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

Ahead of the Panthers-Sharks clash, it's time to release the NHL odds, a pick, a prediction and how to watch info for the game.

The Florida Panthers will look to continue their dominance over the San Jose Sharks in a late-night showdown on the ice! Join us for our NHL odds series where our Panthers-Sharks prediction and pick will be revealed.

The Panthers have had the Sharks number as of late. Then again, hasn't the entirety of the NHL been able to overcome the Sharks as of late? All jokes aside, Florida is a remarkable 9-0 in their last nine meetings versus San Jose and will be seeking a tenth straight victory later this evening. As of late, the Panthers have seemingly caught fire and have come out victorious in seven of their last nine games overall as they enter play with a 9-4-1 record.

On the other side of things, the Sharks have finally found ways to get into the win column. After a pair of consecutive wins in an attempt to change the tide of their historically awful start to the season, San Jose has fallen back on hard times with back-to-back losses to the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Panthers-Sharks Odds

Florida Panthers: -1.5 (-114)

San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-105)

Over: 6.5 (-110)

Under: 6.5 (-110)

How to Watch Panthers vs. Sharks

Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT

TV: ESPN+

Why The Panthers Will Cover The Spread/Win

While recent history suggests that the Panthers should have no issues in taking advantage of a lesser Sharks team this evening, they will still need to show up in order to avoid an embarrassing shortcoming.

For starters, starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has picked up right where he left off during last year's Stanley Cup appearance run with five-straight undefeated starts in between the pipes. Overall, Bobrovsky is 8-3-1 as starter this season and is only allowing 2.68 scores on average per contest. Clearly, this goaltending room is a massive advantage that the Panthers hold over the heads of the Sharks coming into this one and could be a contributing factor en route to covering the spread as -1.5 goal favorites.

Not to mention, but during their four-game winning streak, this offensive assault has seemingly found another gear lately. In each of those wins, the Panthers have scored at least four goals to go along with a defense that is making a case in being one of the top units in the league. With an impressive balanced style of play that they have been exhibiting recently, there is no one in the National Hockey League that wants to face-off with this Florida squad at the moment.

Why The Sharks Will Cover The Spread/Win

Okay, things are pretty bad in San Jose, but even a blind squirrel can find a nut once in a while… right? All in all, it is becoming evident that the Sharks are at a talent disadvantage a majority of the times while on the ice, but a solid effort and a wonderful goaltending showing is all that is needed to pull off an upset and finally overcome their struggles against the Panthers.

While one of the biggest story lines of this game will be about the Sharks having lost to the Panthers an unimaginable nine straight times, all San Jose can do is block out the noise and focus on the task at hand. With that being said, the Sharks will need to come up with a solution in regard to getting the puck out of their own zone and forcing the pressure offensively. In their most recent loss coming at the hands of the Ducks, it ended up being the Sharks that got outshot 44-26, which is a difficult deficit to recover from. Indeed, being the aggressor for the majority of the night will be critical, which means they need to bring the energy from the opening period to the last.

At a glance, net minder Mackenzie Blackwood's season-long stats don't impress by any means, but over the course of his last three outings, the 26-year-old has only given up a trio of scores on 117 shots total. Undeniably, this San Jose offense has been putrid. Shockingly, this unit has averaged 1.20 goals per game and have been nauseating to watch. Simply put, this needs to change in a big way.

Final Panthers-Sharks Prediction & Pick

Often times in sports, certain squads just happen to have another team's number. In this case, it is hard to imagine that the surging Panthers come out flat in this one given their recent historical success against the Sharks. Plus, San Jose is downright horrendous even if they are on their own ice.

Final Panthers-Sharks Prediction & Pick: Panthers -1.5 (-114)