San Jose at Detroit

The San Jose Sharks have the lead 3-2 over the Detroit Red Wings, as they take to the road for game six. Over the last several years, the Sharks have been a lethal home team, but struggled to a much greater extent on the road. This year they have turned that corner, finishing the regular season with a stellar 23-14-2-2 mark on the road. That has continued into the playoffs as San Jose is now 4-1 on the road in the post-season, including a win here in Detroit. Detroit has had trouble getting out of this round of late and is now 3-7 in their last 10 conference semifinal games. The Sharks’ road prowess is not limited to cupcake opponents, as they are a resounding 20-7 in their last 27 on the road vs. a team with a winning home record. The Sharks feel good in this venue, having won five of their last seven in Detroit. Play San Jose for the close-out. I also like the OVER here. Over the past three seasons, seven of the ten games played between these teams here in Detroit have gone OVER the total. The last three playoff games have averaged 7 goals per game. Detroit is averaging 6.3 goals per game here at home this season. When facing a team that converts on 19%+ of their power plays (Detroit converts 22.4%), the Sharks are 21-9 OVER this season. San Jose is also 10-3 OVER on the road this season vs. teams that give up 2.9+ goals per game. They are also 15-7 OVER this season after allowing 4+ goals last game. Meanwhile, Detroit is 37-21 OVER this season vs. teams that average over 29 shots on goal per game (San Jose averages 35). Take the Sharks and the OVER here.