The Montreal Canadiens will be searching for their first win in San Jose in two decades when they visit the Sharks on Thursday as +145 underdogs on the NHL betting lines at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Montreal opened its current three-game swing through California with a 3-1 victory in Los Angeles on Tuesday, extending the club’s current win streak on the road to three games. However, Montreal has failed to produce a victory in San Jose since November 1999, losing 11 straight road decisions to the Sharks going into Thursday’s game at the SAP Center.
The Canadiens have maintained control of an Eastern Conference wild card while posting wins in five of their past eight overall. But with just a slender two-point lead over Columbus, Montreal remains far from assured of a playoff spot, a reality that is reflected on the NHL futures where they lag at +1400 odds of claiming the Eastern Conference championship.
The Sharks hit the ice as -175 favourites on Thursday after opening their current homestand with victories over Colorado and Chicago, and they have won 10 of 12 on home ice during an impressive 20-7-1 run. The Sharks have outgunned Montreal by a wide 21-5 margin over their past five home wins over the Canadiens, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
Elsewhere on the Thursday NHL odds, the Ottawa Senators host the New York Islanders in the second half of a home-and-home series as +175 underdogs.
Out west, the Calgary Flames look to stay ahead of the surging Sharks in the race for top spot in the Pacific Division standings as they visit the Arizona Coyotes as -140 favourites, while the Edmonton Oilers look to establish their first four-game win streak since December 2017 as they host the Vancouver Canucks as -150 betting chalk.
The Senators sunk deeper into the basement of the NHL standings with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Islanders as +260 road underdogs on Tuesday night, and return home on a dismal 4-14-1 run including losses in each of their past four home outings.
The Islanders ended a two-game slide with Tuesday’s win, but have failed to string together consecutive wins over their past eight, and have also dropped five of six to the Senators including two straight losses in Ottawa.
The Oilers have earned a point in six of their past seven outings including outright wins in each of their past three contests, and have claimed victory in four of their last five home dates with the Canucks, who are winless in six of seven including four straight on the road.
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