San Jose Sharks vs Washington Capitals Prediction, 1/15/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: San Jose Sharks vs Washington Capitals

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026

Location: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.

TV: Monumental Sports Network

The San Jose Sharks (23-19-3) are headed to Capital One Arena on Thursday where they will take on the Washington Capitals (24-17-6).

The San Jose Sharks will look to clean up some issues after taking a 7-2 loss to the Golden Knights in their previous outing. San Jose accumulated 8 minutes in the box for this game. The Sharks didn't have their best offensive outing in the defeat. In addition, they had 5 power play tries but weren't able to convert one of them into a goal. For the game, they earned a goal on 2 out of the 20 shots they tried.

With respect to their goal scoring prowess, the San Jose Sharks have notched 141 goals (15th in the National Hockey League) on the campaign and have given up 161. For the season, the have a total of 49 points and their points percentage is sitting at .544. San Jose is sitting with 158 power play chances and they have tallied 33 goals out of those attempts, giving them a percentage of 20.89%. When playing at even strength, the Sharks let the opposition score 129 goals while getting 108 when they are on offense. San Jose has attempted 1,140 shots and has a shooting percentage of 12.4%. The Sharks have had 1,394 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .885. San Jose Sharks opponents have recorded 143 power play opportunities (11th in the league) and have scored 32 goals in those chances.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Yaroslav Askarov. For his career, Askarov has accrued 22 quality starts and his quality starts rate is .512. His save percentage currently sits at .893 during his 914 mins between the pipes. Askarov has seen 1,274 shot attempts taken against him and has garnered 1,138 total saves. Opponents have scored 136 goals versus Askarov in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 3.16. He has an overall record of 21-18-3 and he was named the starter in 43 games. Askarov has been involved in 45 games during his NHL career.

When they were on the ice last, Washington faced off against the Canadiens in an outing where the Capitals got the win by a final of 3-2. They had 5 power play chances in this outing but weren't able to notch a goal. The Capitals converted 3 goals out of the 42 shots on goal they took.

The Capitals are sitting with 132 goals at even strength and 21 goals (28th in pro hockey) while on the power play. Washington has attempted 1,384 shots (5th in the NHL) and has a shot percentage of 11.05%, while allowing the other team 1,323 shots. This season, the Washington Capitals have tallied 153 goals, 54 points, and a points percentage of .574. They have permitted 130 goals to be scored by way of 96 goals at even strength and 34 goals while they were shorthanded. They have earned 137 chances on the power play and they have earned a power play rate of 15.33%. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 77.33% on their oppositions 150 power play tries, and their save percentage is 90.2%.

Across the rink you will find Logan Thompson between the pipes. Thompson is the owner of a career record of 104-50-21 and has participated in 179 games. Thompson's quality start percentage sits at 62.9% and he has qualified for 107 quality starts in his NHL career. He has tallied 4,632 stops out of the 5,077 shots taken, giving him a save % of .912. His opposition is averaging 2.62 goals per game and he has surrendered 445 goals overall. He has started in 170 games and has accumulated 7,819 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take San Jose

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