With a new lease on his hockey life, Pavel Zacha has gone about rewarding the Boston Bruins, who can collect their 22nd home win Sunday against the San Jose Sharks.
Zacha signed a 4-year, $19 million contract with the Bruins last week and followed that by netting three goals and two assists in three convincing Boston wins.
A center by trade, Zacha has been playing wing up and down the lineup for the Bruins, who enjoy a points percentage lead of .133 over the No. 2 team the Carolina Panthers, which is larger than the difference between Carolina and No.16 Colorado Avalanche.
Recently, Zacha has been paired on the second line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak. Krejci is an elite passer and Pastrnak, who has the most goals (62) in the NHL over the last 82 games, is an elite scorer enjoying a career year.
“Those three really enjoy playing with each other,” first-year head coach Jim Montgomery told the media. “Pavel enjoys that brand of hockey and he’s learned how to be a little more selfish and get his own shots instead of looking for Pastrnak.”
The Sharks blew a chance to win two straight games for the first time in over a month by squandering a two-goal lead Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The loss came on the heels of 5-3 win Wedneday over the Dallas Stars in which the Sharks scored five unanswered goals. Timo Meier scored in both games, giving him 27 on the season, and carries a three-game goal streak in the game against the Bruins.
Let’s check the latest NHL news, stats, injury reports, and NHL lines for Sharks vs Bruins. We’ve got plenty of NHL picks for you to consider.
Nosek to miss time for Bruins
The Bruins will be without fourth-line center Tomas Nosek for a close to a month after he suffered a foot injury in Thursday’s win over the New York Rangers.
Nosek doesn’t bring much to the offense as he has just three goals and five assists, but he will be missed on the penalty kill, where he averages 2:39 minutes of ice time.
Joona Koppanen, who had six goals and 14 assists in 36 games this season with the Providence Bruins, will get the first crack at filling Nosek’s role, but he is a long shot to stick for the long haul when you consider he has been in the AHL since 2017-18.
“It’s good for him and it’s good for us to know,” Montgomery told the media of Koppanen. “Do we have a guy that can do this daily and add to playoff depth?”
Sharks hurting on defense
After a brutal first three months in which he had four goals and five assists in 35 games, Nick Bonino has found his scoring touch in the month of January for the Sharks.
The 34-year-old, who returned to play for the team that drafted him after playing for five teams over his first 12 years, has four goals and three assists in nine January contests.
The center scored in a third straight game in the loss to the Blue Jackets and can match his streak of four straight games with a goal in December with a tally agianst the Bruins.
Bonino has three goals and two assists in 18 career games against Boston.
Sharks vs Bruins Game Injuries
Sharks vs Bruins Head-to-Head
The Bruins have beaten the Sharks 10 straight times, including a 4-2 road victory Jan. 7. Boston, which leads the series 27-12-5, outscored San Jose 39-19 in those games.
Sharks vs Bruins Information
- Game: Sharks (14-23-9) vs Bruins (36-5-4)
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
- Day/Time: Sunday, Jan. 22, 7:00 p.m. ET
- Sharks vs Bruins Live Stream: NHL.TV
Sharks vs Bruins Betting Lines
Sharks vs Bruins Picks & Prediction
The Bruins are -340 or greater favorites on the NHL lines for the sixth time this season. Boston is 5-1 in those games with the lone loss coming to the Arizona Coyotes.
The Bruins have covered the puck line in three straight and six of the last eight games.
The Sharks have a 3-7 record against the Atlantic Division this season.
Boston is listed at -340 in our Las Vegas NHL odds. This means that if you wager $100 on the Bruins, you have a chance to win $29. San Jose is +280, offering a chance to win $280 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Boston a 77.27% chance to win, with the Sharks 26.32%.
Sharks vs Bruins Trends
Sharks vs Bruins Edge
Sharks vs Bruins Results
Sharks vs Bruins Game Summary
