The Detroit Red Wings are glad to be home tonight, Tuesday May 4, as Game 3 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the San Jose Sharks faces off. The Sharks won Game 2, 4-3 as -124 home favs and lead the series 2-0. NHL oddsmakers at BETUS.com have the Red Wings as -165 moneyline home favorites over the Sharks (+145) with the over/under set at 5.5 goals . Be sure to get your 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings Game 3 Odds & Prediction in now at BETUS.com
The Sharks are up 2-0 in the best of seven series and are feeling pretty good about themselves after years of frustrating early playoff losses. They won Game 1 and Game 2, 4-3 on home ice. They had two hero’s in Game 2’s win with the name Joe. Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton were the Sharks go to guys. Pavelski notched a pair of goals and became the first player to tally multiple-goal efforts over three straight playoff games, since Super Mario did it, and Thornton potted the game-winner in the third period for his first goal of the 2010 playoffs. They also had the reunification of the Dany Heatley-Patrick Marleau-Thornton line later in the game. Even though Thornton scored his first playoff goal, he does much more on the ice. "I don't think that we should question Joe's confidence at all," McLellan said. "I think if you purely evaluate his play on goals and assists, you're very mistaken. He has to contribute in the faceoff circle, he has to play against a guy like Pavel Datsyuk which isn't an easy task. For the most part in the first two games, I think he's done a very admirable job." When your top scorer during the regular season isn’t scoring there are other players who are expected to step up and they are. Pavelski leads all scorers with nine goals during the playoffs. Datsyuk (12 points) trails Pavelski by only two points for the Western Conference playoff scoring lead. The Wings had to kill off 10 penalties on Sunday and have been shorthanded 16 times in the first two games. The Sharks have scored twice on 5-on-3 power plays this series. The Sharks Goalie Evgeni Nabokov is 6-2 with a 2.06 GAA with a shutout.
The Red Wings are hoping home ice will bring them a much needed boost as they don’t want to go down 3-0. A return to Joe Louis Arena might be the medicine that cures what’s been ailing the Wings, as they are 29-4-1 with one tie against the Sharks in their all-time regular-season series at home and 6-3 in the playoffs. They are a dismal 4-21 when they drop the first two games of a series and they last battled back from an 0-2 hole in 2002, reeling off four straight wins to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. "It'll be nice to get home ice again," captain Nicklas Lidstrom said on Sunday. "We're down 2-0 in this series, but we're heading home. It's going to be an important Game 3 coming up in Detroit. We're confident playing at home, but playoffs is different than the regular season. We know we have to play a lot better for 60 minutes to have success against this team.” They’ll need the Wings goalie Jimmy Howard to be at his best. Howard is 4-5 in these playoffs with a 2.91 GAA and one shutout.
Recent Trends to Consider:
- Sharks are 1-4 in their last 5 playoff games as an underdog.
- Under is 18-7-1 in the last 26 meetings in Detroit.
- Favorite is 20-8 in the last 28 meetings.
- Home team is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings.
- Sharks are 6-20-1 in the last 27 meetings in Detroit.
- Sharks are 5-0 in their last 5 vs. Central.
- Sharks are 4-0 in their last 4 games following a win.
San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings
When: Tuesday May 04, 2010 7:30 PM ET
Line: BETUS.com
Pick: Wings -165
Point-Spreads.com 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings Game 3 Odds & Predictions
The Bottom Line: The Wings will be better at home, just like history proves. Be sure to get your 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings Game 3 Odds & Predictions in now at BETUS.com and receive a 10% Deposit Bonus and start winning today!
