Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he breaks down and handicaps Saturday’s afternoon showdown between the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers.
Sharks vs. Oilers Odds
- San Jose Sharks Moneyline: +340
- Edmonton Oilers Moneyline: -450
- Puck Line: Sharks +2.5 (-145), Oilers -2.5 (+120)
- Game Total: 6.5 (Over -110, Under -110)
Game odds courtesy of Sports Interaction.
Handicapping the Sharks (11-24 SU, 24-11 ATS, 17-15-3 O/U)
San Jose lost its first nine games to start the season, but the Sharks had actually been a lot more competitive until recently. Between Oct. 28 and Dec. 3, San Jose went 10-6-3. However, that run ended with an 8-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and when the Sharks followed up that performance by allowing 52 shots on goal against the Florida Panthers, management said enough was enough, swapping goaltenders with the Colorado Avalanche.
The move did nothing to help the team. In fact, the move was likely made because Mackenzie Blackwood had performed well on a bad team, and therefore, other teams had interest in him. Alexander Georgiev, on the other hand, hasn’t shown as much promise. He did manage to win his first start as a member of the Sharks, but Georgiev has been one of the worst goaltenders this season, and he was just average for the Avalanche last season.
Per Evolving Hockey, Blackwood ranked 16th in goals saved above expected, meaning he performed significantly better than an average goaltender would have. Meanwhile, Georgiev ranks among the bottom-10 goaltenders. Georgiev has allowed four goals in each of his last two games, and he’s only held the opposition to two or fewer goals in six out of 21 games this season. Blackwood was able to do that seven times, and he wasn’t playing on a good defensive team like Georgiev was.
There does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini is living up to the hype. Celebrini started slow with just four points in his first seven games, but he’s been on fire since. The 18-year-old has scored eight goals and 10 assists in his last 16 games, giving him more points per game on the season than rookie scoring leader Matvei Michkov, who has played four more games. William Eklund has also had a solid start to the campaign. With 26 points in 34 games, he’s well on his way to setting a career high in goals, assists, and points. Mikael Granlund leads the team with 11 goals and 32 points in 33 games.
The Sharks don’t seem to be underperforming. In fact, if anything, this team is exactly where it should be.
Handicapping the Oilers (19-13 SU, 12-20 ATS, 14-17-1 O/U)
Edmonton is rolling, with 10 wins in its last 13 games, but the Oilers didn’t play their best game against the Florida Panthers, and frankly, they were lucky to win Thursday’s game against the Boston Bruins. Per Evolving Hockey, not only did Boston hold a lead for the majority of the game, but they also controlled approximately 65 percent of the expected goals in the contest. The Oilers did win, though, and they will likely continue to do so as long as their top players are playing like they are.
Connor McDavid will carry a seven-game point streak into Saturday’s game, and he’s registered at least one point in 15 of 18 games since he returned from injury. Leon Draisaitl will also carry a seven-game point streak into the game, but he’s on a seven-game multi-point streak and has two or more points in nine of his last 11 games. Zach Hyman also stayed hot on Thursday, scoring his eighth goal in seven games since returning to the lineup. Hyman has scored in each of his last four games and seven of his last eight games.
There’s also the fact that Edmonton has dominated this matchup, winning nine of its last 10 meetings against San Jose. The Oilers are 10-1 versus San Jose since the start of the 2021-22 season, with their lone loss coming at the tail end of Jay Woodcroft’s tenure as head coach. Edmonton has outscored the Sharks 9-2 and 5-0 in the last two meetings, respectively, and 54-20 over the last three seasons. However, while Stuart Skinner is 5-1 against San Jose in his career, it’ll be Calvin Pickard that likely gets the start on Saturday.
After all, this will be the first half of a back-to-back for Edmonton, who host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday in their final game before the holiday break. Pickard should be able to handle this matchup, though, as he has been a solid backup since joining Edmonton last November. Pickard has won seven of his 10 starts this season, including four of his last five outings. Not to mention, he’s only allowed more than three goals once this season, and that was more than two months ago.
Best Bet for Sharks vs. Oilers
With the Oilers being such a huge favorite, both on the moneyline and the puck line, the wise strategy is to back individual players. As mentioned, all of Edmonton’s top stars have been performing at their best, and backing them all to have success in various player prop markets over this recent run would have netted quite a return.
Zach Hyman Anytime Goal (+140) at Sports Interaction
When Edmonton last hosted San Jose on April 15, 2024, Sports Interaction priced Hyman’s anytime goal prop at -105 odds. This time around, Hyman’s odds of scoring are sitting at +140. That’s not the case at every sportsbook, though. Some shops have Hyman at +100, so it’s a good opportunity to take advantage of odds that are borderline egregious. As mentioned, Hyman has seven goals in his last six games, but he’s also scored in four out of his last eight games versus San Jose, including the last two in a row.
Leon Draisaitl Over 1.5 Points (-120) at Sports Interaction
Not only has Draisaitl registered at least two points in each of his last seven games, but 17 of his last 24 games have been multi-point performances after only registering multiple points in two out of his first 10 games. Additionally, Draisaitl has scored at least two points in four out of his last five home games against San Jose, including each of the Sharks’ last three trips to Edmonton.
