The Colorado Avalanche (18-15-0) travel to face off against the San Jose Sharks (11-18-5) on Thursday, December 19th. This game will be played at SAP Center in San Jose and televised on NBCS. Both the Avalanche and Sharks will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30 ET.

Avalanche vs Sharks

The Colorado Avalanche Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

With a 5-2 loss to the Predators, the Avalanche now sit at 18-15-0 for the season. Colorado’s defense held firm in the first period, but things unraveled as the game went on, with the Predators scoring five unanswered goals after the Avalanche took an early lead.

The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 7 goals surpassed that mark. Colorado, as underdogs on the puck line, failed to cover. Cale Makar opened the scoring at 17:06 in the second period before Nashville responded with five straight goals.

The San Jose Sharks Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

San Jose fell to 11-18-5 with a 3-2 road loss to the Canucks. The Sharks were underdogs on the puck line, and the total of 5 goals fell short of the 6.5 set before the game.

The Sharks took a 1-0 lead in the second period, but the Canucks tied it up later in the same period. In the third, San Jose fell behind 2-1 before tying it up again, only for Vancouver to score the game-winner with just 26 seconds left in regulation.

Colorado Offense Breakdown

Cale Makar opened the scoring for the Avalanche, netting his 5th goal of the season on a power play in the second period. Nathan MacKinnon added his 6th goal late in the third. Makar also picked up his 16th assist on MacKinnon’s goal, while MacKinnon earned his 14th assist on Makar’s earlier tally. Devon Toews contributed with his 2nd assist of the season.

The Avalanche fired 30 shots on goal but struggled with giveaways, recording 23 in the game.

Sharks Offense Breakdown

San Jose’s offense was held to just two goals in their 3-2 loss to Vancouver. Nico Sturm netted his second goal of the season, while Mikael Granlund added his sixth, which came with just 1:17 left in the game. The Sharks took 23 shots on goal but were unable to convert on any of their 16 giveaways.

Luke Kunin picked up his third assist of the season on Sturm’s goal, while Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund earned their fifth and seventh assists, respectively, on Granlund’s late tally. The Sharks were shut out in the first period before getting on the board at the 17:23 mark of the second period.

Colorado Team Defense

Defensively, the Avalanche gave up five goals on 23 shots from the Predators, with goaltender Justus Annunen making 21 saves and posting an 87.5% save percentage. Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the second period, but their defense allowed Nashville to score the next three goals, including two power-play goals. The Predators added two more empty-net goals in the final minutes of the third period.

San Jose Team Defense

Defensively, the Sharks will be looking to bounce back after giving up a late goal to the Canucks with just 26 seconds left in the 3rd period, leading to a 3-2 loss. Mackenzie Blackwood made 25 saves with an 89.3% save percentage, while the Sharks’ defense added 6 takeaways and 21 hits.

Avalanche vs Sharks Trends

• Although Colorado has a straight up record of 3-2 in their last five road games, they have not held up as well vs. the puck line going 2-3. The team averaged 3 goals per game in these games.
• In their last three home games, San Jose has averaged 4 goals per game while allowing 4. The team’s record in this stretch was 1-2 while going 3-0.
• In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Sharks have a straight up record of 1-2 and an puck line mark of 3-0.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Avalanche have a straight up record of 3-2, while going 2-3 against the spread.

Avalanche vs Sharks Prediction

For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Sharks to pick up on a win over the Avalanche at home. With the moneyline sitting at +212, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Sharks straight-up.

Our projections have the Sharks pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Sharks, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

---

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

---

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.