BEST LINE: Pinnacle +158

Posted at 12:45 PM EST

OT included. This is a tough spot for the Sharks, as they return home from five-games in seven nights on an East Coast swing that started in Washington and ended in Boston. This now becomes the Sharks fourth game in six nights and sixth game in nine nights. Incidentally, the Sharks are on a current run of 0-4 in their fourth game in six nights. San Jose has allowed nine goals against in their past two games to the Rangers and Bruins and chances are good that they’ll be somewhat lethargic here. Even if they are not, we still like the Jackets taking back a price like this one.

Columbus is 3-2 and this is the first game of a three games in four nights, Western trip. The Jackets have a pretty fair history of playing well on this trip and while they do have some significant injuries to key players (Brandon Dubinsky, Boone Jenner and Nathan Horton) they are still a tough out. The Jackets lose some firepower, experience and grit with those players out but they are not ill-prepared, as they have plenty of depth with guys like Mark Letestu and Jack Skille moving up the totem pole. When key guys are out, teams have a propensity for digging down a little deeper. The spirit of the Jackets has not been sapped and in fact, they are playing their hearts out every shift. That said, this is more about fading the Sharks, who are priced too high in a difficult scheduling spot.