In the middle of a five-game losing streak, the Hurricanes find themselves dangerously close to the bottom of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. On the other side of the boards tonight, the Sharks are in second place in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference despite some struggles of their own in their last 10 games played. San Jose is a much better team than Carolina, which is why we will back the Sharks tonight.
San Jose comes into this game following a win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. Despite holding 84 points on the season and second place in the Pacific, the Sharks are just 5-5-0 in their last 10 games played. San Jose is one of the better teams on their home ice this season, sporting a 22-4-3 record in front of their fans. They have outscored opponents by 37 goals overall and will look to add to that differential tonight when the Hurricanes come to town.
As the Hurricanes hit the road, their five-game losing streak is being held over their heads. Carolina is playing through a very difficult season, sitting just seven points above the basement of the Metropolitan Division. In their most recent loss, a 5-3 setback to the Anaheim Ducks, the Hurricanes were outscored 5-0 before getting on the board. They outshot the Ducks 26-8 in the third period, scoring twice, before suffering the loss. Their struggles will not get any better tonight on the road, where they have won just 11 times.
The oddsmakers over at Sportsbook.ag have the host Sharks as -1.5 (+130) favorites on Tuesday night when the Hurricanes come to town. We like the spread, but are more in favor of the money line, which comes in at -220. We will drop 15 percent of our bankroll on San Jose and the -220 money line.
