Sharks vs Golden Knights Picks, Odds & Betting Preview: Pacific Division Rivalry Renews

• The San Jose Sharks visit the Vegas Golden Knights in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday
• Martin Jones had a 3.62 GAA and .893 save percentage against the Knights in the regular season last year and was at .905 in the playoffs
• See the odds of this Pacific Division matchup opening night game below

The San Jose Sharks ended the Vegas Golden Knights 2018-19 season in dramatic fashion. While the Golden Knights had a three-goal lead in the third period of Game 7 after a controversial penalty gave the Sharks a five-minute power play. Now the two teams will get their 2019-20 seasons underway in what’s become a bitter rivalry.

San Jose Sharks vs Vegas Golden Knights Odds

*Odds taken 10/01/19 

Sharks-Knights Already Got a Taste in Preseason

If you thought the Golden Knights were going to wait until the start of the regular season to get their revenge, think again. They already pumped the Sharks 5-1 on Sunday when the two teams met in the preseason. There were a total of 114 minutes in penalties, including four misconducts and two players charged with abusing officials.

One of those players who was charged with the abuse was Sharks’ forward Evander Kane, who has now been suspended for three games and will miss this opener. Kane has been a pest for the Golden Knights, compiling 41 minutes in penalties in last year’s seven-game playoff series.

Golden Knights Won on Sunday

Of course, that might be stating the obvious but it’s important to note. While it was a preseason game, both teams pretty much ran with their starters the entire game. The Golden Knights had four players notch at least two points. They also had 58.3 of the high-danger scoring chances and 52.7% of the expected-goal share.

On top of that, they even had a pair of power play goals, which is something that they struggled with last season. They played well and if they come up with that type of effort again on Wednesday, they’ll win.

Sharks vs Golden Knights Statistical Comparison

What’s the Best Bet?

I like the Golden Knights in this spot as I think they’re motivated and they’re the better team. Remember that the Sharks lost Joe Pavelski in the offseason as well as Gustav Nyqvist and Joonas Donskoi. On top of that, they’ll be without Kane in the opener.

I’m not overly worried about the Sharks depth as they’re still one of the deepest teams in the NHL. Timo Meier is still there along with Tomas Hertl, Brent Burns, Logan Couture and Erik Karlsson. However, they did lose a bite out of their productivity.

The other concern here is the issues in net. When considering San Jose Sharks vs Vegas Golden Knights stats & odds consider that the Sharks had the worst save percentage in the NHL last season (.889) and they’re not exactly going to improve overnight. Jones had a 3.62 GAA and .893 save percentage against the Knights in the regular season last year and was at .905 in the playoffs.

The issue here is that I don’t have any interest in laying -170 on opening night. Sure, Vegas is motivated, is at home and is probably the better team, but this is more of a coin flip than you might think. These teams are evenly matched.

Instead, I’ll bet the over as we should see plenty of fireworks. It’s a high number but if you can get it at six, that’s great. Even at 6.5, I still think it warrants a small play.