Sharks vs Panthers

Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks roll into Sunrise having won four of their last five and opening this road swing with a tight 3-2 win in Washington, while the Panthers are wobbling through a 3-4 start to January that includes a 9-1 drubbing in Carolina and a heavy overall goals-against number for a team used to suffocating defense. With Aleksander Barkov essentially lost for the regular season after knee surgery and Matthew Tkachuk still on injured reserve, Florida’s forward core is far thinner than the team that shredded San Jose 7-2 last January, even if Brad Marchand is tracking toward a return from IR and remains a major threat after scoring in the 3-1 Sharks win in San Jose back in November. Home ice and a strong 14-9-3 record in Sunrise still matter, but San Jose’s top line, driven by Celebrini’s point-per-game-plus pace, is carrying more of the elite talent in this matchup right now, and the Sharks have already shown they can break Florida’s long head-to-head dominance. At +150, I’m willing to lean into San Jose’s current form, offensive ceiling, and Florida’s injury load; it’s still an underdog play against a two-time defending champ in a tough building, so I grade this Moneyline as a solid B for a live dog with reasonable value but real downside if Bobrovsky or Tarasov steals it. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 19/01/2026 09:33

The recent scoring profile for both clubs points me toward the Over 6 despite the steep -138 price: Sharks games in January have routinely pushed into the 7–10 goal range as their Celebrini-led attack heats up while their still-fragile blue line and goaltending tandem of Askarov and Nedeljkovic continue to leak chances, and Panthers games this month have averaged well above six goals thanks to a mix of multi-goal losses and the occasional rebound win. Florida’s defense is missing pieces on the back end (Dmitry Kulikov and Seth Jones on injured reserve) and up front (no Barkov or Tkachuk to drive play and protect leads), which has coincided with them allowing nine to Carolina and at least four goals in several recent outings, and that instability is compounded by a schedule spot that has this as their third game in four nights after a rough road back-to-back. San Jose’s power play has been more dangerous with Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, and William Eklund driving entries, while Florida still has plenty of finishing with Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Marchand (if active), and a second unit that can score off the rush, all of which suggests high event hockey rather than a tight, low-scoring playoff-style game even with both teams needing points in tightly packed playoff races. Because 6 is a key number and the juice is heavy, I’m grading Over 6 at B-, leaning into the offensive trends and injury context but recognizing that a strong goaltending performance on either side could easily land this on exactly six or even below. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 19/01/2026 09:33

Given how these teams are currently constructed, I’m more comfortable taking the insurance with San Jose +1.5 on the puckline than laying goals with a shorthanded Panthers group at -1.5, even knowing the price at -154 isn’t cheap. Florida still owns legitimate blowout upside, as that 9-1 loss in Carolina showed from the other side, but with Barkov and Tkachuk out and depth pieces like Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen either on or just coming off the injured list, they’ve been far less consistent at running away from opponents and have leaned heavily on Sergei Bobrovsky and Daniil Tarasov to keep games manageable; combine that with a Sharks squad that has gone from doormat to playoff contender, is 11-11-0 on the road, and already beat these Panthers 3-1 earlier this season on the strength of Askarov’s 38 saves, and you get a profile that skews toward one-goal games more often than the market may be pricing. San Jose’s own injury list (Ty Dellandrea and Philipp Kurashev among the forwards, Vincent Desharnais and Shakir Mukhamadullin on the back end, plus Logan Couture on long-term IR) does raise the risk of late-game cracks, and Florida’s urgency as they hover just outside the East’s playoff line is a real motivator, so I’m assigning only a C+ to Sharks +1.5: it’s a reasonable way to back the underdog’s resilience in a matchup that should stay competitive, but the combination of juice and Florida’s capability to flip the script with a big night keeps this from being more than a small-stake edge. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 19/01/2026 09:33