San Jose Sharks Travel to Anaheim to Take on the Ducks

The San Jose Sharks will travel to the Honda Center on Sunday night to take on the Anaheim Ducks in a Pacific Division matchup. These teams played once this season, as the Ducks were able to pick up a 4-3 home shootout victory behind center Rickard Rakell’s two-goal performance. San Jose is seventh in the division (24-24-6, 54 points), while Anaheim is currently fifth in the division (26-21-9, 61 points). 

These two franchises should have a solid game against one another. Let’s dive into both teams to determine the best side to wager on here. 

Game Preview: San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks

The offenses have been putting up similar numbers so far this season as the Sharks are averaging 2.61 goals on 29.4 shot attempts per game while the Ducks are scoring 2.88 goals on 29.7 shots this season. 

For San Jose, right winger Timo Meier has been doing decently well as he recorded 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) but has scored just a single point in his previous four games. Compare that to center Troy Terry for Anaheim, as he has posted 46 points (27 goals, 19 assists) with four points in his previous five games.   

The Sharks are currently giving up 3.07 goals on 29.4 shot attempts per game this season but might be down to their third-string goalie after James Reimer is listed as out a few days before this game, and Adin Hill is on Injured Reserve. 

They would be down to third-string goalie Zach Sawdchenko, who is 0-1-0 in three games (zero starts) with 2.33 goals allowed and a 93 save percentage. The Ducks are allowing three goals on 33.2 shots against them so far and should have their starter John Gibson starting. As of this writing, he is 17-14-8 with a 91.1 save percentage and allowing 2.84 goals per game. 

San Jose Sharks at Anaheim Ducks Betting Prediction

These teams are a lot closer than you would expect, despite the injuries in the net for San Jose. The Sharks are a way better team in terms of the penalty kill as they are currently at 86.2 percent while the Ducks are sitting at 82.3 percent as a whole. The previous five games show San Jose is giving up 2.8 goals while Anaheim is allowing 3.6 goals during that stretch. 

Anaheim is currently 34-22 ATS this season, while San Jose is a respectable 27-27 ATS so far. All in all, go with the Anaheim Ducks to cover the puck line at home against a divisional opponent here. 

* All odds 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.