Stanley Cup Betting Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. San Jose Sharks Game 3 Odds

The San Jose Sharks have not lost three straight games since the end of March, and they are 7-1 in their past eight at home heading into Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

That would help explain why the Sharks are solid -140 favorites (bet $140 to win $100) versus the Penguins at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark to win their first game of the series at the SAP Center.

San Jose nearly evened the series in Game 2 on Wednesday, forcing overtime on a tying goal by Justin Braun with just less than five minutes left in the third period.

But Conor Sheary struck quickly in the extra session for Pittsburgh, scoring the game-winner at the 2:35 mark on assists from Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby, who was accused of cheating on the faceoff that led to the goal. Logan Couture of the Sharks initially threw out the accusation and then later said everyone cheats on faceoffs, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).

Cheating or not, the Pens now have a comfortable 2-0 series lead that has made them large -500 favorites to win their fourth Stanley Cup and first since the 2008-09 season. They got stellar goaltending in Game 2 from rookie Matt Murray, who made 21 saves and nearly recorded his second shutout of the postseason and third of his career.

Murray's counterpart, Martin Jones, has faced a lot more shots, though, with Pittsburgh firing 71 on him compared to 48 by San Jose. The Sharks will need to change that at home.

This is the first time the Pens have led a series 2-0 this postseason, splitting the first two games in each of the previous three rounds. They are 2-2 in their last four away from home in the playoffs but won Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final, 4-2, over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

They have won four in a row overall, with the under cashing in each of their last three, according to the Odds Shark NHL Database. The under is also 5-1 in the past six meetings with San Jose dating back to the 2014-15 regular season.