The San Jose Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks, Thursday April 8, as the Sharks look to regain the top of the West, while the Canucks have secured the Northwest. This is the last of four meetings with the Sharks leading 2-1 SU. NHL oddsmakers at SPORTSBETTING.com have the Sharks as -170 moneyline favs over the Canucks (+150) with the over/under set at 5.5 goals . Be sure to get your Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks NHL Picks in early at SPORTSBETTING.com
The Canucks (48-27-1-4) have won five of ten but they lost four of their last five road games. They are 19-19-0-2 on the road where they average 2.95 GAG and allow 3.20 GAG. They recently lost to Colorado 3-4 (OT) despite goals from Mason Raymond and Daniel Sedin. Goalie Roberto Luongo is struggling after going 4-6 in his last ten games with a 3.50 GAA. Luongo is being rested tonight and Andrew Raycroft will be between the pipes, he’s 9-4-1 with a 2.31 GAA . The Canucks have locked up the Northwest Division title and will enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed. But all questions surround how well Luongo will do. Will he be the star that was in the Olympics or the goalie that has struggled of late? You want to go into the playoffs winning, not struggling. Luongo said “when the playoffs start, my game will get better”. For the Canucks, Ryan Kesler has 2 goals and 4 assists in five games, Pavol Demitra has 4 assists in four games, and Daniel Sedin has 2 goals and 2 assists in three games. Vancouver leads the NHL in comeback wins with 11 after trailing after two periods. "We want to make sure that every part of our game is where it needs to be and everybody is on the same page. Come playoff time we don't have time to make adjustments and change things up. We have to go with what we've been doing all year as a team and what made us successful." — Canucks goaltender and captain Roberto Luongo.
The Sharks (49-20-5-6) are winners of six of ten and four of their last five on home ice. They are 25-6-3-5 at home where they average 3.41 GAG and allow 2.33 GAG. They recently won in Calgary 2-1 thanks to goals from Rob Blake and Jamie McGinn. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov is 5-5 in his last ten games with a 2.80 GAA. Overall he’s 42-16-10 with a 2.45 GAA and a .921 SVPCT. Nabokov is tied for third among all active goaltenders in career shutouts with 50 . The Sharks clinched the Pacific Division title with a win at Calgary on Tuesday but are in a bigger battle with Chicago for the top seed in the Western Conference. "That's exactly what we needed," Nabokov said. "I don't think we had one odd-man rush against us and we were pretty disciplined in terms of penalties. That's the type of game we need to play in the playoffs." The Sharks are well known for struggling in the playoffs after excelling during the regular season. They haven’t made it past the third round since 2003-04. For the Sharks, Dan Boyle has 2 goals and 6 assists in seven games, Jamie McGinn has 2 goals and an assist in three games, Ryane Clowe has 3 assists in three games, and Torrey Mitchell has 2 assists in three games.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Favorite is 8-0 in the last 8 meetings.
- Home team is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
- Canucks are 2-9 in the last 11 meetings.
- Canucks are 0-5 in the last 5 meetings in San Jose.
Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks
When: Thursday April 8, 2009 10:30 PM ET
Line: SPORTSBETTING.com
Pick: Sharks -170
Point-Spreads.com Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks NHL Picks
The Bottom Line: It’ll be interesting to see if the Canucks backup goalie can do better in net than Luongo. Sharks will take it. Be sure to get your Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks NHL Picks in early at SPORTSBETTING.com Cash in with sign-up bonuses, weekly reload bonuses and free payout s at SPORTSBETTING.com, where betting is safe, secure and easy.
