The Tampa Bay Lightning didn’t start the push to the playoffs on a winning note, getting blown out 7-1 last night by the Florida Panthers. The San Jose Sharks will be playing their first game since the All-Star break, with the trade deadline and NHL draft being the highlights for the rest of the Sharks’ season.
Tuesday night’s matchup is one between two teams heading in different directions. We’ll review the stats, trends, and odds before making our Sharks vs Lightning prediction and NHL picks today.
San Jose Sharks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Matchup Information
San Jose Sharks vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL.
Date and Time: Tuesday, February 7th, 2023.
How to Watch: ESPN1
Recent Scores
Tuesday night’s Sharks vs Lightning game is the second and final game in the 2022-23 season. The Lightning won the first matchup 4-3 back on October 29th, 2022.
Tampa Bay’s last game was last night, losing 7-1 to the Florida Panthers, while Tuesday night’s game will be San Jose’s first game since a 6-4 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 28th.
San Jose Sharks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Analysis
Sharks Struggle in Pacific Division and NHL Standings with Recent Losing Streak
The San Jose Sharks enter Monday night ranked seventh in the Pacific Division and 29th overall in the NHL standings. The Sharks have lost four of the last five games and have a 3-7 record in the last ten games.
The Sharks have a 7-3 over/under record in the last ten games.
The over is 7-1-1 in the Sharks’ last nine games against teams with winning records. San Jose is 0-4 in the last four meetings in Tampa Bay and 0-6 in the last six meetings overall.
Offensively, the San Jose Sharks are ranked 20th overall, averaging 3.06 goals per game, while the powerplay is ranked 23rd and converting at 19.4%.
Defensively, the San Jose Sharks stats explain the Sharks’ struggles this season. San Jose is ranked 29th in the NHL, giving up 3.75 goals per game, but the Sharks have had a very good penalty kill all season, ranked 6th and operating at 82.3%.
San Jose has the only player of note on the NHL injury report who is expected to return this season, with Nico Sturm listed as questionable for Tuesday night.
Potential Norris Trophy candidate Erik Karlsson leads the Sharks in NHL player stats with 66 points (16 goals, 50 assists).
We expect Kaapo Kahkonen to get the start for the Sharks on Tuesday night. Kahkonen has a 6-9-4 record, a 3.89 GAA, and a .871 SV%.
Lightning Remain Among NHL’s Best Teams Despite Recent Setback
Despite being on the wrong side of a one-sided beatdown last night after an uncharacteristically terrible night from Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Tampa Bay Lightning are still among the best teams in the NHL.
The Lightning enter Tuesday night ranked sixth overall in the league with a 32-16-1 record. The Lightning has won three of the last five games and has a 7-3 record in the last ten games.
Tampa Bay has a 5-3-2 over/under record in the last ten games. The over is 3-0-1 in the last four games against the Pacific Division.
The Lightning’s NHL stats are those of an elite team in the NHL. Tampa Bay is ranked fifth, averaging 3.57 goals per game, while the powerplay is ranked third overall, converting at 26.4%.
Defensively, the Lightning have not been as strong but remain in the top half of the league, ranked 14th, and giving up 3.00 goals per game, while the penalty kill is ranked 13th overall and operating at 80.5%.
Nikita Kucherov has scored eight points in the last five games and leads the Lightning in scoring with 73 points (20 goals, 53 assists).
After participating in the All-Star game and having a terrible outing against the Florida Panthers last night, we do not expect Andrei Vasilevskiy to play against the Sharks. We expect to get Brian Elliot to start against San Jose. Elliot has a 9-3-0 record, a 3.07 GAA, and a .903 SV%.
Odds Breakdown
Now that we’ve reviewed the stats and trends, we need to review where the Tampa Bay Lightning odds are on the NHL schedule today for our Sharks vs Lightning prediction and picks.
San Jose Sharks
Moneyline: It goes without saying that the NHL odds have the San Jose Sharks as heavy underdogs on the moneyline, with odds between +205 and +220. The Sharks have a 15-36 record straight-up.
Spread: The Sharks are listed at +1.5 on the puck line spread, with odds ranging from -110 to -118. San Jose has a 27-24 ats record.
Over/Under: The total goals line is set to 6.5 goals, which is typical for most NHL matchups. The over is listed from -109 to -115, while the under is listed between -105 and -109. The Sharks have a 33-16-2 over/under record.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Moneyline: The Tampa Bay Lightning are the moneyline favorite, with odds between -250 and -275. Tampa Bay have a 21-17 straight-up record.
Spread: The Lightning are listed at -1.5 on the puck line spread with odds from -105 and -110. The Lightning have a 24-25 ats record.
Over/Under: We’ve listed the over/under odds in the Sharks odds section. The Lightning have a 23-22-4 over/under record.
San Jose Sharks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Pick and Prediction
It’s time to make our Sharks vs Lightning prediction and make our NHL picks. Before we make our picks, we should note that the favorite is 6-0 in the last six games, and the over is 7-3 in the last ten games in Tampa Bay.
The first Sharks vs Lightning prediction is to take the favorite on the moneyline. Despite the terrible outing last night and playing on back-to-back nights, we’re taking the Tampa Bay Lighting on the moneyline. Tampa is the better team, should bounce back from the bad performance, and should make easy work of the Sharks.
Our second Sharks vs Lightning prediction is to take the Sharks to cover the puck line spread. San Jose has covered the spread in its last three games and in the first meeting with Tampa Bay this season. We think the Sharks can keep this game within one goal in the end but won’t win this one.
Our final Sharks vs Lightning prediction is to take the over. Tampa Bay is one of the better offensive teams in the NHL, and the Sharks have one of the better over/under records recently and in the league overall. Moreover, these two teams hit the over in their last meeting.
NHL Picks: Tampa Bay ML, San Jose +1.5, Over
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