San Jose vs Chicago Prediction
🔊 The "Indians" head out for their final away game of the season. San Jose remain in the playoff hunt, and facing the second-to-last team in the conference presents a prime opportunity to secure two points and narrow the gap to the playoff spots. Let's delve into the clubs' head-to-head history and examine statistical trends ahead of this NHL regular season matchup.
Head-to-Head
📊 Over the past three seasons, San Jose and Chicago have faced off seven times: the Sharks have claimed victory in two matches, while the Blackhawks have won five. Notably, the Hawks have been unable to defeat their opponent in regulation time on the road for four consecutive games.
H2H Stats Matches and Previous Teams Results
San Jose Sharks Team Overview
With a 3-6 defeat to the Nashville Predators last night, the Sharks saw their four-game winning streak and five-game point streak come to an end, complicating their playoff aspirations. San Jose currently sit tenth in the Western Conference standings, narrowly missing out on a top-8 spot due to tiebreakers.
Prior to their loss to the Predators, Ryan Warsofsky's squad had won three consecutive home games. Since the Olympic break, the Sharks have secured victories in 50% of their games at the SAP Center, earning points in two out of three matchups (66.7%). During this stretch, San Jose's offense has averaged 2.92 goals per game at home (9th in the conference), while their defense has allowed an average of 3.50 goals (also 9th in the conference).
Forward Ryan Reaves is expected to return later this week, while forward Logan Couture is out for the remainder of the season.
Match Results: San Jose Sharks
Chicago Blackhawks Team Overview
With a 4-2 victory over Seattle Kraken, Chicago snapped a five-game losing streak-a slump that officially knocked the Blackhawks out of playoff contention. The Blackhawks sit second-to-last in the Western Conference standings ahead of their final road game of the season. After their trip to San Jose, the team will face four consecutive home games before heading into the offseason.
On the road, the Blackhawks have managed just five wins since the league resumed in late February, winning 35.7% of their games. Jeff Blashill's squad hasn't impressed offensively during this stretch, averaging only 2.21 goals per game away from home-the worst in the conference-while conceding 3.21 goals on average, ranking them 10th in the conference.
Chicago's injury list includes Andrew Mangiapane and Oliver Moore, who are expected to return before the season ends. However, Shea Weber, Ryan Ellis, Artyom Levshunov, and Matt Grzelcyk will miss the remaining games.
Match Results: Chicago Blackhawks
⚡️ Key Players
The standout star in San Jose's offense, Macklin Celebrini, is unlikely to relinquish his spot among the top four scorers of the championship. The 19-year-old forward has racked up 106 points (41 goals, 65 assists). Celebrini has been on target in four of his last five games. No one comes close to his attacking prowess-Sharks' second-leading scorer William Smith has 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists). Alexander Wennberg has registered points in each of his last six games, while Dmitry Orlov has done so in his last five.
Leading Chicago's scoring race is Connor Bedard, who has accumulated 71 points (30 goals, 41 assists) this season. The Blackhawks' top sniper, Tyler Bertuzzi, has netted 32 goals. Both Connor Bedard and Ilya Mikheyev have scored in three of their last four outings.
🥅 Goaltenders
San Jose's playoff ambitions could be hindered by inconsistent goaltending. Alex Nedeljkovic has appeared in 11 games post-break, posting a save percentage of 88.3% and a goals-against average of 2.93. Yaroslav Askarov has played in nine games with an 87.5% save percentage and a GAA of 3.66. Recently, the American netminder has shown more stability.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks' goaltending stats are encouraging given Chicago's position in the standings. Spencer Knight has participated in 12 games since the season resumed, stopping 90.8% of shots with a GAA of 3.00. His backup, Arvid Söderblom, has played eight games from February to April, saving 90.0% of shots (GAA 3.40). Despite Knight conceding at least three goals in four of his last five appearances, his save percentage remains high.
Editorial Prediction
Despite the consistent performances from Chicago's goalkeepers, they face an overwhelming number of shots - both Spencer Knight and Arvid Söderblom allow an average of three goals per game based on their save percentage. Considering that San Jose have scored at least three goals in each of their last five games and in 10 of their last 11 head-to-head matchups against the Blackhawks on home ice, the individual total for San Jose Sharks over 3 goals seems like a reasonable choice.
Betting Tips: San Jose Sharks - Chicago Blackhawks
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