by Chuck Sommers
Saturday, Feb 25, 2023
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Where to watch: NBCSCB, NBCSCA
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Sharks -190, Blackhawks +160
FanDuel: Sharks -200, Blackhawks +160
BetMGM: Sharks -189, Blackhawks +160
Caesars: Sharks -190, Blackhawks +160
Season record
Blackhawks: 20-32-5
Sharks: 18-30-11
The All-Star break is over, the second half of the NHL season can officially begin, and we're bound for what should be a very exciting second half of the hockey season. Basketball and hockey are about to rule the roost in the sports betting world once the Super Bowl is done with, and we should all be very excited for what's to come. When the trade deadline hits and players switch teams, you know things are about to get hectic over these final 30 games or so. One way you can stay tuned with the action is following what our champion handicappers are doing in the world of the NHL. Look at ASA, Inc., reeling in a $6,750 profit off a 17-9-0 run. Al McMordie is also doing well on the ice with a 13-5-0 run and a net profit of $6,050. Scott Rickenbach has also been hanging strong with a lot of betting action, in what's been an unusual year, with a 24-18-0 run and reeling in $5,950. You know this action is going to be great now that games are back and a busy second half if on the horizon. All you need to do is head to our BEST BETS page at bigal.com to find out all of what we're trying to tell you. Make sure you're locked in at bigal.com and go to our Best Bets page to find out what our champion handicappers have to say in the world of the NHL!
Blackhawks - Sharks preview, prediction and analysis
The Chicago Blackhawks will be playing the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, February 25 in San Jose, California.
The Chicago Blackhawks won against the Dallas Stars last Wednesday, February 22 at Amerian Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas with a score of 4-3. The Chicago Blackhawks currently rank 8th in the Central Division.
Patrick Kane and Max Domi each had two goals and an assist for Chicago. Kane has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in the past four games.
"All of a sudden, you get going and you start feeling good, feeling confident," Kane said. "I was the beneficiary of a few plays tonight and even the last couple of games too, so I think things are just clicking."
Seth Jones had two assists, and Jaxson Stauber made 29 saves for the Blackhawks (20-32-5), who have won four straight.
"I've said it all year, these guys don't quit," Chicago coach Luke Richardson. "We got some penalties against us, and then they scored on the power play. We were down in the game and we're tired. It's easy to fold the tent, pack it in, but these guys, they are resilient.
"I think they like playing with each other. Once we got a little sniff and we got that first goal, I think they started to believe again and started working for each other."
Dallas scored the first three goals before Domi cut it to 3-1 with a power-play goal at 10:10 off a pass from Kane from behind the net.
Kane scored to make it 3-2 at 15:24 of the second period after a giveaway in the neutral zone by Seguin, then tied it 3-3 at 18:05 on a 2-on-1 with Philipp Kurashev.
Domi gave Chicago a 4-3 lead at 4:13 of the third on a breakaway after he blocked a shot at his own blue line.
"We're getting more bounces that we didn't get early on in the year," Domi said of the recent chemistry with Kane. "I know that sounds like whatever, but it's true. When [Kane] is feeling it, he's burying the puck like that, it's fun to watch, fun to play with. It puts energy into our group, and I think everyone really feeds off that. He's leading with his play right now, and it shows."
The Chicago Blackhawks have won five of their last 10 games.
The San Jose Sharks lost against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, February 23 at SAP Center in San Jose, California with a score of 6-2. The San Jose Sharks currently rank 7th in the Pacific Division.
Nico Sturm and Martin Kaut scored, and James Reimer made 25 saves for the Sharks (18-30-11), who have lost four of their past five games.
"I thought from start to finish that we had a pretty good effort against Seattle (a 4-0 win Monday). Tonight, it was really a 180," San Jose coach David Quinn said. "We were lifeless. I thought we were really not sharp in a lot of ways, team wide."
Nashville scored twice before Sturm cut it to 2-1 at 8:37 with a short-handed goal. Sturm beat Mattias Ekholm to a loose puck in the neutral zone and scored over Saros' shoulder on a breakaway.
Mikael Granlund and Yakov Trenin scored for Nashville extending their lead 4-1. Kaut made it 4-2 at 50 seconds of the third period when he was set up by Tomas Hertl. It was Kaut's first goal with San Jose in his second game since being traded from the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 25.
"There were some good things," Quinn said. "Nice to see Kaut get a goal. I thought 'Tommy' Hertl had a pretty good night. There were some bright spots, but you have to sift through a lot of bad to find the good."
Nino Niederreiter made it 5-2 at 10:48 when he scored on a backhand shot on a 2-on-1 with Duchene, and Tommy Novak scored on the power play at 14:00 for the 6-2 final.
"We made it look like their group had a lot of fun against us tonight and that's tough to watch as a fan, I bet," Sturm said. "I've thought at least one thing that was always going for us this year is that the group was competing hard. We've always looked like everybody was trying and found a reason to play for something. And today was one of the rare occasions where I thought, just all areas of the ice, we look weak."
The San Jose Sharks have won four of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Blackhawks 4, Sharks 3
The Chicago Blackhawks won against the Dallas Stars last Wednesday, February 22 at Amerian Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas with a score of 4-3. The Chicago Blackhawks currently rank 8th in the Central Division.
