Neither the San Jose Sharks nor Nashville Predators were even expected to reach the Western Conference semifinals. But here they are and Nashville looks to even up the series at 2 in Game 4 at home on Thursday night. However, the Sharks are -350 on the odds and lines for the NHL Playoffs to win the series and Nashville at +290.
A Quick Analysis on San Jose at Nashville NHL Playoffs Betting Lines Game 4 & TV Info
When: Thursday, May 5, 9 PM ET
Where: SAP Center, Nashville
TV: CNBC
Opening NHL Lines: Predators -110, Sharks +100 (5)
Sharks at Predators Historic Betting Trends
After winning the first two games at home by a combined score of 8-4, the Sharks dropped Game 3 in Nashville 4-1. Shea Weber scored the go-ahead goal and had an assist, James Neal and Filip Forsberg each scored on the power play, Colin Wilson had a goal, and Pekka Rinne made 26 saves for Nashville. The Predators killed four penalties after the Sharks went 3-for-5 on the man advantage in the first two games. Nashville also went 2-for-5 on the power play after being 2-for-31 this postseason.
Weber was dominant at both ends of the ice and logged 24:02 of ice time. Many were calling for him to step up after going pointless and having a minus-2 through the first two games of the series. He has seven points in 10 playoffs games now. Wilson scored his third goal of the postseason on Tuesday. He gave the Predators a 3-1 lead in the third period in what eventually became a 4-1 victory. Wilson has recorded a point in each of his last four matches to give him eight points in the 2016 playoffs. He has elevated his game in the postseason after scoring just 24 points in 64 games during the regular season.
Nashville’s Colton Sissons managed to return to Tuesday’s contest after it looked like he may had suffered a significant left knee injury. With just under 14 minutes remaining in the third period, he was sent flying into the net and end boards by San Jose defenseman Brenden Dillon when he had a partial breakaway.
In a minor surprise, Mike Ribeiro was scratched in Game 3 against San Jose as a coach’s decision. Coach Peter Laviolette said it was just “a lineup decision I made” and he wouldn’t speak more about the matter. Ribeiro has one assist and a minus-3 rating in nine postseason matches. He has also won just 35 percent of his faceoffs. Pontus Aberg skated alongside Calle Jarnkrok and Viktor Arvidsson for most of his NHL debut in place of Ribiero. Aberg had two hits in 8:27 of ice time.
Patrick Marleau gave San Jose a 1-0 lead at 13:13 of the first period on a breakaway. Marleau split the Predators defense and beat Rinne to the loose puck. Marleau was able to skate around Rinne and shoot the puck into an empty net. The Sharks lost away from San Jose for the first time this postseason and for the first time since a loss at Arizona on March 17. The Sharks were the NHL’s best road team this season and set a franchise record for away wins.
Martin Jones was human in a Game 3 loss, allowing four goals on 25 shots in the Sharks’ first road defeat of the postseason. Jones has been terrific in the playoffs and has a 6-2 record to go with his 2.36 GAA and .914 save percentage despite this poor outing.
“The difference tonight was special teams,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “They got a couple power play goals and we didn’t cash in.”
Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said the Predators offered a slightly different look by being more aggressive on the penalty kill than they were in the first two games of the series.
Expert Betting Prediction
Like the Sharks to win Game 4 and take this series in five back at home.
