NHL Betting Picks: San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings

Added on Feb 22, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NHL

A full card of NHL betting action at sportsbooks worldwide on Tuesday night but easily the best game on the board is a Western Conference matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks. The Wings are currently #2 in the conference with the Sharks in fourth place.

San Jose Sharks at Detroit Red Wings
February 22, 2011 4:35 PM Pacific

Great game at the Joe Louis Arena between the Sharks and Red Wings who are both in top form at the moment. Detroit has won 7 of their last 10 games while San Jose has won 8 of 10. Red Wings has a little bit of breathing room in the Central Division with a 10 point lead over the second place Nashville Predators, while the Sharks are in second place in the downright insane Pacific Division. San Jose currently trails Phoenix by a single point for the division lead, but since all five teams are separated by five total points no one in the Pacific is really secure in their seeding. The Sharks have had to play like a team possessed to keep up with the Coyotes who may be playing the best hockey in the Western Conference at the moment winning 7 straight and 8 of 10.

The teams have split a pair of games this season with each winning on the other’s home ice and the series has been very evenly contested over the past three seasons–since 2008 the Sharks are 8-7 against the Red Wings though Detroit holds a 3-2 edge at the Joe Louis Arena. We’ll look at the value with the road team for several reasons–we’re very impressed with San Jose’s recent play against teams with winning records. Sharks are 17-14 against opponents with winning records YTD but have won 8 of their last 9 in this situation. We’re also thinking that the competitive nature of the Pacific Division and the furious pace set by the front running Coyotes may give them a little more urgency and intensity than Detroit at this point of the season. Wings are just 5 back of Vancouver for the best record in the conference, but the distinction between #1 and #2 in the NHL playoff format isn’t as great as what’s at risk for the Sharks where a few bad games could drop them out of the playoffs entirely.

Bet San Jose Sharks +110 over Detroit Red Wings