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

clutchpoints.com

28 December 2023

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

A Western Conference showdown will be the talk of the town in the "Teal Town" as the Edmonton Oilers take on the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Oilers-Sharks prediction and pick will be revealed.

A Western Conference showdown will be the talk of the town in the “Teal Town” as the Edmonton Oilers take on the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Oilers-Sharks prediction and pick will be revealed.

After a pair of back-to-back wins to finally get themselves back to the .500 mark, could the Oilers finally be heading in the right direction as the regular season marches on to the month of January? It hasn't been all that impressive for an Edmonton squad that is only two years removed from making it to the Western Conference Finals, and the Oilers will need to continue to dig themselves out of the hole that they put themselves in to begin the yer. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of season left to get steered in the right direction before it is too late.

Ladies and gentlemen, the San Jose Sharks are a bad hockey team. Believe it or not, the Sharks have once again found themselves in the midst of a long losing streak as their most recent defeat at the hands of the LA Kings has pushed their losing ways to a six consecutive game. Overall, the Sharks are an underwhelming 9-23-3 but did happen to beat the Oilers by a score of 3-2 back on Nov. 11th.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

NHL Odds: Oilers-Sharks Odds

Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (-178)

San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-140)

Over: 6.5 (+108)

Under: (-132)

How to Watch Oilers vs. Sharks

Time: 10:10 ET/7:10 PT

TV: ESPN+

Why The Oilers Will Cover The Spread/Win

In order for the Oilers to cover the spread and take care of business in a swift fashion, there is no doubt that Edmonton will need to make it a priority to eliminate as many scoring chances as possible on the San Jose side of things. When taking a closer look at the bigger picture, there is no doubt that the Oilers can score in flurries, but it has been the defense that has left much to be desired.

Over the course of the 31 regular season games that have been in the books up to this point, the Oilers are having no trouble scoring, but instead are allowing opposing offenses to do whatever they want to them. As a whole, Edmonton is surrendering 3.42 goals per game which is simply not gonna cut it if the Oilers want to get their season turned around. Luckily, tonight's matchup versus the Sharks could serve as a “get right” game for this defense as San Jose only scores 2.11 goals per contest on average.

With a lack of scoring threats on the San Jose bench, this game is right there for the taking if you are Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner. Although the 25-year-old netminder is ranked ninth in the league with a 12-9-1 record, he has posted a sloppy .886 save percentage which could be improved upon. In general, the Oilers could end up outscoring the Sharks even if Skinner doesn't bring his A game, but if he serves as a human wall in between the pipes of this one, then a spread-covering victory in favor of Edmonton could be well on its way.

Why The Sharks Will Cover The Spread/Win

No matter how you look at this San Jose Sharks team, it is hard to come up with any positive aspects of their play. On paper, San Jose struggles to score, has a difficult time in keeping the puck out of their own net, and is often extremely undisciplined when they cannot afford to be. To make matters worse, but it appears that the Sharks lack the overall talent on both ends of the ice to remain competitive night in and night out.

All in all, the one facet of tonight's game that could help San Jose finally get back in the win column will be due to a splendid performance by a goaltender in the crease. Unfortunately for San Jose, the Sharks are suiting up a trio of net minders in this one thanks to starter Mackenzie Blackwood coming down with an illness. While it is yet to be seen who will get the starting nod on this Thursday night, a masterful performance is going to be needed considering the Sharks defense is in for a tall task versus an Edmonton offense that knows how to score goals at a premium.

If all else fails, be on the lookout for the red-hot play of forward Fabian Zetterlund who has found himself on a three-point streak. Simply put, good news has been hard to come by for this club, but the continued playmaking prowess of Zetterlund could be just what the doctor ordered to help San Jose cover the spread.