The late game on the NHL schedule features the Philadelphia Flyers beginning the western portion of their five-game road trip by visiting the San Jose Sharks at 10:30 p.m. ET Thursday at the SAP Center at San Jose.
Each team is second last in their respective NHL standings. The Flyers are 11-17-7 with 29 points in the Metropolitan Division, a distant 13 points from the New York Islanders, who are ahead of them. The Sharks are 11-19-6 with 28 points and are seven points from the next-best team, the Vancouver Canucks, in the Pacific Division.
The playoffs seem a long way off this season for these NHL teams, as the Flyers are 14 points behind and the Sharks are 12 points off. But both teams can swiftly get back into the playoff hunt with a streak of winning NHL games.
Philadelphia Flyers vs San Jose Sharks Odds
Last game records
The Flyers have yet to win on their holiday road trip. Last time out, they lost at the Carolina Hurricanes, 6-5, and it wasn’t until a trio of third-period goals got the Flyers back into the game. They allowed a pair of power-play goals in four attempts, and NHL player stats show goalie Samuel Ersson permitted five goals on 30 attempts before being pulled for Carter Hart, who allowed one goal in seven shots faced.
The Sharks lost Tuesday, 6-2, to the Vancouver Canucks despite having a 26-25 shot advantage. Timo Meier has both goals, and Erik Karlsson had assists on both of them for the Sharks, which included one on the power play. Goalie James Reimer stopped 19 of the 25 shots he faced.
Philadelphia Flyers vs San Jose Sharks Betting Analysis
The NHL odds show the Sharks are favored to win on home ice. They are -160 on the moneyline and have a puck line of -1.5 goals at +160 odds. The Flyers are +135 on the moneyline with a puck line of +1.5 goals at -195. The over/under is 6.5 goals, with +100 odds on the over and -120 on the under.
Here is a breakdown of Flyers vs Sharks betting.
Philadelphia Flyers Analysis
The Flyers have fared better defensively this season. They are 20th in allowing 3.4 goals per game and allowing 32.3 shots per game. Their penalty kill is 24th in doing so 74.5% of the time.
Offensively, the Flyers are 29th in scoring 2.6 goals per game and 28th with 29.3 shots per game. They are second worst on power plays, converting 15.2% of the time.
Right-wing Travis Konecny is the team’s leader in points with 32 and goals with 15. He is second with 17 assists. Center Kevin Hayes is tops with 21 assists and second with 30 points. No other players have reached 20 points yet this season.
If Carter Sandstrom (illness) is unable to go, that would likely leave Ersson in net. He got his first start of the season in that game against the Hurricanes.
San Jose Sharks Analysis
The Sharks have been among the best in the league with their special teams play. They are the top team in the league at killing off 84.9% of penalties. They are 14th in converting 22.8% of power play chances. It hasn’t translated into wins, though.
The Sharks are 27th defensively in allowing teams to score 3.6 goals per game, though they are 12th in holding teams to 30.6 shots per game. Offensively, the Sharks are 23rd in scoring 3.0 goals per game while ranking 25th with 29.5 shots per contest.
Karlsson leads the team with 48 points and 35 assists, while Meier leads the team with 20 goals and is second with 36 points. Center Tomas Hertl is third in points (32), goals (11) and is second in assists with 21.
Kaapo Kahkonen is the projected starter between the pipes. He is 3-8 with one shutout this season and has a goals-against average of 3.83.
Updates
The NHL injury report shows decisions to be made on both teams. The Flyers list goalie Felix Sandstrom questionable with an illness and Hart out until early January with a concussion. They have already lost center Sean Couturier to a back injury into February and center Tanner Laczynski, who is out indefinitely with a lower body injury. Two others are out for the season.
The Sharks have defenseman Matt Benning questionable with an undisclosed injury, and fellow defenseman Markus Nutivaara is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. They lost center, Luke Kunin, for the season last week with a knee injury.
Philadelphia Flyers vs San Jose Sharks Betting Preview
The Sharks have been a profitable pick for those who do Flyers vs Sharks betting in the past.
The Sharks won the first meeting between these teams 3-0 on Oct. 23 in Philadelphia. It extended the series streak of three straight wins and made it seven victories in the last eight meetings with the Flyers, who are 4-24-2 in the last 30 meetings with the Sharks.
The Flyers have been profitable for NHL expert picks as they are 21-14 against the spread and 16-17 on over/unders this season. The Sharks have also been kind to NHL picks, as they are 19-17 against the spread and 22-13 on over/unders this season.
Breaking it down further, the Flyers are 20-11 against the spread as underdogs of 1.5 goals on the puck line. They are 0-1 as moneyline underdogs in the 126-150 range.
Meanwhile the Sharks are 2-5 as puck line favorites of 1.5 goals or more. They have not been favored by more than -175 this season.
Philadelphia Flyers vs San Jose Sharks Betting Prediction
The Sharks have played better at home with a 3.11 goals for and 7.00 total average in home games compared to overalls of 3.03 and 6.67. The Flyers have been worse on the road, with 2.50 goals for and 5.89 total goals compared to 2.57 and 5.94 overall. Expect the Sharks to be stronger earlier in the game and the Flyers stronger later in the game if season averages play out. Flyers vs Sharks betting data shows 56% of bets are on the Flyers’ moneyline while the over/under is a 50-50 split. We like the Sharks to win at -160 odds.
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