Sharks vs Predators Picks and Predictions: Sharks Look Like Chum in Opener

The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks get an early start to the NHL regular season as they face off in Prague, Czech Republic on Friday, with puck drop set for 2 p.m. ET.

Heading into the 2022-23 season, the Predators (96.5 points Over/Under) are projected to be a much better team than the Sharks (74.5 points O/U) and I think the edges up front and in the crease will allow them to cruise to an easy win in the opener.

Find out why I love the Predators this afternoon in my first NHL picks article of the season.

Sharks vs Predators best odds

Sharks vs Predators picks and predictions

The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks have traveled across the pond for the Global Series to kick off the 2022-23 NHL season in Prague, Czech Republic. Considering the location, there isn’t a home-ice advantage factor to take into account for this matchup. 

A notable thing to pay attention to is the goaltending battle between Juuse Saros for Nashville and James Reimer for San Jose. Saros will be looking to pick up right where he left off last season, as he was voted third for the Vezina trophy as the league’s best goaltender. 

Not only does Nashville have the edge in the blue paint, but the Predators forwards are a way more skilled bunch than those of the Sharks. It’s also important to take into account that this game will be played on a larger ice surface than the typical NHL rink, which gives the skilled forwards on Nashville even more room to create place while having that extra time and space. 

I’ve got my eyes on Matt Duchene, who had 43 goals last season, and Filip Forsberg, who potted 42 of his own, to really take this game over. Roman Josi is another scoring threat for Nashville from the blue line. Since this is the first game of the season for both sides, I have to go with the roster I think is better on paper, and there’s no doubt that the better team here is the Nashville Predators. 

The Predators and Sharks met three times last season and the Predators were victorious in all three of those meetings, outscoring the Sharks by a combined score of 12-1. It’s safe to say that San Jose had a hard time scoring on Juuse Saros last season and it may face the same exact problem in this game. 

I believe that Saros will be at his best and that the Predators’ skill will take over on the bigger rink. I like the Preds to open up the season with a win, but I love the value on them covering the puck line. 

My best bet: Predators -1.5 (+130 at PointsBet)

Sharks vs Predators moneyline analysis

The Sharks finished 30th last season in goals per game, as they were only averaging 2.57 a night, and they didn’t make any moves this summer to increase their production. In fact, they may have even gotten worse with the departure of Brent Burns. 

The Predators may have had an ugly end to the season, as they were swept by the Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche in Round 1, but they did have a pretty strong regular season that they’re looking to build on going into this year. What impressed most last season, aside from the play of Saros, was the Preds’ power play, converting at a 24.4% rate. 

The Predators didn’t make a ton of moves this summer, but they did add Nino Niederreiter who should be able to improve on what’s already a solid offensive team. 

With the Preds having the better group of forwards and the edge in goal, I like them to win this game outright. 

Sharks vs Predators Over/Under analysis

You can expect both of the teams to come out of the gate with a ton of excitement as this is the first game of the regular season and, on top of that, is being played on foreign soil. These factors may cause a bit of nerves unfamiliar territory — add in the weaker offense of the Sharks plus the strong defense and stellar net-minding of Saros,  and I have a feeling there won’t be many goals in this battle. 

Last season, Saros posted a 38-25-3 record with a 2.64 GAA along with a .918 save percentage. Reimer didn’t have such a bad season himself, putting up a 19-17-10 record with a 2.90 GAA and a .911SV%. 

I’m not saying that the San Jose Sharks are a bad team, but by no means are they a scary team. Saros and the Predators blue line shouldn’t face any issues in slowing them down and for that, I think this game will stay Under 6. 

Sharks vs Predators betting trend to know

The Sharks are 0-4 in their last four meetings against the Predators. Find more NHL betting trends for Sharks vs Predators.

Sharks vs Predators game info

Sharks vs Predators key injuries

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