by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2023
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Venue: SAP Center, San Jose, CA
Where to watch: TNT
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Stars -170, Sharks +145
FanDuel: Stars -170, Sharks +140
BetMGM: Stars -155, Sharks +130
Caesars: Stars -164, Sharks +140
Season record
Stars: 26-12-7
Sharks: 13-23-9
We’ve hit the halfway mark in the NHL season. Yes, you read that right. We’re really hit that halfway mark that quickly. If you blinked, you probably missed a lot of good things happen in the hockey world. And with football about to be out of the way, look for our champion handicappers to get back on the rink. Oskeim Sports is on a 13-5-0 run in the NHL over the last 30 days, as is Will Rogers. Sean Murphy has also cashed in with a 16-10-0 run in the last month. Make sure you’re following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to get on this winning action!
Stars - Sharks preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Stars: won 4-0 at Golden Knights
Sharks: lost 4-3 (SO) vs. Devils
The Dallas Stars will be playing the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, January 18 in San Jose, California.
The Dallas Stars won against the Vegas Golden Knights last Monday, January 16 in Las Vegas, Nevada with a score of 4-0. The Dallas Stars currently rank 1st in the Central Division. Jake Oettinger made 27 saves for his third shutout of the season for the Dallas Stars.
"He's a superstar goalie in this League," Dallas captain Jamie Benn said of Oettinger. "We seem to keep talking about him, which is a great thing. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. He's a professional. He prepares well, and he's got a great mindset going into games. He shuts the door pretty much every night."
Benn, Joel Kiviranta, Ryan Suter, Tyler Seguin scored for the Stars, who had lost two straight one-goal games. Ty Dellandrea had two assists.
"Our [defensemen] were pretty solid tonight," Benn said. "We had good breakouts and connected as a group of five," Benn said. "Communication goes a long way too. … It was a big team effort."
Fighting to be the top team in the Western Conference, the Stars keep finding ways to impress under first-year coach Pete DeBoer. The Stars put on a masterclass in dominance in the neutral zone against DeBoer’s former team in his return to Vegas. He got the tribute video and he rode off into the sunset.
Dallas has won six of 10 on the money line and the under has cashed in five of the last six.
"Honestly, it was touching," DeBoer said. "You never know when you leave, but I thought it was really classy to include Steve and I both at the same time. I thought the reception from the fans was great, and I never expected it different. They've been great from Day One. Classy on their part and appreciated by us."
The San Jose sharks lost against New Jersey Devils last Monday, January 16 in San Jose, California with a score of 4-3 in a shootout. The San Jose Sharks currently rank 7th in the Pacific Division. Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier each had a goal and an assist, and Michael Eyssimont had two assists for the Sharks. James Reimer made 38 saves.
"A loss is a loss and it's not something to be happy about," Eyssimont said. "Whether you lose in a shootout or regulation, it's tough to get in your car and stomach it. It [stinks]. But tonight I think we can look at ourselves and say that we did some good things and we played hard."
"The thing I loved is that we kept playing," Sharks coach David Quinn said. "We didn't let that get us down after what happened two nights ago (7-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers). So I give our guys a lot of credit."
It’s not looking like a fun year for the Sharks, as expected, but having lost eight of 10 with no promising future in sight. They are wasting a tremendous year from Karlsson and I don’t know what more they can do unless they sell high and get some contender to bite. Truly, this team is not meant to play NHL hockey right now. It’s all bad.
Prediction
I would say not to overlook this one. If the Sharks can’t get anything going offensively, this is going to be another dominant performance for either Jake Oettinger or Scott Wedgewood. Stars 5, Sharks 1
Betting trends
Stars are 305-279 on the road after playing on the road since 1996.
Stars are 5-15 on the road after a win by 3 goals or more the last 3 seasons.
Sharks are 3-14 at home after a game where they failed to cover or win this season.
Projected lines
Stars:
Jason Robertson -- Tyler Seguin -- Joe Pavelski
Jamie Benn -- Wyatt Johnston -- Ty Dellandrea
Mason Marchment -- Luke Glendening -- Denis Gurianov
Fredrik Olofsson -- Radek Faksa -- Joel Kiviranta
Miro Heiskanen -- Colin Miller
Ryan Suter -- Nils Lundkvist
Esa Lindell -- Jani Hakanpaa
Jake Oettinger
Sharks:
Matt Nieto -- Logan Couture -- Alexander Barabanov
Timo Meier -- Tomas Hertl -- Michael Eyssimont
Nick Bonino -- Nico Sturm -- Noah Gregor
Jonah Gadjovich -- Steven Lorentz -- Oskar Lindblom
Jaycob Megna -- Erik Karlsson
Mario Ferraro -- Nick Cicek
Matt Benning -- Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Kaapo Kahkonen
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Dallas Stars - San Jose Sharks prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.
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.
