The New Jersey Devils will head west to visit the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night. The Devils (8‑2‑0) are playing some exceptional hockey this season and are looking for their second win in a week over San Jose. The Sharks will try to prevent that from happening on their home ice. Here, I take a closer look at this matchup in the NHL and give you my Devils vs Sharks prediction for this matchup.
Our Devils vs Sharks Pick
- Pick: Sharks +1.5
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: New Jersey Devils vs San Jose Sharks
- Date & Time: Thursday, October 30, 2025, 10:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, CA
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form
New Jersey has opened the season 8‑2‑0, establishing itself at the top of the standings with consistent offensive output. In their first meeting this week against San Jose, the Devils won 3‑1 thanks in part to two power‑play goals by Dougie Hamilton and three assists from Nico Hischier. San Jose continues to struggle with a 2‑6‑2 record. Their home record sits at 0‑3‑2 and they are coming off a loss on home ice against the Los Angeles Kings.
Goaltending
The goaltending situation favors the Devils going into this game. Devils starter Jake Allen is off to a 5‑0 start with a 1.93 GAA and .923 SV% this season. Sharks projected starter Yaroslav Askarov is 1‑4‑1 with a 4.69 GAA and .844 SV%. San Jose has struggled on defense as a whole and their goaltending situation is certainly a big reason for their early struggles on that end of the ice.
Key skaters
Jack Hughes (9 goals, 5 assists) and Jesper Bratt (4 goals, 8 assists) are the driving forces behind the offensive success for the Devils. Their power‑play conversion rate sits at 28.6% and is one of the best in the league. San Jose relies heavily on younger core pieces like Macklin Celebrini (6 goals, 10 assists) but they lack the depth and consistency to complement him.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Jack Hughes (NJ) | Over 1.5 points |
| Jesper Bratt (NJ) | Over 0.5 assists |
| Macklin Celebrini (SJ) | Over 0.5 points |
Betting Trends & H2H
- New Jersey won the first meeting between these teams this year by a score of 3-1.
- This is the final regular-season meeting scheduled between these teams this year.
- Both teams are 6-4 on the puckline for the season.
- The Devils are 6-4 to the over going into this matchup.
- San Jose has gone over the total in seven of its first 10 games.
Devils vs Sharks Model Projection
Score Projection: New Jersey Devils 4 – San Jose Sharks 3
Win Probability: Devils 75%, Sharks 25%
Final Thoughts
The Devils are clearly the better team going into this matchup in San Jose. But I’m going to take my chances with the Sharks on the puckline here. San Jose has one of the bright young stars in the league in Celebrini to lead them. And while the Devils will probably win this game at the end of the night, I think the Sharks can do enough to keep this game close at home.
