| MATCHUP | Tampa Bay Lightning | San Jose Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 25-13-3 | 20-18-3 |
| Where | SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA | |
| When | Saturday, January 3, 2026 | |
| Time | 04:00 PM EST | |
| TV | ESPN+ | |
Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Preview
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Kings and Ducks, and they play the Avalanche next. The Lightning have won 6 straight games.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are averaging 3.35 goals per game and are scoring on 18 percent of their power play opportunities. Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 19 goals, Jake Guentzel has 23 assists, and Brandon Hagel has 105 shots on goal. Defensively, the Tampa Bay Lightning are allowing 2.65 goals per game and are killing 83.7 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Andrei Vasilevskiy has allowed 55 goals on 629 shots faced, while Jonas Johansson has given up 46 goals on 433 shots.
San Jose Sharks Betting Preview
The San Jose Sharks beat the Ducks and Wild, and they play the Blue Jackets next. The Sharks have won 3 straight games.
The San Jose Sharks are averaging 3.05 goals per game and are scoring 18.5 percent of their power play opportunities. Macklin Celebrini leads San Jose with 22 goals, Alexander Wennberg has 19 assists and William Eklund has 92 shots on goal. Defensively, the San Jose Sharks are allowing 3.45 goals per game and are killing 78.6 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Yaroslav Askarov has given up 81 goals on 780 shots faced, and Alex Nedeljkovic has allowed 49 goals on 466 shots.
Why the San Jose Sharks will win
- The Lightning have lost four of their last five games as road favorites following a road win.
- The Sharks have won each of their last three games as underdogs.
- The Sharks have covered the puck line in each of their last nine games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Lightning have failed to cover the puck line in six of their last seven games as favorites against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Sharks have won the second period in four of their last five games when leading after the first period.
Why the Tampa Bay Lightning will win
- The Lightning have won eight of their last nine day games.
- The Sharks have lost seven of their last eight day games following an overtime win.
- The Lightning have covered the puck line in six of their last eight games against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in three of their last four games as underdogs following a home win.
- The Sharks have lost the third period in six of their last seven day games against Eastern Conference opponents at SAP Center at San Jose when trailing after the second period.
Total Goals Facts
- Seven of the Sharks’ last eight games following a win have gone OVER the total goals line.
- Five of the Lightning’s last six games have gone OVER the total goals line.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Sharks’ last eight games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in six of the Lightning’s last seven day games against opponents on a winning streak.
San Jose Sharks Player Prop Facts
- Macklin Celebrini has scored a goal in each of the Sharks’ last four games as underdogs.
- Macklin Celebrini has recorded at least one assist in nine of the Sharks’ last 10 games at SAP Center at San Jose.
- Macklin Celebrini has scored a goal in each of his last four appearances – equal-longest active streak in the league.
Tampa Bay Lightning Player Prop Facts
- Jake Guentzel has scored the last goal in three of his last four appearances at SAP Center at San Jose.
- Brandon Hagel has recorded at least one assist in nine of his last 10 appearances against Pacific Division opponents.
- Nikita Kucherov has scored at least one goal in each of the Lightning’s last four road games against Pacific Division opponents.
- Janis Jerome Moser ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference for Plus/Minus (+29) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The San Jose Sharks have suffered the equal-largest margin of defeat in a road game this season (6-goals @ Avalanche on November, 26).
- The San Jose Sharks rank 32nd in the league for Period 1 goals allowed per game this season (1.15).
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank T4th in the league for goals per game this season (3.35).
- The Tampa Bay Lightning rank 4th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.65).
Tampa Bay Lightning vs San Jose Sharks Prediction
The Lightning are playing their best hockey of the season, with an offense that’s scored 4 or more goals in 6 straight games. The Lightning should like their chances here, considering they’ve won 8 of the last 10 games against the Sharks. The Sharks are having a nice week, and they’ve played their best hockey at home where they’ve won 11 games, but they have moments where the defense falls off a cliff. Not ideal when going up against a hot Lightning side. I’m riding the hot, more consistent team. Give me the Lightning, and I’ll lay the PL to shave down the price.