Posted at 11:00 AM EST. Odds are subject to change.

Chicago +105 over San Jose

8:30 PM EST. The San Jose Sharks have been a weak, non-playoff team for years, but this season was different. They fought. They battled. They pushed right to the edge. It was blood, sweat, and tears for 80 games, and for a brief moment, it looked like they might sneak into the postseason. They have a superstar, they had momentum, and they had belief.

Then it was all taken away.

Utah clinched a playoff spot last night, and San Jose was officially eliminated without even stepping on the ice. After grinding for six months with everything on the line, the emotional plug has been pulled. That fire that carried them through the season is gone. The reality has set in. They’re done.

Now they have two meaningless games left — one in Chicago and one in Winnipeg — and you have to question whether they have anything left emotionally. Teams that miss the playoffs after fighting that hard rarely respond with energy and urgency in the final days. More often than not, they show up in body only.

This is not about talent. It’s about mindset.

San Jose emptied the tank chasing a playoff spot, and now there’s nothing left to chase. You can’t expect anything but a flat, lackluster effort tonight and likely again in Winnipeg, a place that’s probably the last destination on Earth they want to visit for their season finale. Regardless of what happens here, we’ll be looking to fade them again in that next game as well.

Chicago, on the other hand, has been out of the playoff race for weeks, so their emotional adjustment happened long ago. They’ve had time to reset, regroup, and start focusing on the future. That future suddenly looks very interesting.

The Blackhawks have a new call-up they’re eager to showcase — Anton Frondell — and he already looks like a potential star. Pair him with Connor Bedard, and Chicago suddenly has two young superstars to build around. That creates motivation. That creates energy. That creates purpose, even in games that don’t matter in the standings.

And that’s the key difference tonight.

One team just had its season ripped away after a long fight. The other is playing loose, energized, and focused on development. When you combine that emotional edge with home ice and plus money, the value becomes clear.

We have to trust that the wrong side is favorite here.

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