Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Tonight, the Chicago Blackhawks wrap up their West Coast road trip against the San Jose Sharks. Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey analyze the day’s games and provide in-depth analysis. We break down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then make predictions based on how they might play out. Don’t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers continue this series throughout the 2025-26 season. 

NHL Predictions: Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks

Time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Season Series: Chicago leads 1-0

How to Watch TV: ESPN+, CHSN, NBCSCA

Location: SAP Center at San Jose, California.

Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks play their final road game of the season against Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks.

The Hawks’ offence exploded in a 6-3 victory in the first matchup between these two teams. Connor Bedard started the scoring with a power-play marker in the first period with assists from Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. In the second period, goals from Connor Murphy, Ryan Donato and Sam Rinzel gave the Hawks a 4-0 lead. Will Smith and Ilya Mikheyev traded markers less than a minute apart, before Macklin Celebrini closed out the scoring in the second period. Shakir Mukhamadullin got the Sharks within two, but Donato netted his second goal of the game to give the Hawks their decisive 6-3 advantage. Neither Yaroslav Askarov nor Alex Nedeljkovic gave the Sharks an inspired effort in the net, which the club is hoping to fix.

Credit Image: © Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune via ZUMA Press Wire

Blackhawks Close Out Road Season

The Hawks handed the Kraken their fourth-straight loss Saturday night to pick up a good win. Teravainen and Bertuzzi opened the scoring after a scoreless first period. The third period featured four total goals, including Sacha Boisvert‘s first career goal with helpers from Kevin Korchinski and Landon Slaggert. Ilya Mikheyev netted the empty-net goal to ice the game. Arvid Soderblom thwarted the Sharks’ attack with a 25-save performance. Expect Spencer Knight in the crease and for an inspired effort between the pipes.

With the Blackhawks out of Stanley Cup Playoff contention, now is the time for the coaching staff to evaluate the roster and look ahead to next season. Tonight, it was the overall defensive effort that helped the Hawks earn the win. Even though the Kraken struggle to score goals, the Hawks’ defenders did a nice job stepping into shooting lanes and limiting Seattle’s high-danger chances. Head coach Jeff Blashill switched up the defensive pairs, slotting Wyatt Kaiser and Louis Crevier together and bringing Sam Rinzel to play with Alex Vlasic. Those four in particular looked confident together. Expect similar pairings tonight as the Hawks continue to battle injuries to Artyom Levshunov and Matt Grzelcyk. As always, be sure to check social media for starting lineups and starting goaltender information.

Sharks Looking To Keep Pace in Wild Card Race

The Sharks suffered a massive loss to the Predators on Saturday night. After falling behind 3-0 in the first period, the club battled back to even the score. Goals from Nick Leddy, Macklin Celebrini and Alexander Wennberg gave the Sharks life on home ice. However, Nashville netted three unanswered in the final 12 minutes to pick up the win. Askarov saw the crease and picked up the loss, continuing a concerning trend of a high number of goals allowed. Expect Nedeljkovic between the pipes tonight to try and get Askarov back on track.

Before Saturday’s loss, the Sharks had won four straight games to climb back into the playoff mix. In that time, Celebrini has been an absolute superstar. He has ten points in the last five games and single-handedly dragged the Sharks to victory Wednesday night against Anaheim. He plays with Will Smith and Collin Graf, who has a surprising 20-goal campaign. However, similar to Chicago, the Sharks struggle to keep the puck out of the net with their young defensive core. Leddy, along with Mario Ferraro, has provided some nice veteran play, but the group has to tighten up their play in order to pick up wins.

Game Prediction

Expect a high-scoring affair in this one with San Jose’s superstars to step up and pick up the big two points.

Prediction: San Jose wins 4-2

Prop Bets

Tyler Toffoli Anytime Goalscorer (+300)

Frank Nazar Anytime Goalscorer (+300)

Main Photo: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

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