Promotions
Banking
VIP Club
The Stanley Cup Finals are finally here after the six long weeks of bone-crunching action of the NHL Playoffs. The Penguins took the first game after a late score in the dying minutes of the game, but San Jose is undoubtedly ready to answer back in tonight’s battle at Consol Energy Centre. Keep reading for the game preview…
San Jose Sharks vs Pittsburgh Penguins
- Time: Wednesday, June 01, 2016 8:00 PM ET
- Place: Consol Energy Centre
- Betting Line: Pittsburgh -124
- Total: 5.5
Bet on the Sharks
The Penguins pummeled the Sharks’ goal all night long in game 1. In fact, San Jose allowed all of 41 shots in that game which has been the most they’ve received in the playoffs up to this point.
Something had to crack eventually and though goalie Martin Jones was quite impressive he was unable to prevent the loss. Even when the Sharks equalized the game in the third period after being two down, with goals from Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau, a goal late in the final period eventually was too much to handle.
The Sharks though have what it takes to even out the series. With such capable scorers such as Joe Pavelski in the fold, San Jose will undoubtedly be looking to put a dent in the Pens’ aspirations of taking a 2-0 series lead.
San Jose is also a tough road team. In fact, the Sharks were the best team in the league away from home during the regular season, though currently the odds have them as the underdog. Their rock-hard defense and able offense can both shut down opposing attacks and capitalize on the opportunistic goal at the turn of a dime. Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic have just the right amount of grit to get the job done tonight.
Bet on the Penguins
Being in the Stanley Cup seemed to have sparked to life many Penguins’ players. It wasn’t their stars that saved the night in game 1, but rather it was other, less-known, players who came through to give Pittsburgh the 1-0 series lead.
The first game was decided in the final minutes, when Nick Bonino scored the winning goal. And, it was Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary who struck first with one goal a piece early in the game.
For now it seems the Penguins are steadily getting better and better, though it probably doesn’t come as a surprise for such a successful franchise that’s won the Stanley Cup three times. If they can keep this pace up, they should be able to win tonight’s game as well; with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, and Carl Hagelin the Penguins have a fast-action offense that’s at times quite unstoppable.
Having bagged the first game, they come into this second match with plenty of momentum on their side. It’ll be a long night for the Sharks.
Betting Trends
- San Jose is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
- San Jose is 12-6 SU in its last 18 games on the road
- San Jose is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing San Jose
- Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against San Jose
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Pittsburgh's last 8 games when playing at home against San Jose
Game Predictions: The Sharks even out the series tonight. It’s going to be a tit-for-tat series.
