The San Jose Sharks (0-1-2) and Utah Mammoth (2-2-0) tangle in a Friday contest in Salt Lake City, Utah. The opening faceoff at the Delta Center will be at 9 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NHL odds around the Sharks vs. Mammoth odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Season series: First meeting; Utah won 2 of 3 games last season
San Jose dropped its first 2 games in overtime and then lost 5-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes (-270, Under 6.5) Tuesday. The Sharks were outshot 118-63 across the trio of setbacks.Utah heads into this matchup with a day less rest. On Wednesday, the -121 Mammoth defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1 (Under 6) in the opening contest of a 4-game homestand. Utah downed the Flames despite going 0-for-6 on the power play. The Mammoth has converted on just 1-of-16 extra-man advantages thus far.
Sharks at Mammoth odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:53 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Sharks +200 (bet $100 to win $200) | Mammoth -250 (bet $250 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Sharks +1.5 (-118) | Mammoth -1.5 (-102)Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)Sharks at Mammoth projected goalies
Yaroslav Askarov (0-0-1, 6.93 GAA, .841) vs. Karel Vejmelka (2-1-0, 1.67 GAA, .929 SV%)
Askarov clocked a 3.10 GAA and .896 in 13 games last season. His lone outing this fall came last Saturday when he allowed 7 goals on 44 shots in an overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Vejmelka, who notched a 2.58 GAA and .904 as Utah’s primary netminder last season, has been sharp through 3 games this season. He owns a .944 SV% in even-strength situations.
Sharks at Mammoth picks and predictionsPrediction
Mammoth 5, Sharks 2
Lots of juice here. PASS.
San Jose has thus far perhaps played even worse than what shows in surface goal and shot counts. The Sharks are near the NHL bottom when it comes to developing 5-on-5 scoring chances and for giving up chances at the other end. They have been abysmal in developing high-hander chances.
The Sharks finished off their 2024-25 season by losing 7 straight on the road — and 11 consecutive games (0-8-3 overall).
Utah has been excellent in drawing penalties. The Mammoth are off to the slow 1-of-16 mark in converting on the power play, but they were a top-10 club on power plays last season.
Utah figures to have an edge between the pipes and in generating quality scoring chances. BACK THE MAMMOTH -1.5 (-102).
Expected-goal analysis would call for bigger goal outputs at both ends of the ice for Utah. And it reveals San Jose to be just about as leaky defensively as what shows on the surface.
Mix in the expectation for a Mammoth special-teams tally, and the OVER 6.5 (+100) has some leverage in this one.
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