A West Division battle hits the Shark Tank on Friday as the San Jose Sharks (21-26-6) host the Arizona Coyotes (22-26-6). Although both teams are eliminated from playoff contention, the Coyotes will look to bounce back from a three-game losing streak while the Sharks can win their second in a row.
It’s been an even matchup this season, with both teams winning three out of six games against each other. It would explain why this game is a true pick ‘em, with both Arizona and San Jose listed at -108.
By the Numbers
Starting on offense, the Sharks hold a slight advantage in scoring, ranking 23rd with 2.64 goals per game on close to 30 shots. The Coyotes, meanwhile, are 26th with 2.59 goals and a little over 27 shots per game. However, Arizona’s power play, ranked 16th at 20.1 percent, is much better than San Jose’s 28th-rated power play at 14.7 percent.
Defensively, both teams are somewhat close to each other in the prominent categories. Arizona holds a slight advantage in goals allowed per game with 3.11, compared to San Jose’s third-worst 3.40 goals against. However, the Sharks hold the slight edge on the penalty kill, clinging to an 80.7 to 80.2 percent advantage.
Players to Watch
The Coyotes are one of the rare teams with a defenseman leading their points list. D-man Jakob Chychrun leads the team with 39 points and is tied for the team-lead with 18 goals after netting a goal in each of the past two games.
Chychrun sits one point ahead of right wing Phil Kessel. The veteran sniper scored his 18th goal of the season in Arizona’s last game against the Sharks but is currently in the midst of a four-game point drought.
A couple of other players tied at 35 points are right wings Clayton Keller and Conor Garland. Garland has been slightly better of late, netting three assists in his two games back since returning from injury, while Keller had points in five of his last eight games before being shut out in the previous two losses.
Switching to the Sharks, left wing Evander Kane leads the team in both goals and assists. The veteran forward scored twice against Colorado on Monday and dished out three assists on Wednesday, moving him up to 22 goals and 26 assists for the season.
The only other player in the 40-point range is center Tomas Hertl, who has arguably been even hotter than Kane. Hertl has three straight multi-point games entering Friday, the latest a two-goal, one-assist night to give him 19 goals and 22 assists total.
San Jose would also love to have a big night from center Logan Couture or defenseman Brent Burns. Last weekend, Couture scored his 17th goal of the season, giving him 31 points for the year, while Burns had assists in back-to-back games against Colorado, moving him up to 22 assists along with seven scores.
Goalies
Arizona has been going back and forth between a pair of goalies, with Darcy Kuemper set to mind the net Friday night. Kuemper is 9-11-3 with a 2.58 GAA and .906 save percentage.
As for San Jose, they might once again turn to the 23-year old Josef Korenar to start in goal. The Czech rookie is off to a 3-4-0 start with a 3.04 GAA and a .902 save percentage.
Betting Pick
With playoff hopes for both teams over, pride is on the line on Friday. For my money, I’ll take San Jose at home. The Coyotes just seem to be deflated, while the Sharks have guys like Hertl and Kane who have been on fire in the last week.
With even odds on both teams, pick the home team to win this one.
Free Pick: San Jose Sharks -108.
