NY Rangers vs SJ Sharks Prediction: Don’t expect a lot of pucks

Prediction for the NHL match which will take place on December 4. Who will turn out to be stronger? Check the team conditions! Several betting options are available.

The Rangers have a very strong regular season. In previous years, they also had a big-name roster, but the results were much more modest. And now the experienced Peter Laviolette has taken over as head coach, and things are improving. From the very beginning of the season, the Blues began to actively gain points, and in a total of 22 games they suffered only five defeats, and they won in 17 cases. Moreover, in the last six meetings, the New York team has allowed only one misfire, losing to Buffalo 1:5, and five more times they won in regulation time. Such solid results allow the Rangers to lead the Eastern Conference standings.

San Jose gives out the best stretch in the current regular season, but it does not affect the tournament position, too many points were lost in the debut of the season. The Californians started the season with an 11-game losing streak, which in itself turned them into the league's underdogs. In the next nine games, the Sharks allowed six more losses with three wins. And only in the last four meetings they managed to produce a positive balance: they beat Vancouver - 4:3, Washington - 2:1, New Jersey - 6:3, while losing only to Boston - 0:3. Despite a little progress, they remain in last place in the Western Conference standings.

Rangers and San Jose at the moment are opponents of a completely different level. It's enough to look at the standings to make sure of it: The Blues are leading the East, while the Sharks are hopelessly trailing in the West. Moreover, the Californians are playing very poorly on the road, losing 10 of 11 away games in the current regular season. Now they are the clear favorites, and they are in great shape, having scored 10 of 12 possible points in their previous six games.

The Rangers and San Jose have been extremely stingy in recent years. In the previous five head-to-head meetings, the rivals have combined for just 16 goals (3.20 average per game). Of course, in all five cases there was a total under. This season, the Sharks are playing extremely poor offensively in away battles: in 11 games, the Californians have scored only 12 pucks (1.09 average per game).