San Jose Sharks vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
San Jose’s 12 consecutive losses have surpassed their season-opening streak of 11 games and is only five losses away from tying the franchise record of 17 games set by the 1992-93 team.
The Habs won their most recent game at home at home and are looking to improve their 8-10-2 record in front of their faithful fans.
Puck drop from Centre Bell in downtown Montreal is set for 7:00 PM EST. Keep updated on our moneyline, puckline and Over/Under for Thursday’s matchup on our NHL odds.
Sharks vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
This will be the second and final meeting of the season between San Jose and Montreal, with the Habs taking a 3-2 shootout win in the shark tank back in late November. The Habs came back from down 2-0 in that one to force overtime and help Cayden Primeau record his second win of the season.
Tonight could be the best opportunity for the Sharks to snap their current skid. Catching the Canadiens on the backend of a back-to-back, in which they went to a shootout and had to travel home. San Jose has also had very good fortune in the Bell Centre winning each of the past five games there, dating back to January 2018.
With the worst record in the NHL, also comes a terrible record on the spread at 15-26 for the Sharks. Over their past six games, they are averaging just 1.1 goals per game, scoring more than one just once over that stretch, while allowing 4.3 goals against. They are 4-6 on the OVER/UNDER in their past 10 and 16-23-1 on the year.
Montreal has covered the spread 25 times through 40 games this season, more than any team in the Atlantic Division and third most in the Eastern Conference. Their ability to cover speaks to their ability to come back in games and push them to overtime. They have gone to extra time a league-leading 15 times this year already.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks were embarrassed 7-1 in Toronto on Tuesday night for the 12th consecutive loss. San Jose Coach David Quinn marked it as “arguably their worst game of the year, from start to finish, every facet of the game”.
They held the Leafs off the board until the dying minutes of the first period, before giving up two goals to end the frame. Toronto picked up where they left off in the second, notching two more in the opening two minutes.
Defenceman Henry Thrun’s first NHL goal was the lone goal for the Sharks in this one as the Leafs would score three more in the third to put the nail in the coffin.
Kaapo Kahkonen was pulled after allowing four goals in 22 minutes, and replaced by Mackenzie Blackwood who also let in three. The Sharks were doubled in shots 46-23 not giving their netminders much of a chance anyway.
San Jose has completed half of their schedule and won only nine games. At this rate, they are looking to have the worst regular season record since the 2020 Red Wings, who won 17 of 71 games.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens have been seeing decent results lately despite playing quite low-quality hockey. They are 2-1-1 in their past four games while being outshot a whopping 158-81 in that stretch.
They kept that trend alive last night, in their 3-2 shootout loss in Philadelphia as they were outshot 39-19. The Habs only hit the net twice in the first period but managed to put both shots past the Flyers goalie, giving them a 2-1 lead after one. Philly added a powerplay marker midway through the second and the game stayed tied at two for the rest of the night. Montreal was out of luck in the shootout resulting in the defeat.
The Habs’ three-goalie rotation has been solid this season, with each netminder proving their worth in goal. Last night Cayden Primeau made 37 saves to keep the team in it and was far and away the team’s best player. He, Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault all have above a .900 save percentage and are a big reason why the Canadiens are just five points out of a playoff spot.
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