Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks: Odds, Analysis, NHL Betting Pick

The Pacific-leading Vegas Golden Knights (47-21-5) will look to move 10 points ahead of the second-place San Jose Sharks (41-23-9) when they visit them on Thursday as road underdogs.

The Sharks are riding a five-game winning streak while the Golden Knights have won two games in a row, but they are expected to be without goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who suffered an injury in Tuesday's 4-1 home victory against the Vancouver Canucks.

NHL betting line: The Sharks opened as -143 favorites (wager $143 to win $100); the total is at 55 goals, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).

NHL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 3.4-2.2, Golden Knights (NHL picks on every game).

Check out the OddsShark podcast on iTunes or at OddsShark.libsyn.com for more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news.

Why the Golden Knights can pay on the NHL lines

Vegas has a solid backup goalie in Malcolm Subban, and he performed well in the last two periods against the Canucks after Fleury departed. Subban played in a game for the first time since February 2 and stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced vs. Vancouver. He also saw action in a 5-4 overtime win over the Sharks back on November 24, turning away three shots in relief of Maxime Lagace.

The Golden Knights just completed a four-game homestand at 2-2 and went 4-1 before that on a five-game road trip, showing they have become an equally good team away from T-Mobile Arena.

Why the Sharks can pay on the NHL lines

San Jose plays Vegas twice in the next 10 days and needs to likely win both games in order to claim the division title. The Sharks have lost the first two meetings with the Golden Knights by a combined score of 10-7, giving up five goals in each of them.

During their winning streak the Sharks have outscored opponents 27-15, finding a way to earn points despite allowing three goals or more four times during that stretch. Three of the wins took place on the road, and they now play two straight at home before a four-game road trip that ends at T-Mobile on March 31 in the home finale for the Golden Knights.

Smart betting pick

Similar to Vegas, San Jose has played almost as well on the road (19-12-6) as at home (22-11-3). That is a good sign for any team looking to have success in the postseason, but the Sharks need a win here at the SAP Center badly in order to gain some confidence in this series.

Another victory for the Golden Knights would help them take another big step towards winning the Pacific in their first year. San Jose will prevent that from happening and head to Vegas in a little more than a week going for a 2-2 split.

NHL betting trends

Vegas is 5-2 SU in its last seven games.

The total has gone under in seven of Vegas' last nine games.

San Jose is 7-2 SU in its last nine games at home.

All NHL odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. Check out OddsShark on Twitter and Instagram or head to YouTube for more betting picks and analysis on this week's top games. You can also download the free odds tracker app.