New York Islanders vs San Jose Sharks Betting Picks

New York has won the past four meetings and six of seven against the Sharks. The Islanders have won five of their past seven games, although they look to snap a two-game skid after losing to Anaheim and Los Angeles. New York has gone UNDER in six of nine road games, and San Jose has stayed UNDER in 10 of 15 overall, including five of six against the Eastern Conference. The Sharks have lost six of their past nine games and 13 of 20 Saturday games. The Islanders are 20-12-2 UNDER on the road. San Jose is playing a back-to-back after losing 3-2 to St. Louis in a shootout on Friday night. Yaroslav Askarov is probable for the Sharks, and he has won his past two starts despite surrendering nine goals. Ilya Sorokin has won eight of his past 11 starts for New York, and he owns a 2.54 goals-against average with a league-leading six shutouts this season. Take the Islanders and the UNDER.

Rinse and repeat. That's the way it is with San Jose. The 0-5 Sharks are winless through at least five games for the fourth straight season. They have lost 16 in a row, going back to last season. Don't look for things to change here with the Sharks opening a four-game road trip by visiting the resurgent Islanders. New York opened the season with losses to the Penguins on the road, the Capitals, and the Jets. The Islanders outshot those three teams, 108-83, and have since won their last two games, beating the Oilers as a home underdog and the Senators as a road dog. New York is back on track. The same can't be said of San Jose. The Sharks haven't even held a lead during their last three games, losses to the Penguins, Mammoth, and Hurricanes by a combined score of 14-4. The Sharks allow a league-worst five goals per game, while only averaging 2.6, ranking them 26th. San Jose is losing by an average of 2.4 goals per game. The Islanders outscored the Sharks 8-3 in going 2-0 against them last season. Take the Islanders for the win. 

San Jose had the Dallas Stars on the ropes with a 6-3 third-period lead on Tuesday night and then the Sharks inexplicably gave up three goals in regulation before losing 7-6 in overtime. As bad as the Sharks are this season they still will want to redeem themselves after suffering such a meltdown in front of their home fans. Ths Sharks beat Dallas 5-4 in overtime on Dec. 5 the only time the teams have met this season and the Sharks have won five of the past eight meetings. New York seemingly has turned it around with new coach Patrick Roy and the Islanders have won four in a row. However, the Islanders are 1-8 their past nine games against opponents with losing records and they have lost five straight to Pacific Division teams. Also, New York is 0-6 on the road against teams with below .400 home winning percentages. Take the Sharks a a big dog Max Play.