Welcome back to NHL Predictions! Every day, Last Word on Hockey provides insights and analysis to predict the outcome of the games on the NHL schedule.

The Ducks were off on Monday while the Sharks also rested following three games in four nights. Those began with a shootout win to upset Toronto 6-5 but then devolved into a home loss to the Rangers and a road defeat at the hands of the Kings, which came by a gruesome 14-2 aggregate score.

On Friday, Carlsson was recalled to the Sharks. In his first NHL game since Nov. 1, 2022, when he was with the Florida Panthers, he scored the game-winning goal and made a game-saving block to help San Jose earn a 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins before a raucous sold-out SAP Center crowd on Saturday night.