San Jose at Winnipeg

Tonight caps a breakout year for the San Jose Sharks, who improved from a 20-win season last year to 38-35-8 thanks to a youth movement led by Macklin Celebrini (44G, 68A). The team's leading scorer was one of 12 rostered players born in 2000 or later, and the outlook for San Jose in the years to come couldn't be better. On the other side of the coin, this was a terribly disappointing year for the Jets, who missed the playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy in 2024-25. Winnipeg went 13-10-2 since the Olympic break, but allowed 3.16 GPG, even with Connor Hellebuyck starting most nights. The Jets' offense struggled down the stretch against teams like Dallas, Boston, and Philadelphia — all playoff clubs. However, when facing opponents with weaker defensive structures like the Sharks, Winnipeg was 9-3-1 while averaging 3.15 goals per game. Home finales are a 59% OVER play league-wide since 2018, and when massive, lopsided favorites are excluded, the totals climb to 44-23 OVER (66%). The Jets are going to let loose in this finale, but the Sharks' offense should feed off the energy and do its part as well. Bet the Sharks/Jets OVER.