Both Teams Jockeying for Playoff Position
In what could easily be a Stanley Cup Final preview, the streaking Boston Bruins will host the San Jose Sharks at the TD Garden on Tuesday. Boston is one of the hottest teams in the league right now, having secured at least one point in 13 straight games and winning nine of those matchups. Conversely, the Sharks have gone on a bit of a run of their own, winning seven of their last 10 games and inching within three points of the Calgary Flames for top spot in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet Pacific, NBCS California (San Jose), NESN (Boston); LINE: Sharks -113; O/U: 6 Over -133.
It was just one week ago that the Bruins defeated the Sharks in an exciting 6-5 final in San Jose. It was an epic night for long-time veteran Joe Thorton, who registered a hat-trick, but it wasn’t enough to stop the surging Bruins. Since then, the Bruins have only continued to win. They’ve now pulled away from Eastern Conference Wild Card Spot and have been able to maintain a slim three-point lead over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Sharks will be out for revenge in a game that they likely should have won against the Bruins. They were up late in the third, but surrendered a last-minute tying goal and ultimately the OT winner. We’ll be eager to see how they respond.
This, That and a Dart Throw
The San Jose Sharks are 38-18-8 on the season. Nyquist, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, put together back-to-back seasons of 28 and 27 goals in 2013-15 and scored 21 times last season. Nyquist may play alongside Joe Thornton, who had a hat trick against the Bruins last week could be playing his last game in Boston. The Bruins are the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 1997. Sharks captain Joe Pavelski has six goals and five assists in his last seven games, including one and two versus Boston.
The Boston Bruins are 37-19-9 on the Season. Marcus Johansson scored a career-high 24 goals in 2016-17. He then spent two injury-ravaged seasons with New Jersey. That included sitting out more than 2 1/2 months when he took an elbow to the head from Boston’s Brad Marchand that gave him a concussion. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said the incident will not be an issue going forward for Johansson. Johansson has scored in six games and had as many assists over the past 13 games.
PREDICTION: Bruins 4, Sharks 3
NHL Betting Odds & Trends
| San Jose Sharks |
|---|
| San Jose is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games |
| San Jose is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose’s last 6 games |
| San Jose is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games on the road |
| San Jose is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games on the road |
| The total has gone OVER in 11 of San Jose’s last 15 games on the road |
| San Jose is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston |
| San Jose is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Boston |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of San Jose’s last 6 games when playing Boston |
| San Jose is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Boston |
| The total has gone OVER in 8 of San Jose’s last 11 games when playing on the road against Boston |
| Boston Bruins |
|---|
| Boston is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games |
| Boston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games |
| Boston is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home |
| Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home |
| Boston is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing San Jose |
| Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Jose |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games when playing San Jose |
| Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against San Jose |
| The total has gone OVER in 8 of Boston’s last 11 games when playing at home against San Jose |
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