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San Jose vs. New Jersey: NHL Match Prediction
San Jose snapped an eight-game losing streak and will try to win again at home on January 5. The Sharks have not yet lost their theoretical chances of making the playoffs, but are in the basement of the Western Conference. New Jersey is fighting for leadership in the East and is currently in second place. The Devils have lost three games in a row and intend to correct this situation in California. Are the hosts ready to give up points? Read about it in our forecast
Command Analysis
San Jose Sharks
USACurrent form
The Sharks have moved up to 14th place in the West and are ahead of Nashville in the conference standings. San Jose currently has 30 points after 41 games and the Sharks, while the Sharks have played more than their competitors. Ryan Warfovsky men are gradually falling behind the leaders and are now 14 points behind Vancouver, who are in eighth place. The hosts completely failed in December and have won only three games during the month. In the current home series, they have played Vegas (3:6), Calgary (1:3), Philadelphia (0:4) and Tampa (2:1). Few believed in the team from California in the match against the Lightning. However, Mario Ferraro team scored two goals and held on to a positive result until the final siren.
San Jose remains the conference most missed team. On average, the red light behind the hosts' goal comes on 3.59 times per game, but the Californians perform slightly better at home - 3.45. Alexander Georgiev was unable to help his partners after the trade from Colorado, so Yaroslav Askarov got his chance. The young goalie blocked 92.14% of shots and became the main hero of the match against the Lightning.
Mikael Grunlund remains the Sharks' offensive leader. The Finn has 35 points (11+24) in the goal+pass system and is constantly leading his teammates to the finishing shots. The first overall pick in the draft, MacLean Celebrini, also had a good debut. The talented Canadian scored 27 points (12+15).
Disqualifications and injuries
Logan Couture and Karl Grundstrom will be out of the upcoming fight due to injuries.
Interesting trends for betting
- San Jose is getting 8.54 penalty minutes per game.
On average, the Sharks are sent off at least four times per game.
- San Jose averages 24 hits
The Sharks play a pretty tough brand of hockey and do a lot of physical attacks.
New Jersey Devils
USACurrent form
New Jersey does not intend to drop out of the fight for leadership in the East and currently holds the second place in the conference. The Devils have earned 51 points in 41 games and are two points behind Washington. The Devils cannot relax, because they have played more than their competitors and, in theory, can drop as far as fifth place. The team led by Sheldon Keefe played strongly in the second half of December, but fell apart right before the New Year. The visitors have lost all three games in the current away series. Nico Hischier team could not cope with the pressure of Carolina (2:5) and lost to Anaheim (2:3) and Los Angeles (0:3). The match against the Kings was very viscous, but in the end the Kings still finished off their opponent.
The Devils have seriously slackened in terms of scoring chances and have scored only four goals in the last three games. New Jersey scores 3.29 goals per game on average this season, so the visitors are really on the decline now. Jesper Bratt (14+33) and Jack Hughes are fighting for the role of the team leading scorer. Both players have been invisible in recent games.
The Newark club has been showing good defense throughout the regular season and rarely concedes much. In the last four games, the Devils have conceded 13 times, which is a bad result for the team. Jacob Markstrom remains New Jersey starting goalie, but he hasn't always been good in December. The veteran has only blocked 90.88% of shots during the season.
Disqualifications and injuries
Ondrej Palat participation in the match is in question.
Interesting trends for betting
- New Jersey has an 83.5% power play neutralization rate
According to this indicator, the team ranks eighth in the league.
- New Jersey averages 3.22 goals per game
The visitors play well in attack and on average score more than three times per game.
Trends
Bet 2nd period: total over 1.5 goals
In two out of three matches between the teams, the second period was productive
1.50Bet 3rd period: San Jose will score
The Devils have conceded in the third period in three straight games.
1.65Tip and bets
San Jose has finally broken its terrible losing streak and is now looking to continue winning. The Sharks aren't always reliable on their half of the ice, but perhaps Yaroslav Askarov will be able to help the hosts climb out of the conference basement. New Jersey is clearly on the decline and the team from Newark lost to Anaheim, which is only slightly better than the Sharks this season. The teams have already met each other this season and Ryan Warfovsky men won by a narrow margin. We think they won't be routed this time. We offer a bet on a positive handicap for the first.
Prediction - San Jose win with Asian handicap (+2) for 1.60
Bet on individual total
San Jose is very weak in defense, so the Sharks always have to open up and go forward. New Jersey gives their opponents chances and has conceded quite a lot in recent games. On home ice, the Sharks score 2.85 goals per game, so we think they will be able to beat the Devils at least twice. Let bet on the home team goals.
We bet on the individual total of San Jose more than two goals with a coefficient of 1.60
Total Bet
This season, the teams have already played each other in California and then the meeting ended with a minimal victory for San Jose. Now we expect at least six accurate shots from the teams, because the Devils are not so successful in defense, but they should easily deal with the Sharks' defense. We suggest betting on the total over the goals scored.
We take the total over 5.5 pucks with the coefficient 1.67
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