The San Jose Sharks will look to remain unbeaten in regulation when they invade the Honda Center this Monday night to face the Anaheim Ducks in a Pacific Division showdown. This West Coast clash is set to get underway at 10 p.m. (ET), and the game will be available on NHL Center Ice.

San Jose has yet to lose in regulation this season, but it fell to 7-0-1 with a 2-1 shootout loss to Nashville this past Saturday. This was the Sharks third straight game that ended in a shootout and the first time all season they failed to score more than one goal. The total has now stayed “under” in their last five games.

The Ducks come into this matchup four points behind the Sharks in the Pacific Division standings at 5-1-1 overall. They have won three of their last four games while compiling a 1-1 record in shootouts during that stretch. The total has stayed under in four of their last five games.

Sharks at Ducks Betting Storylines

Much of the Sharks red-hot start can be attributed to a relentless offensive attack that is averaging 3.5 goals per game. They have outscored their opponents 30-14 while tallying four or more goals in each of their first five games. That pace has slowed a bit in its last three outings, but San Jose’s defense has remained rock-solid in allowing an average of just 1.6 goals a game, which is the lowest total in the league.

Patrick Marleau has had the hot stick for the Sharks with team-high nine goals and five assists. Logan Couture has posted five goals, and Joe Thornton leads the team in assists with 11. Overall, San Jose has five players with at least three goals so far. Antti Niemi has seen most of the action in goal and is sporting a goals-against average of just 1.8 while saving .936 of the shots he has faced.

Anaheim has actually outscored the Sharks so far in terms of goals per game with an average of 3.7. It has been the third-best team this season on the power play; converting on 33.3 percent of their opportunities with the man advantage. This past Saturday night Nick Bonino tagged the defending champion Los Angeles Kings with a hat trick in the Ducks 7-4 romp as +104 home underdogs.

Daniel Winnik actually leads the team in goals with five, and Teemu Selanne is the points leader with three goals and six assists. Anaheim has seven different players in its lineup with two or more goals so far. Defensively, it has been hit or miss this season with a GAA of 3.0. The Ducks got tagged for five goals in a home loss to Vancouver but held the Sharks to just two goals in regulation in a 3-2 shootout loss on Jan.29 as +142 road underdogs.

Sharks at Ducks Betting Odds and Trends

BetOnline has both teams listed at -105 on its most recent NHL odds. The “over/under” for this contest has been set at 5.5.

The Sharks are 5-2 in their last seven road games and 5-1 in their last six games playing on one day’s rest. The total has stayed under in five of their last six games against a team with a winning record.

The Ducks are 17-8 in their last 25 games at home but just 3-9 in their last 12 games following a win. The total has stayed under in 15 of their last 22 home games.

Head-to-head in this division rivalry, San Jose is 2-6 in the last eight meetings and 2-5 in its last seven trips to Anaheim. The total has stayed under in six of the last seven meetings.

Sharks at Ducks Picks and Betting Predictions

The trends for a lower-scoring game look good in spite of the fact that two of the highest scoring teams will be facing off against one another on Monday night. This works to the Ducks’ advantage as they avenge the earlier one-goal loss on the road with a one-goal win over the Sharks this time around.

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Read more articles by Dave Schwab