San Jose Sharks vs. New Jersey Devils: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/22/2022

Time: 1 p.m. ET

Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Where to watch: MSGSN, NBCSCA

DraftKings: Devils -195, Sharks +165

FanDuel: Devils -200, Sharks +164

BetMGM: Devils -200, Sharks +165

Caesars: Devils -195, Sharks +162

Sharks: 1-5-0

Devils: 2-2-0

Sharks: won 3-2 (OT) at Rangers

Devils: won two straight; won 4-1 at Islanders

I remember the days when the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils facing off usually meant a good matchup to be had by all. Highlight-reel plays, great saves by great goaltenders. You know, the things that make good hockey teams, well, good. Alas, the Devils and Sharks are fighting not to be horrendous right now and so far, it’s not really working. The Sharks just picked up their first win of the year the other night, and the Devils are trying to figure out when is the right time to fire Lindy Ruff.

But this game is prime for the Devils with two straight wins after losing the first two in horrendous fashion by a combined score of 10-4, only to bounce back with wins over the Ducks and New York Islanders, scoring four goals in each contest. That win over the Islanders was the welcome party for top free agent acquisition Ondrej Palat, who scored twice in his fourth game with his new team. Nico Hischier had a three-point night and Jack Hughes also found the back of the net, as he normally does.

“We saw what’s working and what’s not (in the) first two games and last two games,” Palat said. “We are playing better and better and hopefully we can grow as a team. … We have a lot of speed, some young legs on the team and it showed today. We were relentless, winning battles, we were just on top of them, and we skated so that was great for us.”

Palat signed a five-year $30 million deal with the Devils after a lengthy run with the Tampa Bay Lightning, winning two Stanley Cups. Who’s to say how far away that is for the Devils, but at least they’re looking competitive, even if there is a long-standing desire for a coaching change.

“We won the foot races, we won the transition game, we played real quick and that was our goal,” Ruff said. “Really good puck support. The reason we were getting out of the zone really good was the support was from underneath. That’s just a recipe for winning games.”

Winning games has not been the Sharks’ forte to begin the year, but at least they found what that tastes like after David Quinn’s group won 3-2 in overtime against the New York Rangers on Thursday in Quinn’s return to face his former team. Erik Karlsson scored the game-winning goal and had an assist.

“It just felt good," Quinn said. “I thought our guys did a great job. ... We had been a fragile group, but we showed some mental toughness tonight. We showed some perseverance and resolve and you’re gonna need all those things moving forward here."

James Reimer could be looking at another start after the veteran netminder made 23 saves in the win. He’s the only one out of the two, between him and Kaapo Kahkonen, who has actually put up respectable numbers in the crease. That somehow takes a dive with Quinn at the helm, as the backup goalie usually struggles. One never understands why. 

The Devils, as expected, are looking like heavy favorites going into this game, posting as high as -200 in some books. That number should be pounded more heavier because there’s no reason why the Sharks should win this game.

New Jersey has scored four goals in back-to-back games, a sign that their offense might be in for some much-needed nourishment against a struggling Sharks team. Good on San Jose for getting the win, but it’s about to be a busy few days for the Sharks. Devils win 5-2

Sharks are 9-15 off a road win the past three years.

Sharks are 27-46 off an under the past three years.

Devils are 23-59 after a division game the last three years.

Devils are 1-8 off a win against a division rival by at least three goals over the last three years.

Sharks:

Timo Meier -- Tomas Hertl -- Alexander Barabanov

Nick Bonino -- Logan Couture -- Luke Kunin

Jonah Gadjovich -- Nico Sturm -- Evgeny Svechnikov

Oskar Lindblom -- Steven Lorentz -- Matt Nieto

Jaycob Megna -- Erik Karlsson

Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Matt Benning

Mario Ferraro -- Radim Simek

James Reimer

Devils:

Ondrej Palat -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt

Yegor Sharangovich -- Jack Hughes -- Dawson Mercer

Miles Wood -- Erik Haula -- Tomas Tatar

Jesper Boqvist -- Michael McLeod -- Alexander Holtz

Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton

Ryan Graves -- John Marino

Brendan Smith -- Damon Severson

Mackenzie Blackwood

Points: Erik Karlsson -- 5

Goals: Erik Karlsson -- 2

Assists: Erik Karlsson -- 3

Goalie: James Reimer -- 1-3-0, 2.78 GAA, .918 SV%

Points: Jesper Bratt -- 7

Goals: Ondrej Palat -- 3

Assists: Jesper Bratt -- 7

Goalie: Mackenzie Blackwood -- 2-1-0, 2.37 GAA, .885 SV%