Tampa Bay Lightning vs San Jose Sharks NHL Betting Prediction

NHL Bay Lightning vs San Jose Sharks Prediction 1/2/2025

The Tampa Bay Lightning (20-12-2) travel to face off against the San Jose Sharks (11-23-6) on Thursday, January 2nd. This game will be played at SAP Center in San Jose and televised on NBCS. Both the Lightning and Sharks will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:30 ET.

Lightning vs Sharks

tampa bay lightning nhl

The Tampa Bay Lightning Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Tampa Bay’s 7-4 loss to the Jets dropped their record to 20-12-2. The Lightning were underdogs on the puck line, with the total set at 6.5 goals. The combined 11 goals easily surpassed that mark.

The Lightning held a 2-0 lead early, but Winnipeg responded with seven of the next nine goals. Four different players scored for Tampa Bay in the loss.

The San Jose Sharks Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

San Jose dropped to 11-23-6 after a 3-2 loss to the Canucks. The Sharks led 1-0 and later tied the game at 2-2, but Vancouver scored the game-winner with just 26 seconds left in regulation.

The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the teams combined for only 5. As the underdog on the puck line, the Sharks failed to cover.

Tampa Bay Offense Breakdown

The Lightning fired 30 shots on goal and scored 4 times in their 7-4 loss to the Jets. Brandon Hagel opened the scoring with his 7th goal of the season, and Brayden Point followed with his 8th, which came on a power play. Mitchell Chaffee netted his 4th goal, while Nikita Kucherov added his 10th, scoring at the 13:09 mark in the third period to tie the game at 4-4.

Tampa Bay recorded 8 giveaways in the game and had 4 assists on their goals. Jake Guentzel picked up his 8th assist of the season, and Nick Paul added his 7th.

Sharks Offense Breakdown

san jose sharks

San Jose’s offense was held to just two goals in their 3-2 loss to Vancouver. Mikael Granlund netted his 6th goal of the season, while Nico Sturm added his 2nd. The Sharks took 23 shots on goal but were unable to convert on any of their 16 giveaways.

Sturm opened the scoring at 17:23 in the second period, and Granlund tied it up at 18:43 in the third. Tyler Toffoli picked up his 5th assist, and William Eklund added his 7th on Granlund’s goal.

Tampa Bay Team Defense

Despite tying the game at 4-4 in the 3rd period, Tampa Bay’s defense faltered, allowing three late goals to the Jets. The first came at the 7:38 mark, followed by two empty-netters. The Lightning also gave up the first two goals of the 2nd period, after leading 2-1 at the end of the 1st. Goalie Jonas Johansson finished with a save percentage of 84.4% on 32 shots from Winnipeg.

San Jose Team Defense

San Jose’s defense gave up the first goal at 5:19 in the 2nd period, and they allowed two more in the 3rd, including the game-winner with just 26 seconds left. Mackenzie Blackwood finished with 25 saves and an 89.3% save percentage. The Sharks’ defense also recorded 6 takeaways and 21 hits.

Lightning vs Sharks Trends

  • Tampa Bay has played well in their previous three road games, going 3-0 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 5 goals per game while allowing 1. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 3-0.
  • Through their last five home contests, the Sharks offense has averaged 1 goals per game while allowing an average of 4. San Jose posted an overall record of 0-5 while going 1-4 ATS.
  • In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Sharks have a straight up record of 0-5 and an puck line mark of 2-3.
  • Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Lightning have gone 8-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 8-2.

Lightning vs Sharks Prediction

For those seeking a straight moneyline bet, the Lightning are the top choice. Nonetheless, with a payout of -265, you might want to use this bet as a part of a parlay to get better odds.

My recommended pick for the puck line is to take the Sharks to cover. Even if the Lightning win straight-up, this one should be close throughout and the Sharks should cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 6.5 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.