NHL Free Pick: Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks
Hockey betting fans sure are getting their money’s worth from the free nhl picks we give out here at Capperspicks.com.
Team records:
Chicago: 36-13-4
San Jose: 35-10-8
Tonight, 10:30 p.m. ET
Sportsbook odds: Blackhawks +105, Sharks -125
It seems every Blackhawks game is fun to watch and tonight’s battle with fellow division leader San Jose should be no exception. The powerhouse Hawks will play their seventh straight road game tonight and they’re starting to show us a pattern. As a first-class team, they’ve disposed of any mediocre opponents on the road – like Columbus, Detroit, Calgary and Edmonton.
When they’ve run into opponents who play well at home, however – like Ottawa and Vancouver – fatigue set in and Chicago took a beating.
While the Blackhawks may not get pounded tonight, the Sharks should get the better of them. They’ve won five straight games and seven of eight; they’ve allowed two goals or fewer in eight straight as well. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley continue to roll as one of the NHL’s best three lines but a big reason for San Jose’s latest streak has been the arrival of secondary scoring, which had eluded the Sharks for a while. 
Little Joe Pavelski has nine points in his last five games; Ryane Clowe has six points over that span and Devin Setoguchi has five points in his last five. If the Sharks can roll two scoring lines, they’re extremely tough to beat. It also certainly helps that Evgeni Nabokov is playing some of the best hockey of his career right now, going 8-2-1 with a 1.76 goals against average and .939 save percentage in January.
The talented Hawks will test San Jose – what team couldn’t with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa – but this long, long road trip has to take its toll at some point.
The Shark Tank may be a bit too much.
NHL Betting Trends:
San Jose is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
San Jose is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose’s last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Jose’s last 5 games when playing Chicago
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Jose
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chicago’s last 10 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chicago’s last 5 games when playing San Jose
Chicago is 17-6 SU in its last 23 games
Pick: Sharks -125
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Shea Matthews lives and breathes sports. He made the transition from athlete to sports journalist at a young age, writing in TV & national newspapers. He now applies his knowledge to sports betting and handicapping every day, and shares his winning picks with the world.
