Liontips
San Jose vs. Philadelphia: NHL Match Prediction
San Jose begins the new calendar year with a meeting with Philadelphia on January 1. The Sharks previously lost at home and now they risk falling to the last place in the Western Conference again. The Flyers were recently in the playoff zone, but now they occupy only 11th place in the conference. In mid-November, the Flyers barely beat the Sharks in Pennsylvania. Will the hosts be able to win in California? 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 39 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 seven 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 respite, Ryan Warfovsky charges failed in the game against Vegas at home (3:6) and could not cope with the Calgary defense in the last game of 2024 (1:3). The hosts tied the score at the start of the second period, but they were not enough for more.
The hosts remain the most conceding team in the conference. On average, the red light behind the San Jose goal comes on 3.64 times per game, while at home this figure is slightly better - 3.56. Yaroslav Askarov got his chance in the game against the Canadians and was quite good at the last line of defense. The Russian reflected 93.80% of the shots and so far looks better than others in the goal line.
Mikael Granlund remains the Sharks' leading scorer with 34 points (11+23) in goals and assists. He is followed by MacLean Celebrini (12+15) and William Eklund (7+20), who have 27 points.
Disqualifications and injuries
Carl Grundstrom, Logan Couture and Vitek Vanecek remain on the injured list, while William Eklund 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.
Philadelphia Flyers
USACurrent form
Philadelphia was recently among the eight best clubs in the conference, but now the team from Pennsylvania is only in 11th place. The visitors have scored 36 points in 37 games and are four points behind Ottawa, which is in eighth place. The Canadians have a game in hand, so the Flyers cannot afford to lose points so as not to let their competitors go too far. John Tortorella charges did not play their best in December and won only five games in the first month of winter. Before Christmas, they were routed by Pittsburgh (3:7) at the start of the current away tour. After the break, Sean Couturier team won against Anaheim (3:1), but suffered a disappointing loss in Los Angeles (4:5). The Kings were leading after the second period, but conceded two unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes.
Philly has been consistently good in attack and hasn't left the ice without at least three accurate shots in the last six games. The Flyers have Travis Konecny, who is 20th in the NHL in points. The forward hasn't scored in the last three games, but that hasn't stopped him from earning 41 points (16+25).
The visitors have serious problems in defense and allow 3.68 goals per game on average. With the return of Samuel Ersson, the situation has improved, but the Swede does not have a strong replacement, because Carter Hart is still recovering from an injury. Alexei Kolosov took to the ice in the last match and stopped only 75% of the shots, having failed in the third 20 minutes.
Disqualifications and injuries
Ryan Ellis is in the visiting team infirmary.
Interesting trends for betting
- Philadelphia is receiving 8.46 penalty minutes per game.
The Pennsylvania club has a poor discipline record and often gets sent off more than four times per match.
- The Flyers are averaging just 27 shots per game.
The visitors don't bother the opposing goalkeepers very often.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
In four of Philadelphia six games, the first period was productive.
1.70Bet 2nd period: San Jose will score
The Sharks have scored in the second period in seven of nine games.
1.68Tip and bets
San Jose has lost seven games in a row and already deserves a win. Ryan Warfovsky team plays well on offense, but is regularly let down by weak defense. The hosts looked decent in the away game against Philadelphia and were close to winning in Pennsylvania. The Flyers have been scoring a lot in the second half of December, but the visitors' goalies are not helping their partners. We think that the Flyers' chances of winning in regulation time are not very high. We suggest betting on a double chance of the first.
We bet on San Jose not to lose at 1.85
Bet on individual total
San Jose scores 3.06 goals per game on home ice and generally converts their chances well. Philadelphia regularly fails in defense and has allowed three goals from the Sharks even on its own ice. We are confident that the hosts will definitely have scoring chances that Ryan Warfovsky charges are capable of converting. Let bet on three goals from the Sharks.
We take the individual total of "San Jose" over 2.5 goals for 1.85
Total Bet
San Jose rarely plays boring games and is still the most conceding team in the conference. Phil is hardly a reliable team and Sean Couturier squad often plays effectively. In November, the teams scored six goals between them in a duel in Pennsylvania. We think that there will be at least six accurate shots in this meeting.
We bet on total over 5.5 goals with odds of 1.68
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