If San Jose chooses to rest him, however, the team might roll with Aaron Dell (14-10-3 record, .917 save percentage, 2.51 goals against average).
Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski will both be relied on to produce for the visiting Sharks. Burns has 47 points on nine goals and 38 assists, and has recorded two or more points 12 times. Pavelski has 14 goals and 28 assists to his nameand has notched a point in 30 games.
On the other side of the rink, Anaheim is 27-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 33 of its games have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 15-12 SU at home this season.
The Ducks have converted on just 18.1 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 is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Anaheim players have been sent to the penalty box 4.6 times per game in total this season, and 3.0 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays 8.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
John Gibson has stopped 29.4 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for the Ducks. Gibson has 20 wins, 21 losses, and six overtime losses and has maintained a .922 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average this season.
Rickard Rakell (22 goals, 23 assists) will lead the attack for the Ducks.
San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Sharks, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The Ducks are 18-15 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Sharks are 10-10 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
San Jose is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Anaheim is 3-5 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Anaheim’s last five games.
Anaheim has averaged 11.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 10.2 giveaways per game (ranked 21st).
San Jose is ranked 27th this season with 11.6 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as it’s averaged 7.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 4.4 giveaways over its last five.
The Ducks this season have tallied the fifth-most hits in the NHL (24.4 per game), but the club has averaged 29.6 over their past five games as the home team.
