The Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks clash in Game 4 of this year’s NHL Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night at the SAP Center with the Penguins still holding a 2-1 series edge. Game time for this crucial showdown is set for 8 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
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The Penguins took care of business on their home ice as favorites with victories in the first two games of this series, but they could get past the Sharks on the road as +136 underdogs in a 3-2 overtime loss this past Saturday in Game 3. All three games have been decided by one goal and the last two ended as a tie in regulation. The total has stayed UNDER in these first three matchups after closing at 5.5 each time.
Pittsburgh continues to dominate this series in terms of shots on goal and even in Saturday’s loss it was able to outshoot the Sharks 42-26. Right winger Phil Kessel has been the team’s leading scorer in the postseason with 10 goals and nine assists and centers’ Sidney Crosby and Nick Bonino are a close second with each adding a total of 17 points. Matt Murray continues to start in goal and through 18 playoff games his goal-against average stands at 2.15 with a .924 save percentage.
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San Jose is now 8-2 in 10 playoff games on its home ice and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in seven of those games. After averaging an impressive 3.5 goals a game in their first three series against Los Angeles, Nashville and St. Louis, the Sharks have tallied a grand total of just six goals in three games against Pittsburgh. The total has now stayed UNDER in six of their last nine games in the postseason.
Saturday’s crucial win was the first time that San Jose won a game in overtime in this year’s playoffs. They had come up on the losing end four previous times. Joonas Donskoi was the hero in Game 3 with a goal and an assist including the game winner 12 minutes into the first overtime period. Joel Ward sent the game to overtime with the tying goal midway in the third period. Credit the play of Martin Jones between the pipes for this win as well after stopping all nine shots he faced in the extra period. His GAA in the postseason is 2.13 with a .922 save percentage.
The Penguins are 4-0 in their last four Monday games and they are 13-5 in their last 18 games on the road. The total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in 26 of their last 35 games playing on one day’s rest.
The Sharks are just 2-5 in their last seven games following a win, but they are 4-1 in their last five home games against a team with a winning record on the road. The total has gone OVER in eight of their last 11 Monday games.
Head-to-head in this matchup, the home team is 17-5 in the last 22 meetings and the total has stayed UNDER in six of the last seven games.
