Predators vs. Sharks Odds
| Predators Odds | -175 |
| Sharks Odds | +145 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-110/-110) |
| Time | 2 p.m. ET |
| TV | NHL Network |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Predators began the 2022-23 campaign with a reasonably strong 4-1 victory, albeit in a shaky affair that certainly looked the part of the first game of the season.
San Jose arguably could have put some more pucks in the net Friday, but overall looked close to what we expected this offseason and was unable to take advantage of some sloppy play from the Predators.
Saturday's contest offers an interesting new wrinkle however, as Nashville's Vezina-caliber netminder Juuse Saros will rest in favor of Kevin Lankinen. On the other side, Kaapo Kahkonen will start for San Jose, leading to a more evenly priced game.
Nashville Predators
Friday's performance is nothing the Predators would want to write home about, but at the end of the day the superior team did what it had to do and got the win.
MoneyPuck charted the expected goals from the contest at 5.30 to 2.39 in favor of the Preds.
Nashville's far superior depth showed through as the game wore on with extended shifts against the Sharks bottom two units and a four-goal output was reasonable in my eyes.
Defensively, I believe Nashville offered more breakdowns in front of goal than the 4-1 scoreline suggested and that the Sharks likely end up with more than that most of the time — especially when factoring in some missed odd-mans and two clean posts hit by the Sharks.
To see a few more of San Jose's chances go in Saturday may be likely as Kevin Lankinen is expected to start instead of Saros.
Lankinen had a disastrous season in 2021-22, with a -28.6 goals saved above expected rating and a save % of just .891.
It's highly likely those marks improve greatly behind a better than average defensive club, but Lankinen likely still figures to be a well below average starting option this season.
San Jose Sharks
San Jose's top forwards — Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl — came to play Friday, but beyond that, the club looked to be very much in line with what most are expecting this season — a team likely to be heavily involved in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
Hertl's 74.85% expected goals share was by far the best mark on his side in the contest, and he did score San Jose's lone goal on a bit of a lucky broken play. He also hit the crossbar clean on a great turnaround release.
San Jose's defensive core seems quite likely to be a problem this season and that concern was evident Friday.
However, San Jose may actually be holding a reasonably decisive goaltending edge for Saturday's contest, which is certainly something to factor in when handicapping.
Kappo Kahkonen played to a +5.6 GSAx rating with a .912 save % and actually saw that save % rise to .916 if we narrow the sample to just his contests played with San Jose.
Sharks vs. Predators Pick
Yesterday's season opener looked to be exactly what it was, the first meaningful game of hockey in a while.
As we try to figure out what to expect Saturday, I'm most comfortable backing over 6 and going back to the well on Hertl to stay involved and manage 3 shots.
I will be making smaller plays on over 6 at -110 to -115, and I would play Hertl to get 3 shots on goal for a half unit at +130 or better. Beyond that, hopefully we can find some live-betting spots for this one.
This is a great example of a spot where I believe we want to playing small and just having fun as we ease into what will be a long and exciting season of NHL betting. There will be countless opportunities beyond this to stay involved, so let's get as much information as possible for the time being.
Pick: Over 6 (Play to -115), Hertl Over 2.5 Shots (Play to +130)
