Writer: Sean Sloan
I’m liking the Sharks tonight. They are 3-0 in elimination games this postseason. This series has been tight, total goals are Avs: 16 Sharks: 17. Both teams are 1-2 on the road, so that favors the home team here. No team has been able to get back to back wins all series, which also points to the Sharks. Pavelski may be making his return, and I think it is a good possibility he does make his return. With Pavelski added to the lineup I think the gives the Sharks an emotional boost, as well as adds their captain into the lineup. On top of Pavelski’s possible bump to the team, the Sharks have been shutting down MacKinnon and Rantanen as of late holding them point-less in Game 5 and Game 6, which I don’t know if they will be able to do in Game 7. The Sharks have outshot the Avs in this series 183-161, with the highest shot total between either team being the last game played in San Jose where the Sharks took 39 shots and got the win in Game 5. The Sharks are averaging 30.5 shots per game compared to the Avs 26.83, and in San Jose the Sharks are averaging 33 shots compared to the Avs 27 shots. I expect this game to be tight as expected in most Game 7s. I see the Sharks outshooting the Avs, similar to Game 5 where the shots were 39-22 in favor of the Sharks. San Jose gets it done in front of a rowdy home crowd.
My Play: San Jose Sharks ML (-140) – 1U