San Jose Sharks vs Minnesota Wild Prediction, 4/17/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: San Jose Sharks vs Minnesota Wild

Date: Saturday, April 17, 2021

Location: Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN

TV: Bally Sports North

Odds/Point Spread: Sharks (+160) Wild (-185)

Xcel Energy Center is the venue where Kaapo Kahkonen and the Minnesota Wild (25-13-3) will take on the San Jose Sharks (18-20-4) on Saturday. The odds on this contest have the Sharks coming in at +160 and the Wild are at -185. The O/U is set at 5.5.

The Sharks were on the losing side of the ice with a 4-1 loss to the Ducks the last time they stepped on the ice. The Corsi for the Sharks was 41 and the Corsi against was 39 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 51.3%. Their offensive zone starts were at 55.1% and they had a PDO of 90.0 for this game. San Jose accrued 18 penalty minutes for this matchup. The Sharks offense left a lot to be desired in the loss. Their Fenwick was 31 and the Fenwick Against sat at 26, meaning they had a Fenwick rate of 54.4%. They had 26 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 21 attempts to take control of the puck. In addition, they had 3 power play opportunities but weren't able to score. In the matchup, they finished 1 out of the 28 shots they tried.

Regarding scoring goals, the San Jose Sharks have accumulated 109 goals (26th in the league) over the course of the season and have given up 139. For the current campaign, the have a total of 40 points and their points percentage sits at .476. San Jose has accounted for 121 power play chances and they have added 20 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 16.53%. When playing at even strength, the Sharks have surrendered 112 goals while having 89 themselves. San Jose has tried 1,272 shots and has a shot percentage of 8.6%. The Sharks have had 1,331 shots taken against them and have earned a save percentage of .896. San Jose Sharks opponents have tallied 138 power play opportunities (4th in the NHL) and have tallied 27 goals in those attempts.

Patrolling the crease for the game will be Josef Korenar. Opponents have scored 4 goals against Korenar in his NHL career and his goals against rate is 3.07. Korenar has participated in 2 games during his NHL career. His save percentage currently sits at .882 during his 78 mins between the pipes. He has compiled an overall mark of 0-1-0 and he started in 1 game. Korenar has seen 34 shot attempts taken against him and has recorded 30 total saves.

The last time they were on the ice, Minnesota faced the Coyotes in an outing where the Wild earned a victory by a score of 5-2. Their PDO at even strength was 108 and they finished this one with an oZS percentage of 39.1%. They had 3 attempts on the power play in this contest and scored 3 out of those opportunities. Their Fenwick rate was 46.2% by notching a Fenwick of 24 and the Coyotes ending the game with a 28 Fenwick. The Wild recorded 5 goals out of the 22 shots on goal they were seeking. Minnesota wrapped up this game with a 45.9% Corsi rating. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Minnesota played and they looked like the better team in this game.

This season, the Minnesota Wild are sitting with 123 goals, 53 points, in addition to a points percentage of .646. They have permitted 110 goals to be scored by way of 88 goals at even strength and 22 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Wild have tallied 101 goals at even strength and 22 goals (21st in the league) while having more men on the ice. They have a total of 129 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 17.05%. Minnesota has attempted 1,173 shots (29th in pro hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 10.49%, while allowing their opponents 1,268 shots. They have earned a penalty kill percentage of 83.70% on their oppositions 135 chances on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 91.3%.

On the other side of the ice you will find Kaapo Kahkonen in the crease. He has recorded 658 saves out of the 723 shots attempted against him, which gives him a save % of .910. Kahkonen is the owner of a lifetime record of 15-8-1 and has played in 24 contests. He has been a starter 23 games and his ice time sits at 1,417 minutes. Kahkonen's quality start rate sits at 52.2% and he has 12 quality starts in his professional career. His opposition is averaging 2.75 goals per game and he has allowed 65 goals overall.

Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Minnesota (-185)

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