The Montreal Canadiens and San Jose Sharks face off on Friday in an NHL showdown at the SAP Center. Let's check out our Canadiens vs Sharks Prediction.
Sharks Defense Continues to Struggle
The Sharks might go down as one of the worst teams in NHL history and if they do that will be because of the defense. In the last game the Sharks faced off against the Seattle Kraken and the defense gave up seven goals on the way to the defeat. They gave up four goals in the first period and they couldn’t ever bounce back. Again they had to use two goaltenders and that has been normal for this team. The Sharks are averaging 1.47 goals while the defense is giving up 4.31 goals per game.
Sharks Betting Trends
- The Sharks have won each of their last five games as underdogs against the Canadiens.
- The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 11 games following a road loss.
- The Sharks have lost the third period in each of their last 11 games as underdogs following a road loss.
- The 'Over 2.5 Goals Period 1' market has hit in three of the Sharks' last four games following a road loss.
Canadiens Hope to Build Momentum
The Canadiens haven’t had the best season, but they are coming off a big victory on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks. The Canadiens scored four goals and that was enough for the one goal victory. Alex Newhook had a strong game putting up two goals. The Canadiens are averaging 2.86 goals while their defense is giving up 3.53 goals per game. The Canadiens need to attack the weak defense of the Sharks.
Canadiens Betting Trends
- The Canadiens have lost five of their last six games as favorites following a road win.
- The Canadiens have covered the puck line in nine of their last 10 games against Pacific Division opponents.
- The favorites have won the second period in each of the Canadiens' last five games.
- The 'Over 1.5 Goals Period 1' market has hit in each of the Canadiens' last four games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
Shane’s Free Pick
This game is going to be a comfortable victory by the Canadiens. The Sharks offense isn’t going to do much but the bigger concern is the defense and it’s going to be a major problem here. The Canadiens are going to have no issue running up the score here against the Sharks defense and that will be the difference here. Back the Canadiens.
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
