Toronto Maple Leafs vs San Jose Sharks Prediction 4/2/2026 Today’s NHL Picks

In this article, we will formulate a Maple Leafs vs Sharks Prediction for this NHL game on Thursday, April 2nd. Let’s take a look at the prediction for this NHL matchup.

San Jose Sharks Preview

The Sharks have 77 points this season with a 35-31-7 record, and are 43-30 ATS and 35-36 in over/under. They have a 19-12-5 home record and a 16-19-2 road record and are sitting 6th in the Pacific Division. They are coming off a 4-3 home win over the Ducks, and their previous three games were a 5-4 home win over the Blues, a 3-2 road win over the Blue Jackets, and a 2-1 road overtime loss to the Blues.

Offensively, the Sharks are averaging 3.04 goals per game and are scoring 21.3% of their power play opportunities. Defensively, they are allowing 3.55 goals per game and are killing 78.7% of their opponent’s power plays.

Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks with 105 points and 40 goals, adding a team-high 65 assists. Yaroslav Askarov is the starting goalie for the Sharks, and he has a 21-17-3 record, with 3.52 GAA and .887 SV%. Alex Nedeljkovic is the backup goalie and he has a 14-13-4 record, with 2.97 GAA and .893 SV%.

Toronto Maple Leafs Preview

The Maple Leafs have 77 points this season with a 32-30-13 record, and are 32-43 ATS and 41-28 in over/under. They have a 18-12-8 home record and a 14-18-5 road record and are sitting 7th in the Atlantic Division. They are coming off a 5-4 road overtime win over the Ducks, and their previous three games were a 5-1 road loss to the Blues, a 4-3 home win over the Rangers, and a 4-2 road win over the Bruins.

Offensively, the Maple Leafs are averaging 3.12 goals per game and are scoring 19.7% of their power play opportunities. Defensively, they are allowing 3.47 goals per game and are killing 81.7% of their opponent’s power plays.

William Nylander leads the Maple Leafs with 71 points and 45 assists, while John Tavares leads the team in goals with 28. Joseph Woll is the starting goalie for the Maple Leafs, and he has a 15-14-6 record, with 3.22 GAA and .904 SV%. Anthony Stolarz is the backup goalie and he has a 10-9-3 record, with 3.30 GAA and .893 SV%.

Toronto Maple Leafs @ San Jose Sharks Betting Trends: April 2, 2026

Why the San Jose Sharks will win

• The Maple Leafs have lost each of their last six games when playing with a rest advantage.
• The home team has won four of the Sharks’ last five games.
• The Sharks have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine home games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• The Maple Leafs have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last three games as underdogs following an overtime win.
• The Sharks have won the first period in each of their last five games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs will win

• The Sharks have lost four of their last five games as home favorites on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The underdogs have won each of the last three games between the Maple Leafs and Sharks.
• The Sharks have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine games as home favorites following a win.
• The Maple Leafs have covered the puck line in 18 of their last 20 games as road underdogs against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Maple Leafs have won the third period in each of their last five games against Pacific Division opponents.

Total Goals Facts

• Eight of the Sharks’ last nine home games on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Eleven of the Maple Leafs’ last 13 games against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone OVER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Maple Leafs’ last nine games after coming off overtime.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Sharks’ last four games following a win.

San Jose Sharks Player Prop Facts

• Macklin Celebrini has recorded at least one assist in four of the Sharks’ last five home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Macklin Celebrini has scored at least one goal in five of the Sharks’ last six night games at SAP Center at San Jose.

Toronto Maple Leafs Player Prop Facts

• Auston Matthews has scored a goal in each of his six previous appearances in night games at SAP Center at San Jose.
• Oliver Ekman-Larsson has recorded at least one assist in seven of his last eight road appearances against the Sharks.

Matchup/League Facts

• The San Jose Sharks rank 31st in the league for goals against per game this season (3.55).
• The San Jose Sharks have recorded the equal-most wins when trailing after Period 2 this season (7).
• The Toronto Maple Leafs rank T29th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.47).
• The Toronto Maple Leafs rank T5th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (81.73%).

Maple Leafs vs Sharks Prediction

The Sharks won their previous meeting against the Leafs this season by 3-2 in overtime on the road and have won their last three meetings against the Leafs, including back-to-back wins in Toronto. 

In this Maple Leafs vs Sharks Prediction, the Sharks are coming as -120 home favorites. The Sharks are just one point behind the playoff places of the West so they need every point they can get. They have started to get hot with three straight wins, having scored 9 total goals in their last two games, but they are on the second leg of a home back-to-back. The Leafs are also 3-1 in their last 4 games, having scored at least four goals in three of their last four games and instead of picking a side, I will go with the over 6.5 goals in this one.

Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Over 6.5