Picks: Sharks will add to Rangers' recent woes – CBSSports.com
Welcome to the NHL Daily Picks, where CBSSports.com hockey writers Chris Peters and Adam Gretz share their predictions for select games every day.
San Jose Sharks vs. New York Rangers, 7 p.m. ET, NHL Network
After winning their first three games of the season (two of which came against the still-winless Columbus Blue Jackets) and scoring 12 goals in the process the New York Rangers offense has hit a wall during their current three-game losing streak. They’ve managed just two goals during their current skid (one goal twice, shutout once) and have to come back on Monday night to play the second half of a back-to-back against a rested San Jose Sharks team that has been one of the toughest teams in the league to score on so far this season.
Through their first five games of the season the Sharks have allowed just eight goals, with six of them coming in their most recent loss against the Islanders when backup goalie Alex Stalock was given his first start of the season. It’s expected that Martin Jones will be back in the crease on Monday and he has been nothing short of spectacular so far for the Sharks.
Acquired over the summer in a trade with the Boston Bruins (after the Los Angeles Kings traded him to Boston as part of the Milan Lucic trade), the Sharks were confident enough in Jones’ ability to be a solid starting goaltender in the NHL that they immediately committed to him with a three-year, $9 million contract. So far, they have to be thrilled with the results.
After giving up a goal on the first shot he faced this season (a Nick Shore goal early in the Sharks’ season opening win against Jones’ former team, the Kings) he put together more than 200 consecutive minutes of shutout hockey, setting a new franchise record. That run included back-to-back shutouts and nearly a third until his shutout streak was snapped by New Jersey’s Adam Henrique with less than four minutes to play in regulation on Friday.
As for the Rangers, they haven’t looked all that impressive since their season-opening win in Chicago. They had a couple of brief surges over their next two games against Columbus scoring three goals late in one win, then three more in the first five minutes of game after that, but have been otherwise kept off the scoreboard. And right now everybody is scoring goals in bunches against Columbus.
The combination of their slow start, San Jose getting Jones back in the net, and the Rangers apparently going with Antti Raanta in net instead of Henrik Lundqvist seems to be a solid recipe for a Sharks win on Monday. Pick: Sharks 4, Rangers 2
The San Jose Sharks are off to a great start thanks to Martin Jones. (USATSI)
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