NHL Best Bets: Canucks vs. Sharks Game Picks

The Vancouver Canucks will look to continue their strong start to December when they visit the San Jose Sharks.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Vancouver Canucks (-115) vs. San Jose Sharks (-104) Total: 6.5 (O -118, U -104)

Entering this matchup, the Canucks have won two straight games after a massive come-from-behind victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. In addition, they’ve posted a 7-3 record over their last ten games and are finally showing glimpses of the team we saw in the second half of last season. The same can’t be said for the Sharks, who’ve lost three straight games and own a 2-7-1 record over their last ten. Expectations weren’t high for the Sharks, which is evident in their dismal start.

It’s hard to say what’s changed for the Canucks, but they’re scoring at a higher clip and have seen some noticeable adjustments on the backend. The line for this game is interesting, with the Canucks listed as slight road favorites at -115 on the moneyline compared to the Sharks at -104. 

Looking at the projected goalie matchup, the visiting Canucks should continue leaning on Spencer Martin, while the Sharks should do the same with Kaapo Kahkonen. The Canucks netminder is coming off a poor showing against the Habs but has a 7-2-1 record with a .892 save percentage. Kahkonen is 3-6-2 with a .882 save percentage. Expect a lot of goals with this goalie matchup. 

With the Canucks’ recent play, it’s hard to fade them in this matchup. San Jose has been playing about as inconsistently as any team in the NHL, leading us to favor Canucks’ value on the moneyline at -115. 

Best Bet: Canucks moneyline (-115) 

Defense and goaltending have not been recipes for success with the Canucks or the Sharks this season. The Canucks enter this contest sitting 29th in the league in goals allowed per game, while the Sharks aren’t much better at 26th. The Canucks have a definite edge in the goal-scoring department, and we’ve already seen these two teams combine for seven total goals on November 27. That should give bettors even more confidence in expecting a high-scoring game, so there’s some value in the over 6.5 at -118.

Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-118) 

Scoring goals hasn’t been a significant issue for the Canucks. They’ve continued to boast a lot of depth up front, leading to the seventh-highest-scoring offense in the NHL. One addition they made during the offseason was signing forward Andrei Kuzmenko, who’s tallied 12 goals and 11 assists in his first 25 games. He’s found chemistry in the team’s top-six forward group and on the powerplay, so there’s some value in Kuzmenko continuing his goal-scoring ways, priced at +260 to score. 

Best Prop: Andrei Kuzmenko to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+260)