The Anaheim Ducks (24-19-9) managed to end a four-game losing streak over the weekend and will now try to start building a winning streak against the struggling San Jose Sharks (22-22-6).
The Sharks are leaking goals all over the place and bookmaker BetOnline has the odds at +120 for Anaheim to score over 3.5 goals. The goals total for San Jose is set at 2.5 and the odds are at -115.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: February 22nd, 8:30 A.M. (EST)
San Jose enters the match-up with a six-game losing streak. It’s been an up-and-down season for the team and they are on one of their cold spells again.
The inconsistent play has resulted in the Sharks allowing 3.12 goals per game and their offense hasn’t been good enough to make up for the shortcomings at the back even with Timo Meier in the form of his life.
Last month, the Swiss winger became the first player in franchise history to score five goals in a single game and he’s racked up 50 points with 23 goals and 27 assists. With five pointless efforts in seven games to his name prior to Tuesday’s action, Meier should be very eager to get going again.
Getting a win on the board would be huge for the Sharks and should give the team the belief that they can be competitive without Erik Karlsson. The two-time Norris Trophy winner has missed a month of action with a forearm injury and the results have been poor as the Sharks have gone 1-3-3 without him.
Anaheim has also been without a key guy lately in Ryan Getzlaf as he has been sidelined with a lower-body injury, but it appears that he will be ready to return on Tuesday and his addition should be a nice boost for a side that’s fighting for a playoff spot.
The Ducks captain posted a miserable 17-point campaign last season and it looked like he couldn’t make meaningful contributions offensively for the team anymore, but the 36-year-old has bounced back with a solid 27-point effort in 2021-22. He needed only 16 games at the start of the season to match his points tally from last year.
Anaheim starts a six-game home-stand with this match-up and it will be a key stretch for the team. They are looking to close a two-point gap in the race for a wild card spot and getting off to a winning start will be vital.
