San Jose vs Calgary. NHL match prediction and bets

Current form

San Jose is in 15th place in the Western Conference standings and has 28 points after 38 games. The team from California was close to the playoff zone, but due to poor results, it risks ending up in last place again. The Sharks started December well, but at the moment the hosts have a series of six defeats in a row. Before the break, the Sharks clung to points in Edmonton (2:3, OT), but two days later lost in Vancouver (3:4). After a short break, Ryan Warfovsky charges failed in the game against Vegas at home (3:6). The Californians were leading at the start of the third period, but conceded four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes.

The hosts remain the most conceding team in the conference. On average, the red light behind the San Jose goal comes on 3.66 times per game, while at home this figure is slightly better - 3.59. Alexander Georgiev continues to appear on the ice in the starting lineup after the team change. The Russian played four games for the Sharks and reflected only 86.56% of shots.

Mikael Granlund remains the Sharks' leading scorer with 34 points (11+23) in the goal+assist system. William Eklund is next with 27 points (7+20). MacLean Celebrini and Fabian Zetterlund are gradually catching up, earning 26 points each.

Disqualifications and injuries

Logan Couture and Vitek Vanecek remain on the injured list, while William Eklund, Klim Kostin, Marc-Eduard Vlasic and Jake Wahlman are questionable.

Interesting trends for betting

• San Jose averages 24 hits per game

The Sharks play tough against their opponents and make a lot of power plays.

• The Sharks have managed to win six games on their home ice

San Jose has earned most of its points on its home court this season.

Current form

Calgary continues to fight for a place in the top eight in the West. The Canadians are in ninth place in the conference, with 39 points after 34 starts. At the moment, the club from the province of Alberta is two points behind Vancouver, which is in eighth place, while other teams have not yet pulled away too much. The Flames played five games on home ice before the break and were able to earn only 60% of the points. The Flames beat Florida (3:0), but then suffered two disappointing losses to Boston (3:4, OT) and Ottawa (2:3, OT). The very next day after the match against the Sens, Mikael Backlund team was stronger than Chicago in a shootout (6:4).

The visitors have not always been reliable on their own half of the ice in the second half of the month. Calgary has allowed 29 goals in the last eight games and has seriously worsened its defensive performance. Dustin Wolf has become more often on the ice during the winter. The Canadian has stopped 91.03% of shots and has two clean sheets in the current regular season.

Jonann Huberdeau is the only visiting player who is among the league top 100 scorers. The forward has only 25 scoring actions (13+12), but even so he remains the most useful forward in the Flames' lineup. Overall, the Canadians are playing rather poorly in attack and still haven't broken the 100-goal barrier.

Disqualifications and injuries

Anthony Mantha and Justin Kirkland are in the visiting team infirmary. Andrey Kuzmenko has not yet confirmed his participation in the game.

Interesting trends for betting

• Calgary is getting 9.56 penalty minutes per game.

The Alberta club has a poor discipline record and often receives more than four penalties per match.

• The Lights are averaging just 29 shots per game.

The visitors don't bother the opposing goalkeepers very often.