Free NHL Picks Today: Florida Panthers vs San Jose Sharks 2/9/23

The Florida Panthers (25-22-6) welcome the San Jose Sharks (16-25-11) at FLA Live Arena on Thursday. San Jose is coming off a 4-3 overtime win over the Lightning on Tuesday. The Sharks committed seven penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.

Timo Meier was the top goalscorer for the Sharks with two goals. Kaapo Kahkonen had 34 saves in the win. Florida beat the Lightning 7-1 on Monday. Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe both scored twice for the Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky was impressive in the win, making 32 saves (.969%).

HEAD TO HEAD

The Panthers won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-3 (SO) victory in November, their seventh straight win against San Jose. Tkachuk led Florida with three points (0G 3A). Erik Karlsson led San Jose with three points (1G 2A). Bobrovsky got the win, saving 36 of 39 shots (.923%).

FACING OFF

San Jose is averaging 3.08 goals per game for the season, 19th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Panthers team that is allowing 3.45 goals a game (24th). Meanwhile, Florida has found the net 3.47 times a game on average, seventh in the league, and the Sharks are allowing opponents to score 3.73 goals per game (29th).

Florida averages more shots a game (35.6) than any other team in the league, though the team’s 9.8% shooting percentage ranks 20th. San Jose has struggled with stopping shots, ranking No. 30 with a team save percentage of .887%.

Expect a few power play opportunities for the Sharks, as the Panthers have been penalized 4.89 times a game, most in the NHL, for an average of 12.36 minutes (second-highest). The visitors are averaging 3.50 penalties (27th) and 8.33 penalty minutes a game (22nd).

The Panthers’ 23.24% power play percentage ranks 11th in the league, while the Sharks are 19th with a conversion rate of 20.42%. In terms of defending power plays, San Jose has the league’s sixth-ranked PK% at 82.35%, while Florida is 25th at 74.87%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 69 points this season, ninth-most in the NHL, Karlsson is the top skater for the Sharks. He is among the league leaders with 52 assists (3rd) and has added 17 goals of his own. In the net, James Reimer (8-14-6) is San Jose’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.31 GAA and a .895% save percentage.

Tkachuk leads the Panthers in scoring with 71 points (5th in the league). He has 27 goals and 44 assists (5th) in 50 games. Spencer Knight (9-7-3) has the best goals against average for Florida at 3.06. He has a save percentage of .906%. Bobrovsky (13-13-2) has played the most games in net for the Panthers this season. He has a 3.17 GAA and a .900% save percentage.