The Boston Bruins (-340) and their clutch power play offense welcome the San Jose Sharks (+270), one of the league’s top penalty killing teams, at TD Garden on Sunday.
The total is 6.5 (O: +100, U: -120)San Jose (14-24-9) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a high-scoring 5-3 loss against the Blue Jackets yesterday.
The Sharks conceded a power play goal while failing to take advantage of their own limited power play opportunities. Nico Sturm, Timo Meier, and Nick Bonino each scored once for the Sharks. Sturm added an assist to lead the team in scoring.
Kaapo Kahkonen only had 24 saves on 28 shots against (.857%) in the loss. Boston (36-5-4) won for the fourth game in a row, beating the Rangers 3-1 on Thursday. Pavel Zacha, Patrice Bergeron, and Connor Clifton scored one apiece for the Bruins.
David Krejci and Brad Marchand both had two assists to lead the team in scoring. Jeremy Swayman saved 31 of 32 shots in the win (.968%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Bruins won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-2 victory on January 7, their 10th straight win against San Jose. Marchand led Boston with three points (1G 2A). Logan Couture and Mario Ferraro were on the scoresheet for San Jose. Linus Ullmark got the win, saving 28 of 30 shots (.933%).
FACING OFF
San Jose is averaging 3.06 goals per game for the season, 22nd in the NHL, and they are taking on a Bruins team that is allowing just 2.07 goals a game (1st).
Meanwhile, Boston has found the net a league-best 3.80 times a game on average and will be looking to capitalize on the Sharks’ weak defense, which is allowing opponents to score 3.72 goals per game (29th).
Boston averages more shots a game (33.8) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth, while the team’s 11.4% shooting percentage is third. San Jose has been one of the league’s less successful shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 30 with a team save percentage of .887%.
The Bruins’ second-ranked power play offense (27.10%) will face a tough test against the Sharks, who are the league’s third-best penalty killing team (83.70%).
San Jose, meanwhile, has scored on 20.45% of their power play opportunities (21st), which the away team will be seeking to improve on against Boston’s NHL-best 86.96% penalty killing rate.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 62 points this season, sixth-most in the NHL, Erik Karlsson is the top skater for the Sharks. He leads the league with 47 assists and has added 15 goals of his own. In the net, James Reimer (8-13-4) is San Jose’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 3.23 GAA and a .897% save percentage. David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 63 points (4th in the league). He has 35 goals (2nd in the league) and 28 assists. Ullmark (24-2-1) has the best goals against average for Boston at 1.89, best in the league. He has a save percentage of .937%, also best.
HOME AND AWAY
San Jose is 9-12-2 on the road this season. Boston is 21-1-3 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Sharks are 3-7 without a day off and 1-6 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Bruins are 3-0 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Boston Bruins -2.5 (+120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
