As the National Hockey League heads into Friday night, the New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks will go at it at SAP Center. Both teams enter this inter-conference contest having lost their most recent games and they will both try to get back into the win column in this game. I’ve taken a closer look at both of these teams and have made my Rangers vs Sharks prediction, which you can find below.
Our Rangers vs Sharks Pick
Pick: Over 6.5
Confidence: ★★★☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: New York Rangers vs San Jose Sharks
- Date & Time: Friday, January 23, 2026, 10:00 PM Eastern
- Venue: SAP Center, San Jose, CA
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
- Team Form: The Sharks have been solid over their last stretch, posting a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games, though they lost their last game 4-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Sharks played four straight games on the road going into this matchup and they will try to get a win in their return to San Jose here. The Rangers have struggled in recent outings, winning only one of their last five games entering this one. The Rangers’ defense has often been breached, and goaltending inconsistencies have not helped matters with Igor Shesterkin out of action.
- Goaltending: San Jose’s netminding has not been great at all this season. Yaroslav Askaraov has seen the bulk of the action in net for San Jose and he has a dismal 3.51 GAA going into this matchup. Things aren’t much better in net for the Rangers with Shesterkin injured. Jonathan Quick has seen most of the action in Shesterkin’s place, with his GAA sitting at 3.20 this year.
- Key Skaters: Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini has emerged as an offensive force this season, ranking among league scoring leaders and tallying 72 points so far this year. Will Smith has also been a consistent contributor, pushing the pace and creating scoring chances for the Sharks. For the Rangers, Vincent Trocheck and Mika Zibanejad have led their offense, with Zibanejad in particular posting multi-point performances in recent outings. But overall, New York’s scoring depth has been thin compared to San Jose’s output.
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Sharks defeated the Rangers 6-5 in New York in their first meeting of the season.
- The Rangers have gone 25-26 on the puckline so far this season.
- San Jose is 32-17 in the puckline market going into Friday night.
Rangers vs Sharks Model Projection
Score Projection: San Jose Sharks 4 – New York Rangers 3
Win Probability: Sharks 54%, Rangers 46%
Final Thoughts
My top pick going into this game is for the game to go over the total of 6.5 goals. The Rangers have cleared that number four straight games, thanks in large part to their shaky defense. The Sharks are a decent scoring team and should light up the scoreboard often in this contest, while the Rangers will do enough on the other side to push this contest over the total on Friday.
