Anaheim Ducks vs San Jose Sharks Betting Picks

San Jose just lost two of three (all at home) and scored eight goals. The offense has slipped to 18th in goals per game (3.04) and 15th on the power play. San Jose is a young, electrifying team that may have overachieved this season. In recent losses, they've looked gassed and haven't generated the high-quality scoring chances this team used to spark highlight reels earlier this season. The Sharks are now on a 19-12-1 run UNDER the total, and their lack of depth is showing. Anaheim has lost six in a row, netting just 14 goals. An upper-body injury to leading scorer Cutter Gauthier has not helped, as he has been out of the lineup since March 30. The offense ranks 25th on the power play and 24th in shooting percentage. We're getting a good price on this total based on midseason performance. Play San Jose/Anaheim UNDER the total. 

Anaheim will look to bounce back after losing two in a row following a four-game win streak. San Jose has won two straight following a six-game skid. The Ducks have won six of the past seven meetings, and they have won six of seven against the Pacific Division. The Sharks have lost four of five division games and are averaging just 2.28 goals over their past seven games. Lukas Dostal is the likely starter for Anaheim, and he is 29-16-3 with a 3.01 goals-against average. He has won 16 of his past 21 starts. Alex Nedeljkovic is 14-13-4 and has lost four of his past five starts for the Sharks while surrendering at least five goals in three of them. Take the Ducks. 

This is not precisely the marquee matchup on today's huge Saturday hockey card. Nonetheless, there is value backing the home underdog Sharks. San Jose came tantalizingly close to posting a significant upset in its opener on Thursday. The Sharks led the defending Pacific Division champion Golden Knights late in the game. Las Vegas tied it with less than two minutes left and then won in overtime, 4-3. The Sharks showed plenty of spunk. Now they are stepping way down in class. Anaheim is also 0-1. The Ducks opened with a disappointing, 3-1, road loss to Seattle. This was the first time in their five seasons that the Kraken had won their season opener. Anaheim has lost five games in a row, dating back to last season, averaging just 1.4 goals during this span. Take the Sharks.