NHL Odds, Pick & Preview: Sharks vs. Coyotes (March 30)
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images. Pictured: James Reimer.
- The Sharks are road favorites tonight against the Coyotes.
- Arizona hasn’t won in two weeks, but San Jose’s lineup is pretty banged up.
- Jonny Lazarus breaks down the matchup and makes his betting pick below.
Sharks vs. Coyotes Odds
| Sharks Odds | -145 |
| Coyotes Odds | +120 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Sharks and Coyotes are set to meet for the second time in a two week span.
The Arizona Coyotes are hoping their luck will change as they look to end their six-game losing streak when they take on the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks are keeping their playoff hopes alive as they are only ten points out of it. San Jose has won three out of their last four contests.
San Jose Sharks Looking to Heat Up
The Sharks have gotten the best of the Coyotes in the first two meetings between them this season. They recently met on March 20 in San Jose when the Sharks won by the score of 4-2 on home ice. This time, they will be on the road in Arizona for the first time this season.
The Sharks are missing some key members from their lineup due to injury. Kevin Labanc and Mario Ferraro will be out and Logan Couture, Matt Nieto, along with Jonathan Dahlen are all questionable. Despite having all of these question marks in their lineup, the Sharks have been able to find ways to win thanks to the play of their goaltender James Reimer.
Reimer is 3-0-0 in his last three starts, defeating the Coyotes, Flames and Ducks. This season, Reimer is 18-13-6 with a .917 save percentage and a +4.6 GSAx.
San Jose's team defense hasn't necessarily been as good as they would have liked this season, they average 3.11 goals against per game, but one area of their game that they are proud of is their penalty kill. The Sharks have the fifth best penalty-kill unit in the league, successfully killing penalties at a 86.6% rate, luckily for them, their opponent doesn't pose much of an offensive threat.
Arizona Coyotes Desperate to Find a Win
The Arizona Coyotes haven't won a game since March 15, and a large part of that is their lack of offensive production. During their six-game losing streak, the 'Yotes have only scored a total of nine goals.
Offense has been a problem for Arizona all season long as they are tied with the Montreal Canadiens with 167 total goals on the year, which is tied for least amount amongst all NHL teams. Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz have both had excellent seasons, but aside from them there is a huge drop off in offensive production. Keller has 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points in 65 games, while Schmaltz has 19 goals, 26 assists for 45 points in 47 games.
As bad as the Coyotes are offensively, they are almost just as bad on their own end. They allow the fourth most goals against per game, giving up 3.58 per game. Karel Vejmelka is the expected starter for Arizona. It's been a tough year for him, but he continues to give his best effort night in and night out. He has a .904 save percentage and a 3.42 GAA.
Sharks vs. Coyotes Pick
There's no other way to put it, the Coyotes have just been absolutely horrible during this stretch and they have nothing to play for, whereas the San Jose Sharks still have a shot at getting to the postseason.
Reimer has shown up to play in his last three starts and had a .920 save percentage the last time he faced the Coyotes. The Sharks also have the advantage in rest, since they haven't played since Saturday and the Coyotes will be playing their third game in four nights.
This one is simple for me, I'm going with the better team. I think San Jose takes this one.
Pick: Sharks -145
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