[sc:NHL250 ]Things are getting tighter and tighter in the NHL’s Western Conference as we move closer to the postseason, and the Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks are both having solid runs at the moment.
Can the Avalanche extend their current win streak to five games, or will the Sharks come away with a much-needed home win? Let’s take a closer look at this intriguing matchup from the Shark Tank below.
Then, don’t forget to check out our special features on a couple of hockey’s brightest stars with our list of the top 10 goals by Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks Preview
Where: SAP Center, San Jose
When: Tuesday, January 26, 10:00 PM ET
Line: Colorado Avalanche at San Jose Sharks – view all NHL lines
Betting on the Colorado Avalanche (26-21-3)
[sc:NHL240 ]With a superb 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday, the Colorado Avalanche are now rolling with a four-game winning streak in tow. The Stars have also now lost 11 of their last 12 meetings against the boys from the Rockies.
Colorado was fortunate to have a pair of key contributors score two short-handed goals in that game, one from Carl Soderberg and the other from Gabriel Landeskog. The team’s offense sure could use a boost from payers like them, as the Avalanche have failed to score more than two goals in the four games prior to Sunday’s contest.
To be specific, the Avalanche have got to capitalize on opportunities where they have the man advantage. Although they are still eighth in the league with a 20 percent power play efficiency rate, they’ve only netted just one power play goal over the past eight games (18 chances overall).
Then again, with goalie Semyon Varlamov playing at such a high rate, Colorado could likely seal a victory on Tuesday night with defense rather than offense. On Sunday, Varlamov stopped the Stars from scoring a whopping 42 times. To boot, the Russian has allowed just one goal in each of the last four games. It will certainly be interesting to see how he fares against San Jose’s high-powered offense up next.
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Betting on the San Jose Sharks (25-18-4)
Although the San Jose Sharks lost to the Los Angeles Kings, 3-2, in overtime on Sunday, they still earned a point for the ninth-straight contest and tied their season series with their Pacific rivals at two apiece. However, the Kings now hold a nine-point lead in the division standings.
The Sharks can get back on the winning track this Tuesday against the Avalanche for as long as their offense catches fire right from the get-go. Despite being able to score first in the game against Los Angeles, they are still a solid 20-2-1 when they net the first goal of a contest. The Sharks are also ranked fourth overall in the NHL with a little under three goals per game.
Look for star center Joe Thornton to pace San Jose’s offense once again. On Sunday, Thornton dished out an assist to Tomas Hertl, extending his personal points streak to nine games – much like his own team’s current points streak in the overall league standings. He also has 23 points in his last 18 starts.
But the Sharks have got to improve their defense when they are short-handed. They are 23rd in the NHL in penalty kill situations, and have allowed one short-handed goal in each of the past two games.
Apart from that, goaltender Martin Jones has also got to pick up the slack around the net just the same. While Jones made 29 good saves against the Kings this past weekend, he has still given up a total of five goals over his last couple of outings.
Writer’s Prediction
The Sharks win a close one, 3-2, for just their 10th win at home this season.
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