San Jose Sharks (17-16-3) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (16-8-10)
The NHL betting action continues Tuesday, December 23, 2025, with the San Jose Sharks taking on the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division showdown at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, and we’ve got the Sharks vs. Golden Knights prediction and the latest odds update.
San Jose meets Vegas for the third time this season. After a 4-3 overtime victory at SAP Center at San Jose in October, the Golden Knights beat the Sharks 4-3 in regulation at T-Mobile Arena in November. Now, the Golden Knights are looking for their tenth straight victory over the Sharks.
Read more about this Sharks vs. Golden Knights prediction, and check out all our NHL picks for Tuesday’s card. Vegas is a firm -255 moneyline favorite with a total of 5.5 goals, and the puck drop is set at 10:00 PM ET.
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Terms & Conditions The Sharks hope to avoid their third straight loss
The San Jose Sharks put an end to their three-game winning streak last Thursday, suffering a 5-3 home loss against the Dallas Stars. Two days later, the Sharks lost to the Seattle Kraken 4-2 in front of the home fans.
Alex Nedeljkovic guarded the cage against the Stars and gave up four goals on 29 shots. San Jose outshot Dallas 37-30, but it wasn’t enough. Last Saturday, the Sharks outshot the Kraken 36-32, and Yaroslav Askarov yielded three goals on 31 shots.
Askarov is 12-9-1 with a 3.22 GAA and a .902 save percentage this season, while Nedeljkovic carries a 5-7-2 record with a 3.01 GAA and a .899 save percentage. The Sharks allow 3.36 goals per game (27th in the NHL) and score 2.94 goals in return (19th).
Center Macklin Celebrini leads the charge for San Jose with 18 goals and 36 assists, while fellow center Will Smith has amassed 12 goals and 17 assists this season. Smith is on the IR with an undisclosed injury, and center Philipp Kurashev (G6, A9) is considered week-to-week due to an upper-body injury.
The Golden Knights aim to stop their three-game slide
The Vegas Golden Knights are back to their losing ways. After winning five of their first six games in December, the Golden Knights strung together three straight defeats against the New Jersey Devils 2-1 SO, the Calgary Flames 6-3, and the Edmonton Oilers 4-3.
Vegas had a back-to-back set over the weekend. Akira Schmid gave up five goals on 25 shots to one of the most inefficient teams in the league, the Calgary Flames, while Carter Hart patrolled the crease on Sunday and allowed four goals on 21 shots against the Oilers, who nearly blew a four-goal lead.
Schmid is 11-3-4 with a 2.48 GAA and a .896 save percentage in 2025-26, while Hart is 3-1-2 with a 2.56 GAA and a .903 save percentage. The Golden Knights surrender 2.88 goals per game (11th in the NHL) and score 3.00 goals in return (18th).
Center Jack Eichel leads the way for Vegas with 12 goals and 29 assists. Winger Mitch Marner has accounted for seven goals and 29 assists, while fellow winger Pavel Dorofeyev has 15 goals and eight assists on his season account. Eichel missed three straight games with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
Sharks vs. Golden Knights Pick Spread Pick for Sharks vs. Golden Knights Vegas Golden Knights -1.5 (5 units)
Even if Jack Eichel remains on the sidelines, I would take the Golden Knights in this game. The Sharks miss a couple of important players, and their defense and goaltending have slowed down after a strong performance in November. San Jose has allowed at least three goals in nine of its previous 11 outings.
The Golden Knights will be fired up to bounce back from a couple of rough displays against Calgary and Edmonton. Vegas is arguably a much better defensive team than it showed last weekend. On the other side of the puck, the Golden Knights have enough weapons to overcome Eichel’s absence.
Over/Under Pick for Sharks vs. Golden Knights
The Sharks are dead last in the NHL in shots allowed per game (31.5). On the other side, no team has allowed fewer shots than Vegas (25.1 per game). However, the Golden Knights’ goaltending is far from elite level, and Vegas is 22nd in the league in save percentage (.885).
Hereof, I will take the over. The Sharks will struggle to contain the Golden Knights’ offense, but San Jose should be able to score a couple of goals and make this game interesting to watch. Each of their last five encounters has seen more than five goals on the scoreboard.
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