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Oh, the Sharks.
San Jose lost to the Islanders, 4-3, on Tuesday night, extending their winless streak to six games (0-4-2) to start the season.
The Sharks are the NHL’s only winless team, but Tuesday’s effort against the Isles seemed to instill some confidence in this group.
San Jose’s head coach, Ryan Warsofsky, called it the team’s “most complete game” of the season, despite the loss.
The Sharks now head to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers, who themselves are searching for answers in the early going this season.
Rangers vs. Sharks odds, prediction
The Rangers came into training camp preaching a return to normalcy after a bizarre 2024-25 season that saw them miss the playoffs a year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
The organization finally lured Mike Sullivan out of Pittsburgh, hoping his steady hand would get the Blueshirts back to the habits that turned them into a Stanley Cup contender.
On paper, it checked out. On the ice, not so much.
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The Rangers are 3-4-1 and averaging two goals per game through their first eight contests, and they’ve been blanked three times, all at home.
At 5-on-5, the Blueshirts have played relatively well, posting a +2.5 expected goal difference, and they have created 29 more high-danger scoring chances than they’ve conceded this season. However, the Rangers just don’t have the scoring power to turn those chances into goals right now.
Igor Shesterkin is off to a mesmerizing start in 2025-26. APWith Vincent Trocheck hurt and several key players struggling to get off the mark, the Rangers can’t be relied on to get separation on any team in the NHL, even the Sharks.
The saving grace for the Rangers has been the play of Igor Shesterkin, who is putting up all-world numbers out of the gates. The Russian netminder owns a .957 save percentage and leads the league with a +8.7 Goals Saved Above Expected mark, but he has only won two of his six outings.
The Sharks are not going to win many games this year, but they should be buoyed by their performance on Long Island, and they’re getting a very vulnerable opponent on Thursday night.
Betting against Shesterkin is never fun, but you’re getting a massive price to go against an uninspiring team in this contest, so we’ll take a shot.
The Play: Sharks +240 (DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.






