Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the NHL match.
The mood at Madison Square Garden is poor: so far, the New York Rangers have lost all four home games. Even the visit of the San Jose Sharks does not guarantee them their first win.
New York Rangers
Worse still, only in their fourth home game did the New York Rangers score their first goal: just 57 seconds in, Artemi Panarin scored against the Minnesota Wild; he has 2+5 in eight games. However, the outcome was again disappointing. Despite the efforts of Igor Shesterkin (93.5% save percentage), they again lost (1:3). This contrasts sharply with their away results: the team comfortably beat the same opponents, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, on the road (6:1 versus a home 0:3), taking seven of a possible eight points.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks have been in New York since the beginning of the week. On Tuesday, they went to Long Island to face the New York Islanders and lost by the smallest margin (3:4). They still have not won in the regular season. Their two points have come solely from taking two games to overtime.
New York Rangers vs San Jose Sharks Prediction
In the NHL, only the Ottawa Senators (33 goals conceded) have conceded more than the San Jose Sharks (29), so the New York Rangers have a real chance not only to score more than one goal but also to finally win. However, given the hosts’ weak home results, we remain sceptical and choose a plus handicap for the San Jose Sharks.
