The San Jose Sharks play the Nashville Predators on Friday in the opening game of the NHL regular season for both at the O2 Arena in Prague. San Jose finished last season sixth in the Pacific Division at 32-37-13 with 77 points and did not reach the playoffs. San Jose will be coached by David Quinn, who took last season off after standing behind the bench for three seasons with the New York Rangers
Quinn inherits a very talented club, but do not expect the Sharks to do any more than battle for one of the final playoff spots out West. Household names such as Brent Burns and Evander Kane are no longer on the San Jose roster. The Sharks are building their future around Timo Meier, who returns as the leading scorer from last season with 35 goals and 41 assists, Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl.
The Nashville Predators finished last season fifth in the Central Division and reached the postseason by finishing in the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The returning offensive force for Nashville is Filip Forsberg, who last season finished with career highs in goals with 42 and in assists with 42. Forsberg re-signed during the offseason with Nashville.
Forsberg is joined by Roman Josi, a defenseman who last season had a team-best 96 points and Matt Duchene, who last season had 86 points. The three are considered the foundation for Nashville's future as the Predators look to be a legitimate contender in the Central Division and Western Conference. Nashville's No. 1 goalie Juuse Saros has recovered from a foot injury and will be a key part of Nashville success this season
Recent Betting Trends
- San Jose is 16-35 in its last 51
- The UNDER has cashed in 15 of the Sharks last 23 on Friday
- Nashville is 0-5 in its last 5
- The OVER has cashed in 8 of the Predators last 9'
Free NHL Pick:
Nashville Predators -196