Patrick Kane and Max Domi each had two goals and an assist for Chicago. Kane has 10 points (seven goals, three assists) in the past four games.
"All of a sudden, you get going and you start feeling good, feeling confident," Kane said. "I was the beneficiary of a few plays tonight and even the last couple of games too, so I think things are just clicking."
Seth Jones had two assists, and Jaxson Stauber made 29 saves for the Blackhawks (20-32-5), who have won four straight.
"I've said it all year, these guys don't quit," Chicago coach Luke Richardson. "We got some penalties against us, and then they scored on the power play. We were down in the game and we're tired. It's easy to fold the tent, pack it in, but these guys, they are resilient.
"I think they like playing with each other. Once we got a little sniff and we got that first goal, I think they started to believe again and started working for each other."
Dallas scored the first three goals before Domi cut it to 3-1 with a power-play goal at 10:10 off a pass from Kane from behind the net.
Kane scored to make it 3-2 at 15:24 of the second period after a giveaway in the neutral zone by Seguin, then tied it 3-3 at 18:05 on a 2-on-1 with Philipp Kurashev.
Domi gave Chicago a 4-3 lead at 4:13 of the third on a breakaway after he blocked a shot at his own blue line.
"We're getting more bounces that we didn't get early on in the year," Domi said of the recent chemistry with Kane. "I know that sounds like whatever, but it's true. When [Kane] is feeling it, he's burying the puck like that, it's fun to watch, fun to play with. It puts energy into our group, and I think everyone really feeds off that. He's leading with his play right now, and it shows."
The Chicago Blackhawks have won five of their last 10 games.
The San Jose Sharks lost against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, February 23 at SAP Center in San Jose, California with a score of 6-2. The San Jose Sharks currently rank 7th in the Pacific Division.
Nico Sturm and Martin Kaut scored, and James Reimer made 25 saves for the Sharks (18-30-11), who have lost four of their past five games.
"I thought from start to finish that we had a pretty good effort against Seattle (a 4-0 win Monday). Tonight, it was really a 180," San Jose coach David Quinn said. "We were lifeless. I thought we were really not sharp in a lot of ways, team wide."
Nashville scored twice before Sturm cut it to 2-1 at 8:37 with a short-handed goal. Sturm beat Mattias Ekholm to a loose puck in the neutral zone and scored over Saros' shoulder on a breakaway.
Mikael Granlund and Yakov Trenin scored for Nashville extending their lead 4-1. Kaut made it 4-2 at 50 seconds of the third period when he was set up by Tomas Hertl. It was Kaut's first goal with San Jose in his second game since being traded from the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 25.
"There were some good things," Quinn said. "Nice to see Kaut get a goal. I thought 'Tommy' Hertl had a pretty good night. There were some bright spots, but you have to sift through a lot of bad to find the good."
Nino Niederreiter made it 5-2 at 10:48 when he scored on a backhand shot on a 2-on-1 with Duchene, and Tommy Novak scored on the power play at 14:00 for the 6-2 final.
"We made it look like their group had a lot of fun against us tonight and that's tough to watch as a fan, I bet," Sturm said. "I've thought at least one thing that was always going for us this year is that the group was competing hard. We've always looked like everybody was trying and found a reason to play for something. And today was one of the rare occasions where I thought, just all areas of the ice, we look weak."
The San Jose Sharks have won four of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Blackhawks 4, Sharks 3
Betting trends
Blackhawks are 3-8 in the last 11 against the Pacific.
Blackhawks are 2-6 in the last 8 in San Jose.
Favorite is 42-16 in the last 58 meetings
Projected lines
Blackhawks:
Philipp Kurashev -- Max Domi -- Patrick Kane
Tyler Johnson -- Cole Guttman -- Taylor Raddysh
Jason Dickinson -- Sam Lafferty -- Andreas Athanasiou
Boris Katchouk -- Brett Seney -- Colin Blackwell
Jake McCabe -- Seth Jones
Jack Johnson -- Connor Murphy
Isaak Phillips -- Caleb Jones
Jaxson Stauber
Philipp Kurashev -- Max Domi -- Patrick Kane
Tyler Johnson -- Cole Guttman -- Taylor Raddysh
Jason Dickinson -- Sam Lafferty -- Andreas Athanasiou
Boris Katchouk -- Brett Seney -- Colin Blackwell
Jake McCabe -- Seth Jones
Jack Johnson -- Connor Murphy
Isaak Phillips -- Caleb Jones
Jaxson Stauber
Sharks:
Michael Eyssimont -- Logan Couture -- Alexander Barabanov
Noah Gregor -- Tomas Hertl -- Martin Kaut
Nick Bonino -- Nico Sturm -- Oskar Lindblom
Kevin Labanc -- Steven Lorentz -- Evgeny Svechnikov
Scott Harrington -- Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Matt Benning
Mario Ferraro -- Jacob MacDonald
James Reimer
Michael Eyssimont -- Logan Couture -- Alexander Barabanov
Noah Gregor -- Tomas Hertl -- Martin Kaut
Nick Bonino -- Nico Sturm -- Oskar Lindblom
Kevin Labanc -- Steven Lorentz -- Evgeny Svechnikov
Scott Harrington -- Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Matt Benning
Mario Ferraro -- Jacob MacDonald
James Reimer
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
