Lightning vs. Sharks prediction, odds, pick – 1/2/2025
01/02/2025 10:17 AM
It has been an ugly couple of weeks for the San Jose Sharks, and it might not get any easier when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning in this matchup. The Sharks were hanging their hats on some close losses at the beginning of this losing skid, but their offense dried up recently and has given them some lopsided losses. The Lightning are playing some of their best hockey of the season at the right time and have plenty of games in hand in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay sits six points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers for first with four fewer games played. The Lightning dominated the Sharks earlier in December, winning 8-1 in Tampa Bay. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Lightning-Sharks prediction and pick.
Here are the Lightning-Sharks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Lightning-Sharks Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning: -1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -270
San Jose Sharks: +1.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +236
Over: 6.5 (-110)
Under: 6.5 (-110)
How To Watch Lightning vs. Sharks
Time: 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT
TV: Fanduel Sports Network, NBC Sports California
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Lightning Could Cover the Spread/Win
You could list many reasons why the Lightning will defeat the Sharks in this game, starting with their domination over them earlier in December. Tampa Bay won that game 8-1, just another dominant win they had recorded over the past two seasons. The Lightning swept the series last year by two blowout scores, which makes the combined score of their previous three wins 18-2. The Sharks have no answer for the Lightning, and what makes it worse is the loss in December while San Jose still had MacKenzie Blackwood. It could get much worse with their current goaltending tandem.
The Lightning have won seven of their past ten games after a disappointing loss against the Montreal Canadiens in their last game. Tampa Bay had plenty of time to regroup with three days off, and you know they’ll be motivated not to lose two in a row to teams perceived to be inferior. The Sharks’ two most significant problems over their losing skid have been their scoring and goaltending. The bad news for the Sharks is that the Lightning’s goaltenders have a 2.00 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage over their last five games, and their offense is first in the league with 3.94 goals per game. It isn’t difficult to see how the Lightning have so much success against the Sharks.
Why the Sharks Could Cover the Spread/Win
More than any other league, the beauty of the NHL is how any team can win on any given night. We saw it in the Lightning’s last game when they lost to the Canadiens, but that loss may have had something to do with Jake Guentzel being out of the lineup. Guentzel is a significant loss for the Lightning, and it seems he’ll be out again for this matchup.
Final Lightning-Sharks Prediction & Pick
Sometimes, a bet looks too simple, which could be the case for this matchup. However, Andrei Vasilevskiy will be back in the net for the Lightning in this game, and they’ve beaten the Sharks by a combined 18-2 over their last three meetings. We’re getting value on this line for the Lightning to cover the spread, and that’s what we’ll be taking.
Final Lightning-Sharks Prediction & Pick: Lightning -1.5 (-110)
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