The San Jose Sharks and the Edmonton Oilers are in a tough battle for their objectives: the former are chasing a wild-card spot, while the latter are fighting for first place in the Pacific Division. Expect an intense game and a duel between two leaders of different generations, Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini.
San Jose Sharks
After three excellent games between late March and early April, when the hosts took six points from six and he was involved in nine of their 12 goals, the hosts have hardly slowed down (two wins in their last three), although the 19-year-old delivered a more modest two-point return. The main downside is that over the past 10 days their only defeat came against a direct play-off rival, the Nashville Predators (3:6). On the positive side, Ryan Warsofsky’s side have now gone six games in a row without scoring fewer than three goals.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have also eased off after five straight wins, but even an overtime defeat against the Utah Hockey Club (5:6 OT) allowed them to stay top of the Pacific Division. However, their advantage over the Vegas Golden Knights comes only from the number of regulation-time victories. They also usually score at least three goals per game (in six of their last seven). In the most recent games against the Golden Knights (1:5) and the Utah Hockey Club, almost all of the offensive burden has fallen on Connor McDavid (128 points in 78 games), because third-top scorer Zach Hyman (31 goals) has joined Leon Draisaitl on the injured list.
San Jose Sharks vs Edmonton Oilers Prediction
There are major concerns about both teams’ defence, with at least 3.33 goals conceded per game, so with this level of attacking quality they are likely to rely primarily on offence. All three of their previous head-to-head meetings this season have produced clear overs, with at least seven goals, so we are backing the straightforward option of the over 6 goals bet.
