Jets Visit Sharks as NHL Betting Underdogs on Tuesday Night

Jets Visit Sharks as NHL Betting Underdogs on Tuesday Night

Written by on January 23, 2018

A two-game winning streak will end on Tuesday night as the Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks both bring one into their final meeting of the regular season – although it’s possible they could meet up in the playoffs. The Sharks are solid home NHL betting favorites.

Winnipeg at San Jose NHL Betting Analysis & Pick

When: Tuesday, 10:30 PM ET Where:  SAP Center, San Jose TV: NHL Center Ice, CSNCAL Stream: NHL.tv Radio: 1290 AM (Winnipeg) / KUFX-FM 98.5 (San Jose) Opening NHL Betting Lines: Sharks -120, Jets +110 (5.5)

Season Series

They are tied 1-1, with each winning at home. On Nov. 25 in San Jose, the Sharks won 4-0. Logan Couture scored two goals and Martin Jones had 38 saves. Couture scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway at 13:13 of the second period for his 13th goal of the season to give the Sharks a 3-0 lead. Couture took the puck from just past the San Jose blue line, faked a shot as he approached goalie Connor Hellebuyck and then backhanded the puck into the net. San Jose improved to 18-5-2-2 all-time against Winnipeg. The Jets, however, got payback on Jan. 7, 4-1. Mathieu Perreault scored twice, and Hellebuyck made 31 saves. Matt Hendricks and Marko Dano also scored for Winnipeg. Perreault restored Winnipeg’s two-goal cushion with a power-play goal late with 58 seconds left in the second. Perreault added an empty-netter, giving him 12 goals. Couture had a power-play goal for San Jose. Jones made 26 saves.

Why Bet on Winnipeg?

The Jets (28-13-7) have a one-point lead over Nashville atop the Central Division. They have won two straight thanks to Hellebuyck as he allowed just one goal on Saturday in Calgary and shut out Vancouver on Sunday, 1-0. Hellebuyck made 29 saves vs. the Canucks for his fourth shutout of the season and the Jets extended their home winning streak to six games. Patrik Laine scored his team-leading 21st goal in the first period. Hellebuyck was named the NHL’s second star of last week on Monday. The young netminder appears to have finally taken the next step in his development, as he is 25-6-6 on the year with a 2.29 GAA and .926 save percentage.  The win also improved Hellebuyck’s personal record against the Pacific Division to 11-1-0 this season. There were some anxious moments when Hellebuyck took an inadvertent stick in the eye from team mate Josh Morrissey late in the game when the Winnipeg defenseman was battling in the crease with Canucks forward Thomas Vanek. Winnipeg has played 17 games this season that have been decided by one goal and have collected points in 16 of those, going 9-1-7. The Jets have scored only one goal in regulation time in each of the last four games. Because they’ve been good defensively, they have two wins and two losses over that span. In the last two games, the Jets generated plenty of offensive chances but struggled to put the puck in the net. The Jets will need another outstanding defensive effort against a very stingy Sharks team (fifth in goals against per game at 2.61).

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Goals: 3.25
  • Shots: 32.33
  • PP/PK Percentage: 25
Defense
  • Goals: 2.67
  • Shots: 31.79
  • PP/PK Percentage: 17.96

Why Bet on San Jose?

San Jose (26-14-6) won for the fifth time in six games Sunday, 6-2 in Anaheim the night after an impressive 2-1 home victory over Pittsburgh. Mikkel Boedker scored two goals and picked up an assist vs. the Ducks. Boedker took a pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic before firing a perfect snap shot in behind a screened John Gibson for his 100th career goal. Boedker then followed it up with a goal on a 3-on-1 rush. The Danish forward is now up to seven goals and 15 points in 38 games this season. Joe Thornton found the back of the net and registered an assist in the win. He now has five goals in his last six games. That gives him 13 goals and 35 points in 46 contests this season. Thornton is now No. 16 for all-time points in the NHL with 1,426. Brent Burns’ point streak has reached four games. Burns kept that run going by registering an assist vs. the Ducks. Burns now has seven goals and 38 points in 46 games. John Klingberg is the only defenseman with more points this season. Are the Sharks a safe bet on Tuesday? Aaron Dell stopped 33 of 35 shots vs. Anaheim. Dell has not suffered a regulation loss since Nov. 18, going 10-0-2 since then. Dell is the first Sharks goalie to have 12 straight decisions without a regulation loss since Evgeni Nabokov in Oct.-Nov. 2009 (9-0-3). Dell has made only 20 starts this season, but he’s 12-3-2 with a 2.17 GAA and .929 save percentage. Dell has made the Sharks barely notice that starter Jones has been injured. He is 5-0-1 in January. Since returning from the bye week on Jan. 13, San Jose is fifth in five-on-five scoring rate (3.1 goals for/60 minutes), compared to 28th before their bye (1.91). Where the Sharks also could have an advantage is their penalty kill, which is third best in the league at 84.1%.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Goals: 2.91
  • Shots: 32.78
  • PP/PK Percentage: 22.84
Defense
  • Goals: 2.65
  • Shots: 30.26
  • PP/PK Percentage: 15.75

Latest NHL Betting Trends

  • Winnipeg is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
  • Winnipeg is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg’s last 6 games
  • San Jose is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
  • San Jose is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 12 of San Jose’s last 17 games at home

Expert Prediction & NHL Betting Pick

Think San Jose wins the game but prefer the total – under – to the side.