BEST LINES: Pinnacle +152 Bookmaker +160 SportsInteraction +145  5DIMES +150

Posted at 1:00 PM EST. 

7:05 PM EST. OT included. We like the Penguins very much and think they are even worth a bet to three-peat at 18-1 (at BET365) because they have just as good a shot of representing the Eastern Conference as anyone else. That the Capitals and Maple Leafs are priced lower than the Penguins and Columbus and Philly are priced in almost the same range is preposterous. You do not see us getting behind Pittsburgh very often because they are overpriced almost every game and while we’re not going to fade them every game because of it, this one is too good to ignore, especially after the break when we’re not sure which teams will be flat and which teams will not be. It’s also worth noting that the Penguins will start Matt Murray tonight, who has been off for three weeks and there could be some rust in his game. He’s also had an emotional three weeks after the unexpected passing of his father so he’s another wild card for this game. At the end of the day, the Sharks are too good to be offered prices like this.

Win or lose, this line is just plain stupid and it is mostly based on recency bias, as Pittsburgh whacked Minnesota 6-3 just before the break and have won seven of its past nine games while the Sharkies were losing at home to the Rangers, 6-5 just before the break. That was San Jose’s second straight loss, as they dropped a 5-4 OT game to Winnipeg prior to losing to New York. However, that’s not who the Sharks are. The Rangers scored six times on 29 shots and Winnipeg scored five times on 23 shots. This price is also a continuation of the overreaction to the Sharks losing Joe Thornton. While Thornton is an inspirational leader on and off the ice, the Sharks are as deep as any team in the league and scored five times in their first game without Thornton. The Sharks have seven different players on their roster with 10 or more goals scored this season and only one team has more. Since the calendar turned to 2018, the Sharks rank sixth in the NHL in points (15), first in goals scored (44), and first in even strength goals for. 20 of the 21 players that have suited up for San Jose in the month of January have recorded at least one point and 14 of those 21 players have scored at least one goal. The Sharks come to play every night and they’ve also had great success on these East Coast trips over the years. Definite overlay.

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