Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks - 4/23/22 NHL Picks and Prediction

The San Jose Sharks get set to host the Chicago Blackhawks with an overall record of 30-35-12. This mark places them 7th in the Pacific division. Through 77 games, the Sharks have scored 199 goals, giving them an average of 2.56. This output gives them a rank of 31st among NHL teams. On defense, San Jose is the 20th ranked unit, giving up 3.16 goals per contest. So far, the Sharks have played the 5th toughest schedule in the league. And, when taking into account San Jose's scoring margin relative to the quality of their competition, they come in with a power ranking of 24th in the NHL.

Through 78 games, the Chicago Blackhawks' leading goal scorer is Alex DeBrincat. With his 36 assists, he is the second in overall points, coming in at 76. On the season, he is turning 15.6% of his shots into goals. In addition, the Blackhawks have benefited from the strong play of Patrick Kane, who is the team's overall leader in points. In Chicago's 78 games, he has come up with 26 goals on a shooting percentage of 9.4%. However, when on the ice, the Blackhawks are -19 in scoring differential. Chicago's top goalie is Marc-Andre Fleury, who is giving up an average of 2.95 goals per game.

Through 72 games, the San Jose Sharks' goal and overall scoring leader is Timo Meier, with 73 points. He has reached his mark of 33 goals, on a shooting percentage of 10.8%. So far, 36.0% of his goals have come during power play time. Behind him is Tomas Hertl, who has 34 assists to go along with his 28 goals. However, when on the ice, the Sharks are -9.0 in scoring differential. San Jose's top goalie is James Reimer, who is giving up an average of 2.83 goals per game. In his 46 games played, he has turned in 29 quality starts, giving him a quality start percentage above the league average.

In Chicago's 78 games, the over has hit in over half of their games, going 40-33-5. So far, taking the over when the Blackhawks are playing away from home has been a good bet with an over-under record of 21-15-3. On the season, 60.0% of Chicago's games have gone for at least 6 goals or more, with 43.0% of the scoring coming from the Blackhawks. Coming into this game, the Sharks have an over-under record of 31-45-1. When playing at home, the over is hitting less than half the time, going 15-23-1. On the season, 44.0% of San Jose's games have gone for at least 6 goals or more, with 44.0% of the scoring coming from the Sharks. With an over-under line set at 6 goals, I see this matchup falling below that number. Throughout the season, each team has struggled to find the net as they are each below-average units at generating shot opportunites.