Vegas Golden Knights vs. San Jose Sharks Prediction and Picks for Thursday, October 9th, 2025
Use Code SSWC A pair of Pacific Division rivals clash on Thursday night and we are making sure you are ready with our Golden Knights vs. Sharks predictions. Last season, Las Vegas (50-22-10 in 2024-25) made the postseason for the seventh time in their eight years as a franchise. San Jose (20-50-12 in 2024-25) had the fewest wins in the game last season for the third straight time. The SAP Center at San Jose is the stage and the curtain comes up on the action with a 10:00 EST puck drop. Looking to win big this hockey season? We have the best NHL Picks to help you out!
(This game was published before the conclusion of Wednesday’s games.)
Golden Knights poised for a cup run
The Golden Knights have been a postseason staple since entering the league eight seasons ago. Only three seasons removed from their Stanley Cup championship, they won 50 games for the third time in franchise history, went 11-2-2 down the stretch of the regular season, but ultimately bowed out in the second round to Edmonton.
Vegas finished last season with the fifth-best offense in the NHL, averaging 3.34 goals per game. Their 2,480 shots were the fourth most, and they added 53 power-play goals and six short-handed goals. On the cusp of the start of their season, the team locked in Jack Eichel on an eight-year, $108 million contract. The 28-year-old center led the team with 94 points and was sixth in the NHL with 66 assists. He gets a massive boost to his top line with the addition of Mitch Marner, who also signed an eight-year deal with the club. The former Toronto winger had a career-high 102 points and 75 assists last season.
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On the other end of the ice, the Knights had a 2.61 goals against average, the third-best mark in the NHL. Opponents were able to get just 2,141 shots against the club, and Vegas was 75.7% on the penalty kill. The defense is going to be without veteran Alex Pietrangelo for possibly the entire season as he deals with a hip injury. Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore are the top pairing heading into the year. Adin Hill gets the nod in the crease. The 29-year-old got the bulk of the work last season, picking off 30 wins in 50 starts while posting a 2.47 goals-against average, the sixth-best mark in the league.
Injury notes
- C Jakub Demek (undisclosed) IR
- C Jordan Gustafson (undisclosed) IR
- RD Alex Pietrangelo (hip) IR
Sharks hoping to serve youth
Though they were the worst team in the NHL last season, the Sharks were able to improve on the season prior by one win and five points. They finished the season on an 11-game losing streak and nine points back of the next closest team. Their futility has yielded a wealth of youthful talent, but they still need time to develop.
Last season, some of that youth helped San Jose’s offense average 2.54 goals per game, the lowest average in the NHL. The team’s 2,203 shots were sixth sixth-fewest overall. On the power play, they potted 42 goals and added five more short-handed. Young Macklin Celebrini wasted no time ingratiating himself with the San Jose faithful as the 19-year-old led the team with 63 points. The No. 1 pick in 2024 averaged 19:47 TOI as a rookie and was second on the team with 25 goals and 39 assists. It looks as if 2024’s No. 2 overall pick Michael Misa will also open the season with the club, so there is a ton of youthful talent ready to roll. The team also added veteran presences in Philipp Kurashev and Joel Skinner to try and bring the youth up to speed a bit quicker.
The Sharks’ defense had a 3.78 goals against average last season, the worst mark in the league. Opponents were able to get a league-high 2,606 shots against the team, and they were 74.2% on the penalty kill. Veteran John Klingberg and Nick Leddy both came over in the offseason and will be the top defensive pair. Yaroslav Askarov, the 11th overall selection in the 2020 draft, is poised to take the reins as the top netminder for the club. The 23-year-old played in 13 games last season and had a 3.10 goals against average.
Injury report
- C Logan Couture (groin) IR
- LD Lucas Carlsson (lower body) IR
- RD Jack Thompson (lower body) IR
- G Carey Price (knee) IR
Golden Knights vs. Sharks Picks
Spread Pick for Golden Knights vs. Sharks
- Golden Knights -1.5 (+130) (5 units)
These are two teams at opposite ends of the NHL spectrum. While there are tons to be hopeful about in San Jose, their top young talent is still teenagers. There are going to be major growing pains still with this group, especially out of the chute. The Sharks are also working with a new starting goalie between the pipes, and while he is another piece to the puzzle, he wasn’t exactly a wall last season when he did play. Vegas is very much a team built to win and go deep into the postseason, and they somehow got a lot better in the offseason. The Eichel-Marner combination is going to be a big problem for the opposition and should be one of the more fun pairings to watch in the league this season. I am fully expecting the Knights’ top line to come out flying and light the scoreboard up. Vegas is 8-2 in their last eight games against San Jose, and their last four wins over their divisional rival were by an average of 3.3 goals per game.
I’m going with Vegas and the puck line on this one for an excellent value play.
Over/Under Pick for Golden Knights vs. Sharks
- Over 6 (5 units)
In three games between these two teams last season, they averaged a combined 8.3 goals per game, though Vegas did much of the lifting. Twice, they scored at least six goals, but San Jose was not kept off the board at all, potting at least two goals in each of those meetings. That tells me that this young group still has what it takes to put a few past the opposition. They should be a faster group; it’s just a matter of execution, which is not always the easiest thing for a team as young as the Sharks. Vegas was one of the more potent offenses last season and they went ahead and added one of the better playmakers in the league to the team in the offseason. That should only elevate the team to the next level in terms of scoring goals at will. The over is 3-2 in the last five games between the teams.
Take the over.
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