Utah Mammoth vs San Jose Sharks

With Utah riding a three-game losing streak and scoring just four goals over that span, while San Jose comes off a strong 9-5-1 November that included a dominant 7-0-1 run at home, the recent form tilt leans toward the Sharks despite the identical 12-11-3 records. Utah’s injury list is non-trivial: Logan Cooley — their leading goal scorer — exited Saturday’s loss to St. Louis with a lower-body injury, and they’re already missing Alexander Kerfoot and Sean Durzi, which thins both their center depth and defensive puck-moving. On the other side, San Jose is also banged up (Jeff Skinner and Michael Misa have been on IR), but their top-six still revolves around Macklin Celebrini, who already torched Utah for a hat trick in their 3-2 OT win at SAP Center, while the Mammoth previously burned the Sharks with a Nick Schmaltz hat trick and Clayton Keller’s four-point night in a 6-3 Utah home win — evidence that both stars feel comfortable in this matchup. Home/road splits matter here: Utah has been much sharper in Salt Lake City than on the road, whereas San Jose has quietly turned SAP Center back into a difficult building, and Yaroslav Askarov’s solid work in goal has stabilized their defensive floor enough to support their high-event offense. At Utah -165, the market is pricing the Mammoth like a clearly superior, healthy favorite; given the current form and Utah’s key injuries, there’s more value grabbing the home dog Sharks at +140, but it’s still a mid-range edge rather than a slam dunk, so this Moneyline recommendation earns a solid but not elite B. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/12/2025 09:34am

Both teams’ recent trajectories suggest we’re more likely to creep over the 6-goal total than stay under, even with some important offensive injuries. Through 26 games, Utah has scored 77 and allowed 77, while San Jose sits at 74 for and 84 against; that’s roughly a combined average just over six total goals per game, with the Sharks in particular driving higher totals thanks to a leaky blue line and goaltending that’s good but not airtight. Utah’s current three-game slide has featured a scoring dip, but that coincides with a tough road back-to-back and Cooley’s injury; their underlying profile is still that of a team that can generate in transition with Keller, Schmaltz and Jack McBain when they see a defense that turns pucks over, and San Jose does exactly that. Head-to-head this year we’ve already seen a 6-3 Utah win and a 3-2 Sharks OT win, both played at good pace and with high-end skill finishing chances, and San Jose’s November surge at home has often involved trading chances rather than locking things down. Cooley and Skinner’s statuses temper the ceiling a bit, and strong goaltending nights from Karel Vejmelka or Askarov could sink this, which is why this isn’t graded higher, but given the offensive talent still available and San Jose’s defensive profile, Over 6 at -115 is a modest value lean that merits a B-. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/12/2025 09:34am

The puckline picture sharpens even more in San Jose’s favor: Utah’s recent three-game skid has produced two one-goal losses, and their overall profile — solid but not overpowering offense, average special teams, and league-median goal differential — lends itself to tight games, especially on the road. San Jose, despite their negative season goal differential, has been outstanding at home lately, with most of their November SAP Center wins and losses coming by a goal or two, and their only meeting with Utah in this building was a 3-2 OT Sharks victory powered by Celebrini’s hat trick, underscoring how thin the margin is between these clubs when Utah doesn’t have last change. With Utah depleted down the middle (Cooley’s injury on top of Kerfoot’s absence) and still missing a key puck-mover in Durzi, their ability to stretch a lead late is compromised, whereas the Sharks’ mix of Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund has consistently generated enough offense to keep them within striking distance even when they trail. Laying -195 isn’t cheap, but in a matchup between evenly matched, similarly flawed teams where home ice has been a real edge and close results have been the norm, San Jose +1.5 looks like a high-probability, low-variance position, strong enough to justify an A- grade on the puckline. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/12/2025 09:34am