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NHL Betting – Sharks Look to Rebound in Game 2

Zack Garrison

by Zack Garrison in NHL Hockey

Updated Jan 30, 2018 · 5:02 PM PST

San Jose Sharks (+116) at Pittsburgh Penguins (-128, 5.5 o/u)

Despite blowing an early lead, the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-6 SU, 8-3 Home) were able to deliver a crucial home win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Pens will look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead tomorrow when they host the San Jose Sharks (12-7 SU, 5-5 Away) in Game 2 at the CONSOL Energy Center (8 PM Eastern, June 1).

A late goal from Nick Bonino salvaged a 3-2 win for the Penguins in Game 1. They opened up a 2-0 lead the first and dominated the pace of play, but gave up two in the second to head into the final frame all knotted up.

The final score was a lot closer than it should have been. The Pens out-shot San Jose 41 to 26 and the usually light-checking team even laid out 36 hits in the game.

The Sharks, who are playing in their first ever Stanley Cup finals, looked overwhelmed by the spot early. By the time they settled in, they were already down a pair. But they showed a decent amount of poise, rallying to tie it in the middle stanza on goals by Tomas Hertl and Patrick Marleau.

Star defenseman and yeti look-alike Brent Burns notched a pair of helpers in the game. He’s confident the team will come out with a better start in Game 2.

“You try to keep everything normal, but you’ve been dreaming about it for a while,” San Jose defenseman Brent Burns told the Associated Press. “Now we know what we’re in for and we’ll be better.”

This is the second time the Sharks have lost Game 1 of a series these playoffs. They also fell in Game 1 of the West finals to St. Louis, only to rally to win the next two. Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup experience played a big roll in Game 1. At least one guy who already has a ring on his finger was in on every goal (Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby, and Nick Letang). Now that the Sharks have their feet under them, experience shouldn’t be as big a factor. Expect San Jose to bounce back and even the series. They certainly look like better value as underdogs in the moneyline.

Pick: San Jose (+116). 

(Photo Credit: pointnshoot (Flickr) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/])

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