Tampa Bay Lightning vs San Jose Sharks Prediction, 1/3/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Lightning vs San Jose Sharks

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: SAP Center in San Jose, CA

TV: NBC Sports California

Odds/Point Spread: Lightning (-275) Sharks (+220)

The San Jose Sharks (20-17-3) will compete against the Tampa Bay Lightning (23-13-3) at SAP Center on Saturday. The odds on this game have Tampa Bay at -275 while San Jose is at +220. The over/under comes in at 6.5.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were on the right side of the scoreboard with a 4-3 win against the Ducks their last time on the ice. The Lightning had a impressive offensive outing in this win. In the game, they netted 4 of the 29 shots they attempted. Moreover, they had 3 opportunities with more players on the ice and were able to notch 1 goal. Tampa Bay had 6 minutes in the box in this contest.

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Tampa Bay Lightning opponents have totaled 132 power play tries (4th in the NHL) and have notched 20 goals in those chances. The Lightning have had 1,047 shots taken against them and are the owners of a save percentage of .902. Tampa Bay has tried 1,072 shots and holds a shot percentage of 12.0%. While playing at even strength, the Lightning have conceded 83 goals while having 107 of their own. Tampa Bay skates onto the rink with 126 power play opportunities and they have added 22 goals out of those tries, giving them a percentage of 17.46%. For the current season, they have tallied 49 points and their points % is .628. Concerning scoring goals, the Tampa Bay Lightning have earned 129 goals (6th in the league) on the season and have given up 103.

Patrolling the crease for the game will be Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy has been involved in 564 games throughout his hockey career. He has amassed a win-loss mark of 346-170-37 and he started in 554 games. The opposition has notched 1,390 goals against Vasilevskiy in his professional career and his goals against average is 2.51. Vasilevskiy has had 16,736 shots against him and he has 15,346 saves. His save percentage sits at .917 for his 28,679 mins between the pipes. During his career on the ice, Vasilevskiy has 323 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .583.

The last time they were on the ice, San Jose faced off against the Wild in a matchup where the Sharks got the tie by a score of 3-3. They had 1 attempt on the power play in this one and recorded 1 on that chance. The Sharks scored 3 goals of the 28 shots on goal they pursued.

On the year, the San Jose Sharks have earned a total of 122 goals, 43 points, as well as a points percentage of .538. They have allowed 138 goals to be scored by of a combination of 111 goals at even strength and 27 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Sharks have accumulated 97 goals at even strength and 25 goals (11th in hockey) while on the power play. They have earned 135 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play percentage of 18.52%. San Jose has attempted 1,003 shots (30th in hockey) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 12.16%, while allowing the opposition 1,254 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill percentage of 78.57% on the other teams 126 chances on the power play, and their save percentage is 89.0%.

For the opposition you are likely to see Yaroslav Askarov in net. His opposition is averaging 3.10 goals/game and he has surrendered 124 goals altogether. Askarov's quality start rate comes out to 55.0% and he has qualified for 22 quality starts in his career. He has been a starter 40 contests and has been on the ice for 908 minutes. Askarov has amassed a career mark of 20-17-3 and has played in 42 games. He has racked up 1,083 saves out of 1,207 shots attempted against him, which gives him a percentage of .897.

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

Josh's Pick: Take San Jose (+220)

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