Jets vs. Sharks prediction, odds, pick, how to watch

Another late-night conference matchup will be in the works on this NHL Tuesday night as the Winnipeg Jets make a business trip to the west coast to face-off with the San Jose Sharks. It is about that time to check out our NHL odds series where our Jets-Sharks prediction and pick will be made.

Another late-night conference matchup will be in the works on this NHL Tuesday night as the Winnipeg Jets make a business trip to the West Coast to face-off with the San Jose Sharksseries where our Jets-Sharks prediction and pick will be made.

Coming into this showdown with a four-game winning streak and recently knocking off of the Anaheim Ducks on the road by a score of 4-2, it appears that Winnipeg is starting to turn the corner into relevancy. At the moment, the Jets sit in third place within the Central Division Standings with their 16-8-2 record and are proving to many that they have what it takes this season to be a Western Conference playoff contender.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for a lowly Sharks squad that is just happy to find their way to the win column from time to time. Clearly, the entire sample size of San Jose's season has been ugly to say the least, but over the course of their previous three games, they've managed to win a pair of those in overtime and even took the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights to a shootout before coming up just a tad short. With an active three-point streak on the line, could San Jose end up giving Winnipeg a run for their money in front of the home fans?

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Jets-Sharks Odds

Winnipeg Jets: -1.5 (+126)

San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-152)

Over: 6.5 (+110)

Under: 6.5 (-134)

How to Watch Jets vs. Sharks

Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT

TV: ESPN+

Why The Jets Will Cover The Spread/Win

On paper, the Jets are clearly the more dynamic team than the Sharks thus far this year, but it would be a grave mistake if Winnipeg took San Jose for granted in mighty fashion. Without a doubt, in the wild world of the NHL, all it takes is a couple fortunate bounces to go your way to come out victorious.

In order to avoid a massive letdown, look no further than the netminder himself in Connor Hellebuyck to not let his team come out flat in this one. Believe it or not, but very few goalies from around the National Hockey League have been as effective in between the pipes as Hellebuyck. In terms of the raw statistics, Hellebuyck has sported a rock-solid 13-6-1 record when starting in the cage and also possesses a strong 2.45 GAA to go along with an elite .915 save percentage. Alas, there is very few elements of the goaltending position that the 30-year-old can't pull off, and he will clearly be a big reason why the Jets cover the spread as visitors.

Additionally, Winnipeg's 5-on-5 defense continues to swarm opposing offenses night in and night out as that could very well be the case once again in this contest. Not only do the Jets have one of the top defensive schemes that hockey has to offer, but their offense also boasts plenty of weapons while on the attack in opponent's zones including 13 goals over its previous four outings. With Winnipeg's consistent balance on both ends of the ice, there is no question that San Jose will have their hands full.

Why The Sharks Will Cover The Spread/Win

Don't look now, but could the tide finally be turning for this slumping franchise? While many analysts and fans of the sport fell in favor of poking fun at the Sharks when they started off the regular season with eleven straight losses, it appears that San Jose may be finding their footing. Slowly but surely, the Sharks are playing much-improved hockey as of late and are even giving some of the top squads in the league trouble over the past couple of weeks. Although they remain vastly irrelevant in the early-season playoff picture, don't sleep on the Sharks to continue to shock some folks!

For starters, the odds of San Jose covering the spread and coming out with a triumphant victory at home remain stacked against them, but the one biggest reason why the Sharks could have what it takes will be due to an aggressive offense that takes advantage of every opportunity they get. In what was a shocking development, the Sharks actually outshot the Golden Knights 38-27 and a repeated effort in this capacity could prove plenty of scoring opportunities even against a stellar defense like Winnipeg's. As is it stands, the Sharks rank dead-last in goals scored per game and goals against as well.

If the Sharks' lousy play comes into the fold again, then it will be up to goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to serve as the ultimate equalizer. Although Blackwood's numbers aren't anything to get excited about if you're a Sharks fan by any means, he does happen to have a decent amount of talent which could end up paying dividends.

Final Jets-Sharks Prediction & Pick

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, right? Call me crazy, but the Sharks keep this one close and end up continuing their recent stretch of stellar play.

Final Jets-Sharks Prediction & Pick: Sharks +1.5 (-152)