Stanley Cup Betting Preview: San Jose Sharks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Game 1 Odds

The Pittsburgh Penguins are set as the betting favorites for both Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final and the championship series overall as they get set to battle the San Jose Sharks starting on Monday night in Game 1 at the Consol Energy Center.

The Penguins are listed as the -149 favorites (bet $149 to win $100) at home for Game 1 at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark, with the total set at 5.5 goals. Pittsburgh is also a -120 favorite on the overall Stanley Cup series prices at the sportsbooks, with San Jose listed at even money.

Sidney Crosby and Co. are coming off a hard-fought seven-game series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final, edging the Bolts by a score of 2-1 in the deciding Game 7 of the series last Thursday night at home as -208 favorites.

Bryan Rust scored both goals for the Penguins in that Game 7 victory—he has five so far during Pittsburgh's postseason run—with Evgeni Malkin assisting on both tallies. Matt Murray, in the starter's role for the Penguins once again, allowed just one goal on 17 shots.

The Penguins needed only six games to get past the Washington Capitals in the second round of the playoffs, and they bounced the New York Rangers in five games in their opening series of the postseason. The Penguins at 12-6 through their 18 playoff outings.

The Sharks are also 12-6 so far in the postseason. They got past the Los Angeles Kings in five games in the first round, knocked out the Nashville Predators in seven games in the second round and then beat the St. Louis Blues in six games in the Western Conference Final.

San Jose wrapped up its series against St. Louis last Wednesday night with a 5-2 home victory as a -149 favorite on the betting lines. Joel Ward scored twice for the Sharks in that win, with Joe Pavelski, Joonas Donskoi and Logan Couture (into an empty net) providing the other markers. Martin Jones made 24 saves on 26 shots between the pipes for San Jose.

Pittsburgh and San Jose met twice during the regular season, according to the Odds Shark NHL Database, with the Sharks winning 3-1 on the road in November and the Penguins winning 5-1 on the road in December. Overall, the Penguins are just 4-6 in the last 10 games between the teams dating back to 2009, with the over/under going 4-5-1 for totals bettors.

Puck drop for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for 8 p.m. ET on Monday night.