Liontips
San Jose vs. Calgary: NHL Match Prediction
In the final game of the NHL game day on December 29, San Jose will play against Calgary. The Sharks were close to success the day before, but were unable to put the squeeze on Vegas and ultimately lost big in the third period. The Canadians got more time to rest, and during the season they did not look their best in away games. This season, the opponents have not met each other yet, although they are in the same division. What will the first game be like? Read our forecast
Command Analysis
San Jose Sharks
USACurrent form
San Jose is in 15th place in the Western Conference standings and has 28 points after 38 games. The team from California was close to the playoff zone, but due to poor results, it risks ending up in last place again. The Sharks started December well, but at the moment the hosts have a series of six defeats in a row. Before the break, the Sharks clung to points in Edmonton (2:3, OT), but two days later lost in Vancouver (3:4). After a short break, Ryan Warfovsky charges failed in the game against Vegas at home (3:6). The Californians were leading at the start of the third period, but conceded four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes.
The hosts remain the most conceding team in the conference. On average, the red light behind the San Jose goal comes on 3.66 times per game, while at home this figure is slightly better - 3.59. Alexander Georgiev continues to appear on the ice in the starting lineup after the team change. The Russian played four games for the Sharks and reflected only 86.56% of shots.
Mikael Granlund remains the Sharks' leading scorer with 34 points (11+23) in the goal+assist system. William Eklund is next with 27 points (7+20). MacLean Celebrini and Fabian Zetterlund are gradually catching up, earning 26 points each.
Disqualifications and injuries
Logan Couture and Vitek Vanecek remain on the injured list, while William Eklund, Klim Kostin, Marc-Eduard Vlasic and Jake Wahlman are questionable.
Interesting trends for betting
- San Jose averages 24 hits per game
The Sharks play tough against their opponents and make a lot of power plays.
- The Sharks have managed to win six games on their home ice
San Jose has earned most of its points on its home court this season.
Calgary Flames
CanadaCurrent form
Calgary continues to fight for a place in the top eight in the West. The Canadians are in ninth place in the conference, with 39 points after 34 starts. At the moment, the club from the province of Alberta is two points behind Vancouver, which is in eighth place, while other teams have not yet pulled away too much. The Flames played five games on home ice before the break and were able to earn only 60% of the points. The Flames beat Florida (3:0), but then suffered two disappointing losses to Boston (3:4, OT) and Ottawa (2:3, OT). The very next day after the match against the Sens, Mikael Backlund team was stronger than Chicago in a shootout (6:4).
The visitors have not always been reliable on their own half of the ice in the second half of the month. Calgary has allowed 29 goals in the last eight games and has seriously worsened its defensive performance. Dustin Wolf has become more often on the ice during the winter. The Canadian has stopped 91.03% of shots and has two clean sheets in the current regular season.
Jonann Huberdeau is the only visiting player who is among the league top 100 scorers. The forward has only 25 scoring actions (13+12), but even so he remains the most useful forward in the Flames' lineup. Overall, the Canadians are playing rather poorly in attack and still haven't broken the 100-goal barrier.
Disqualifications and injuries
Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland are in the visiting team infirmary. Andrey Kuzmenko has not yet confirmed his participation in the game.
Interesting trends for betting
- Calgary is getting 9.56 penalty minutes per game.
The Alberta club has a poor discipline record and often receives more than four penalties per match.
- The Lights are averaging just 29 shots per game.
The visitors don't bother the opposing goalkeepers very often.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
In the last three games involving the Sharks, the first period has been high-scoring
1.70Bet 3rd period: San Jose will score
Calgary has conceded in the third period in its last three games.
1.52Tip and bets
It is time for San Jose to end their losing streak, especially since it could have ended the day before in a match against the conference leader. The hosts are regularly let down by their weak defense, but the Sharks play quite well in attack. Calgary remains an exclusively home club that does not show good results on the road. The Fire have not looked very good in their last matches in Canada, and now they will need some time to get into the game. We believe that the Sharks will win and take two points.
We're betting on San Jose to win the match for 2.40
Bet on individual total
San Jose scores 3.18 goals per game on home ice and generally converts its chances well. Calgary is not as reliable on the road and allows almost four goals per game on the road. The Sharks are extremely motivated to go forward, because Ryan Warfovsky men have no hope for defense. We expect at least three accurate shots from the Sharks.
We take the individual total of "San Jose" over 2.5 goals for 1.82
Total Bet
San Jose rarely plays boring games and is still the most conceding team in the conference. Calgary can hardly be called a scoring team, but the Canadians concede a lot on the road and will be forced to go forward. Matches between the opponents are often bright, so we will play a bet on the total over goals.
We bet on total over 5.5 goals with odds of 1.63
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