Pittsburgh Penguins vs. San Jose Sharks Expert Analysis and Huge Prediction

The Pittsburgh Penguins and their 20-23-8 record are traveling to California to face the struggling San Jose Sharks and their 14-32-6 record at the SAP Center tonight.

Pittsburgh is a very heavy -165 favorite on the ML with San Jose sitting as the home underdog at +140.

We’re breaking down the odds, giving our expert analysis, and some tips to help you make a pick for this Monday night NHL matchup.

Penguins vs. Sharks Betting Odds and Analysis

The Penguins are coming off a much-needed 5-2 win over the Sabres the other night but have really struggled to maintain any amount of consistency this season.

Pittsburgh’s offense averages 2.92 goals per game, which is not what we’d call great, but still slightly better than San Jose’s 2.63. Despite this, their defensive issues have kept them outside playoff contention in the highly competitive Metropolitan Division.

Sidney Crosby leads the charge for Pittsburgh with his 52 points in 51 games, and his playmaking undoubtedly remains the team’s backbone.

On the other side of the rink, the Sharks are spiraling with a 1-9-0 record in their last 10 games.

San Jose has the 2nd-worst record in the Pacific Division and has struggled both offensively and defensively. They don’t have anything that they can really rely upon.

Their leading scorer, Mikael Granlund, has just 43 points, but the team has been plagued by inconsistent goaltending and several big injuries. Alexandar Georgiev’s 3.65 goals-against average ranks among the worst in the NHL, and his .876 save percentage doesn’t inspire much confidence, either.

The Penguins won the previous matchup between these teams a few months back in November, edging out a 4-3 shootout win. While both teams are far from their best, Pittsburgh’s firepower and veteran leadership give them the edge over the dwindling Sharks.

Penguins: Defensive Stability

Pittsburgh’s defense is pretty shaky as they’ve been giving up 3.63 goals per game. However, Alex Nedeljkovic has been solid between the pipes recently, improving his .893 save percentage slightly over the past few weeks.

One of the keys to the game will be the Penguins’ defensive unit avoiding mistakes to keep the Sharks’ struggling offense at bay. It won’t take much, but mistakes are where the Sharks can capitalize.

Sharks: Lack of Offensive Depth

San Jose’s inability to score consistently is just one of their many glaring issues.

They have averaged just 2.63 goals per game, and their power play unit sits near the bottom of the league. Without Tyler Toffoli (day-to-day with a nagging lower-body injury), they’ll struggle even more against a Penguins team capable of capitalizing on turnovers.

Injuries and Momentum

As we touched on, both teams are dealing with some injuries to key players.

For Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell are all listed day-to-day. It doesn’t look like any of them will start tonight which will hurt the Pens, but it won’t be catastrophic.

San Jose’s Tyler Toffoli and Nico Sturm remain questionable which just further depletes an already thin lineup.

The Penguins’ recent win over Buffalo gives them some momentum coming into tonight, while the Sharks’ poor form has left them looking for answers — answers we don’t think they’ll find in tonight’s game.

Our Prediction and Best Bet

The Sharks are in absolute disarray. Of course, their offense and defense are terrible, but it’s their goaltending woes that make it hard to trust them in this matchup.

Pittsburgh, while not what we’d call flawless, does have a superior roster and better offensive weapons, even if they’re a bit injured. We’re going to look for Sidney Crosby to take charge and Alex Nedeljkovic to provide just enough stability in the net to secure the win for tonight.

• HelloRookie’s Prediction: Penguins 4, Sharks 2
• Best Bet: Penguins on the moneyline (-165)

Our best bet is easily on the Penguins for the moneyline at -165. It’s not the best odds, but it’s a pretty quick win. For a decent value bet, you might want to take the Penguins -1.5 on the puck line at +145, as their offense should overpower a depleted Sharks squad or at the very least, get an empty-netter in the final seconds of the game.