SAN JOSE – Forward William Eklund and defenseman Jake Walman will be out of the lineup with injuries Friday when the San Jose Sharks host the Vegas Golden Knights in the first game back after the Christmas break for both teams. Both Eklund (upper body) and Walman (lower body) are considered day-to-day, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

Thanks to a relatively quiet season, the Vegas Golden Knights haven’t been getting the usual headlines. However, a quick look at the standings during the holiday break will show that they are impeccably 21-8-3 and sit comfortably on top of the Pacific Division Standings.

The Golden Knights allowed 60.42 shot attempts per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play over the last 10 games. That is the ninth-worst mark in the NHL, sandwiching them between the Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders — not the company you want to be keeping.

The Vegas Golden Knights look to continue their win streak as they host the Anaheim Ducks. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Ducks-Golden Knights prediction and pick. The Ducks come into the game sitting at 13-15-4 on the year,