NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Sharks vs Flames (Thursday, April 18)
Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Calgary’s Blake Coleman.
Sharks vs. Flames Odds
| Sharks Odds | +220 |
| Flames Odds | -270 |
| Over / Under | 6 -120o / +100u |
Here's everything you need to know about the San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames on Thursday, April 18 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Neither Calgary nor San Jose will be making the playoffs, so this is each squad's final chance to make a statement before the summer. Let's preview the upcoming contest and offer a Sharks vs. Flames prediction and pick.
This has been a miserable campaign for the Sharks, and the only consolation for them is that it's almost over.
Regardless of the outcome here, they'll finish with the worst record in the league. But if San Jose wins, it will at least gain the small comfort of reaching 20 victories, a feat the Sharks were last unable to accomplish during the shortened 1994-95 campaign.
Reasons to believe San Jose can win this game are few, but not nonexistent.
Sure, the Sharks rank 31st offensively with just 2.21 goals per game — which has actually dipped to 2.13 over their past eight contests — but at least some of their forwards are rolling. William Eklund has been providing hope for the future with six goals and 15 points over his past 13 games. That surge has brought the 21-year-old up to 16 goals and 45 points in 79 contests.
Fabian Zetterlund has been doing great, too, providing five goals and 11 points over his last 12 outings to bring the 24-year-old up to 23 goals and 43 points in 81 games.
It would at the very least make for a nice story in San Jose if a terrible season ended with a win that was powered by the franchise's youth movement.
Still, it's hard to see Eklund and Zetterlund being the difference on their own, especially when the Sharks are likely to struggle at their own end.
As bad as the offense has been this campaign, it's defense and goaltending that have truly sunk the Sharks — they're dead last with 3.96 goals allowed per game.
Perhaps Georgi Romanov will get his first NHL start after saving 16-of-17 shots in a relief appearance during Monday's 9-2 loss to Edmonton. However, the 24-year-old goaltender has a 3.14 GAA and a .904 save percentage in 29 AHL outings, so he's unlikely to do well if given the opportunity.
The alternative is Devin Cooley, who has a 4.36 GAA and an .882 save percentage in five appearances.
The team in front isn't likely to help whoever the starter is. The Sharks rank 32nd in xGA/60 (3.79), which suggests that San Jose would be letting in plenty of goals even with adequate goaltending.
The reality is any team has the potential to run up the score against San Jose, just as Minnesota did in Saturday's 6-2 Wild win or the Oilers did in their 9-2 victory Monday.
In fact, San Jose has allowed six or more goals a staggering 18 times this season — it's just as common for the Sharks to surrender six or more goals as it is for San Jose to allow two or fewer.
However, the Flames didn't have that kind of big game in their first two meetings against the Sharks. Calgary earned a narrow 3-2 overtime win April 9 and suffered a 6-3 defeat to the Sharks on Feb. 15.
Calgary's offense ranks 19th with 3.06 goals per contest this campaign, so the Flames certainly aren't the scariest out there, but they do have scoring threats. Nazem Kadri and Blake Coleman are each one marker away from 30, while Yegor Sharangovich has surpassed that mark at 31.
Compared to the Sharks, who have no players who have even provided 25 markers and just one (Zetterlund) with over 20, the Flames' trio is a force to be reckoned with.
Lately, Andrei Kuzmenko has been a big part of the Flames' attack too. Although he's been limited to 22 goals and 45 points in 71 contests, down from 74 points in 2022-23, the 28-year-old has supplied an impressive nine goals and 16 points over his past 10 appearances.
While those forwards give Calgary some of the tools necessary to take advantage of the Sharks' leaky defense, Calgary might have its own goaltending issues.
The campaign can't end soon enough for Jacob Markstrom, who has a 3-8-0 record, 3.50 GAA and .872 save percentage over his past 11 outings. Dustin Wolf has done no better, posting a 3.63 GAA and an .872 save percentage across his last five contests.
Clearly, this contest shouldn't be projected to be a goaltending duel.
Sharks vs Flames
Betting Pick & Prediction
Oddsmakers are billing the Flames as heavy favorites, which speaks more to the Sharks' struggles than Calgary's strength.
The trouble is that even on the puck line, where the spread is 1.5 goals in favor of San Jose, the potential return isn't great. Instead, I'd rather recommend the over of six goals.
While it's true that San Jose doesn't have a great offense, the Sharks do have some hot forwards and both teams are set to feature poor goaltending, so I anticipate this being a fairly high-scoring affair.
Pick: Over 6 (Play to -120)
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
