{"id":482545,"date":"2026-01-23T07:55:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=482545"},"modified":"2026-01-23T07:55:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:55:40","slug":"nhl-predictions-january-23-new-york-rangers-san-jose-sharks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/01\/23\/nhl-predictions-january-23-new-york-rangers-san-jose-sharks\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: January 23rd, New York Rangers at San Jose Sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey<\/em> look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and trends, then makes predictions based on how the game might play out. Today, we focus on a matchup between a struggling New York Rangers visiting San Jose to take on the Sharks. <\/span>Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions as the 2025-26 season continues.<\/span><\/p>\n

NHL Predictions Rangers at Sharks<\/h2>\n

Season Series:<\/h4>\n

This is the second matchup for New York and San Jose this season. San Jose leads the series 1-0 after a 6-5 overtime win against New York in their previous meeting<\/p>\n

How to Watch<\/a><\/span>: MSG, NBC Sports Bay Area, ESPN+<\/span><\/h3>\n

Puck drop is at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) at the SAP Center at San Jose.<\/p>\n

The Sharks have had stability in capitalizing on attempts that give them an advantage in a close game having a 13-4-2 record in games decided by one goal. New York, 7-6-6 in one goal matchups, and still struggling for consistency has hopes to begin this \u201cretool<\/em>\u201d era with a push forward in the right direction.<\/p>\n

The Story for the New York Rangers<\/a><\/h3>\n

The Rangers made headlines recently in announcing their plans to utilize the remainder of the season to not rebuild but to \u201cretool<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rangers enter this one on the heels of a tough stretch, dropping back-to-back games in Southern California after falling 5\u20133 to the Anaheim Ducks and 4\u20133 to the Los Angeles Kings earlier this week. Despite offensive flashes including J.T. Miller\u2019s multi-goal effort and Mika Zibanejad\u2019s extended point streak New York\u2019s consistency has been a constant issue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The feed. The finish. What a sequence \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8 pic.twitter.com\/51I8xrmXF1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 21, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Story Over In San Jose<\/a><\/h3>\n

The Sharks split their recent road trip in Florida, defeating the Panthers before falling to the Lightning 4\u20131. San Jose sits two games out of a Stanley Cup Playoff Wild Card spot in the Pacific Division and has been buoyed by emerging stars like Macklin Celebrini, who was a driving force in the clubs\u2019 first meeting this season with a hat trick in a high-scoring 6\u20135 overtime win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Gettin\u2019 reps \ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/HitJBhMqgF<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

NHL Predictions<\/h3>\n

Panarin and Celibrini are among their respective teams\u2019 top offensive catalysts. Celebrini\u2019s 72 points lead the Sharks and present a constant threat. Panarin\u2019s playmaking ability will be vital if the Rangers want to keep pace offensively.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With Shesterkin still out for New York the game\u2019s balance relies on Askarov\u2019s consistency for San Jose to push the pace and remain in control.<\/p>\n

In a matchup that can come down to special teams execution and goaltending the Sharks have an edge that could be the deciding factor.<\/p>\n

NHL Prediction: Sharks 4 – Rangers 2<\/em><\/p>\n

Prop Bets to Consider:<\/h3>\n

<\/span>Mika Zibanejad, Over 2.5 Shots on Goal<\/span><\/h4>\n

Zibanejad has quietly increased his shot volume lately, particularly when the Rangers are chasing games. If San Jose gets an early lead, expect him to fire often.<\/span><\/p>\n

Panarin, Over 0.5 Assists<\/h4>\n

Panarin continues to drive the Rangers\u2019 offense, especially on the power play. Against a Sharks team that can give up high-danger chances off puck movement, Panarin\u2019s playmaking sets up well even if New York doesn\u2019t dominate possession.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sharks Team Total, Over 2.5 Goals<\/h4>\n

San Jose\u2019s offence has been far more reliable at home, and the Rangers\u2019 defensive injuries plus road fatigue create opportunity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Disclaimers:<\/h4>\n

Projected lineups are based on available data at time of writing. Please check social media and official team sources for the very latest lineup news before locking in any daily fantasy roster or prop wagers.<\/em><\/p>\n

Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each day, our writers here at Last Word On Hockey look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and trends, then makes predictions based on how the game might play out. Today, we focus on a matchup between a struggling New York Rangers visiting San Jose to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5725,"featured_media":436749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14,4547,4548,4524,25],"tags":[6122,6060],"class_list":["post-482545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rangers","category-hockey","category-nhl","category-nhl-predictions","category-sharks","tag-new-york-rangers-predictions","tag-san-jose-sharks-predictions"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5725"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482545"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":482567,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482545\/revisions\/482567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}