Nashville vs San Jose: Predators to beat Sharks for fourth time in a row

On April 13, 2022 the US state of Tennessee will host the local Nashville in another NHL regular season game against San Jose.

Nashville have a good regular championship, but still risks to fly past the cup battles, too serious competition now in the West. John Hynes' side have avoided serious slumps for a long time, but they have started to misfire at the crucial moment. Most recently they sensationally lost to Buffalo, 3-4, and the last two games they also lost to Florida and Pittsburgh, 1-4 and 2-3, respectively. Yes, the Predators are still in sixth place in the Western Conference standings for a playoff spot, but there are several clubs in close proximity.

For San Jose, the current season is all but over. They struggled to make the playoffs in the opening stages of the regular season, but then suffered a string of consecutive losses which caused their position to deteriorate and the playoff motivation to disappear. By April, Bob Boughner's men had given up the fight entirely and in the last six games they had failed to pick up a single win, allowing only one point in a 1-2 overtime loss to Edmonton during that stretch. Such poor results have already pushed San Jose back to 13th place in the Western Conference standings.

• Nashville have beaten San Jose in the last three meetings with a total score - 14:2;
• Nashville won five of last six games at home;
• San Jose lost their last six games;
• San Jose can't score away in four games in a row.

Nashville and San Jose have game problems lately, but the Predators still continue to fight for the playoffs, while the Sharks have long abandoned this case. Of course, the motivation in the standings is currently much higher for the Blue and Yellow, so they can't afford to lose points in a battle with the bottom side of the league. In addition, they beat the California club in their last three meetings with a combined score of 14-2. As a result, we should bet on Nashville's victory for 1.75.

Don't expect a goal-scoring extravaganza in this upcoming encounter. In the first meeting between the teams this season, Nashville defeated San Jose 8-0, but the Predators are not in good shape to rout their opponents. There is no need to do so. For John Hynes's team at the end of the regular season it is more important to take two points and save energy and emotions than to defeat the bottom side of the league again. The Sharks have no incentive to play hard and play effectively, so Total Under 5.5 pucks for 2.06 might be the best option to make a prediction.

Mikael Granlund moved from Minnesota to Nashville during the 2018/19 season, but he was not immediately able to become the Predators' leader. The current regular season is the first time the Finnish hockey player has finally been able to return to his former level. In 70 meetings, the Suomi representative has recorded 53 points (9 goals + 44 assists), placing him among the top-5 scorers. Obviously, he's in good form right now, so it's worth taking a closer look at Mikael Granlund's Total Over 0.5-point for 1.66.

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