Stanley Cup Final 2016: Penguins vs. Sharks Game 3 Odds and Predictions

The San Jose Sharks return home to SAP Center as an unhappy team.

Even though the Sharks have overcome several demons in getting to the Stanley Cup Final, they have slipped on the banana peel now that they have made it to the big stage.

The Sharks trail the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0 as they prepare to play Game 3 of the series at 8 p.m. ET Saturday. The numbers say that San Jose lost two one-goal games in Pittsburgh, but it is clear the Penguins were the better team in both games.

They were quicker in their skating and more decisive in their playmaking, and it seemed that it was just a matter of time before they asserted themselves in both games. That's exactly what happened, as Nick Bonino scored the winning goal late in Game 1 and Conor Sheary scored the game-winner in overtime in Game 2.

Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction	Skinny
Pittsburgh Penguins at San Jose Sharks	8 p.m.	NBCSN, CBC, TVAS	SJ, 5-2	Sharks assert themselves with their size and strength.

If the Sharks want to turn this into a competitive series, they must find a way to cut off the Penguins' puck possession and playmaking tendencies.

Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer needs his overall team defense to be much better for that to happen. He acknowledged that Pittsburgh's ability to spread out its talent has been an issue for every team the Penguins have played in the postseason, per Dan Rosen of NHL.com:

"

They've given us matchup problems, not just us, but other teams. When you have [Phil] Kessel, [Sidney] Crosby and [Evgeni] Malkin on three different lines, I mean, all three of those guys make more [money] than anybody on our team. That's matchup problems for everybody all playoffs.

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The Penguins have scored the opening goal in both games, and that has forced the Sharks to react to Pittsburgh's offense. The Sharks would be well-advised to get on the board first so they can dictate the pace of the game. 

The Sharks are 10-3 when scoring first in the playoffs and 7-1 at home when scoring the initial goal.

DeBoer has proved to be adept at managing the line matchups when playing at the Shark Tank. That tendency gives the Sharks more confidence as they head into Game 3, according to Joe Thornton, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com:

"

You get the matchups you want and we've used that throughout this playoff to our advantage. We've been really good at home this postseason, so we're looking to continue that tomorrow.

"

The oddsmakers believe the Sharks are in a position to narrow the gap in the series to 2-1. San Jose is a minus-140 favorite, while Pittsburgh is a plus-120 underdog, according to Odds Shark.

Prediction

The Sharks are not going to win this game simply because they are playing at home and because DeBoer will get the line matchups he wants.

The only way they will win is if they are faster and quicker than the Penguins. While Pittsburgh may have a number of speedy players, led by Sidney Crosby, the Sharks can counter that speed by being more decisive on the ice.

When the Sharks get control of the puck, they cannot give it back in the neutral zone as they have done in the first two games. Defensemen Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic must make a concerted effort to carry the puck over the red line and send it deep into the offensive zone.

If the Sharks can make the lighter and smaller Penguins battle for the puck in the defensive zone consistently, they should be able to assert themselves.

That's what will happen here. Look for Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture and Joel Ward to score the decisive goals, as the Sharks get off quickly and record a 5-2 victory in Game 3.

That win will turn the Stanley Cup Final into a competitive series that will last seven games.