The Seattle Kraken (34-36-11) and Colorado Avalanche (54-16-11) meet in the NHL on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EDT at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The Avalanche are priced at +145 to cover the puck line, with the over/under set at 6 (-120o /+100u). The Avalanche are a -185 favorite to win outright, while the Kraken are +155 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Kraken vs. Avalanche predictions and NHL picks.
Kraken vs. Avalanche Odds, Pick
| Kraken Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -156 | 6.5 +107o / -127u | +154 |
| Avalanche Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +130 | 6.5 +107o / -127u | -185 |
- Kraken vs. Avalanche Spread: Avalanche -1.5 (+145), Kraken +1.5 (-170)
- Kraken vs. Avalanche Over/Under: 6 (-120o/+100u)
- Kraken vs. Avalanche Moneyline: Kraken +155, Avalanche -185
Kraken vs. Avalanche Preview
Seattle Kraken
Following their 4-1 loss in Vegas on Wednesday, the Kraken are officially locked in to a 27th-place finish and will have the fifth-best odds entering the draft lottery on May 5th. There have been a lot of results and interviews over the last two weeks that have seemingly proven NHL players and coaches are not geared towards tanking, but any debates on that subject are not relevant entering this matchup.
The Kraken played to a record of 7-16-2 following the Olympic break and have free-fallen all the way from the second wildcard spot to their current standing of 13th in the West. They hold an expected goal share of 44.13% in that span and generated only 2.85 xGF/60.
Seattle's roster offers respectable depth but suffers from a severe lack of star power up front. It's the toughest issue to solve for any NHL GM, and fans will be desperate to see the draft lottery break their way.
The Kraken did show some legitimate fight in last night's matchup versus the red-hot Golden Knights, and were the better team for the first period and change before Vegas elevated its game in the back half of the matchup to ultimately secure the Pacific Division title.
Seattle's potential goaltender for this matchup is highly unclear. All three of Joey Daccord, Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray are listed as day-to-day, and if none of those three can play, Victor Ostman may make his first career NHL start. Ostman played to a .900 save percentage with Maine this season in the NCAA.
Colorado Avalanche
This is an entirely meaningless game for the Avalanche, though the skaters who are in the lineup will certainly be keen to fine-tune their game and stay structurally sound ahead of Game 1 of the postseason this weekend. At the time of writing, the Avs have not yet confirmed which skaters will rest, and odds are at the time that when news breaks, the betting lines will end up moving heavily in one direction or another.
Connor McDavid is now favoured to win the Hart Trophy over Nathan MacKinnon at Bet365 and FanDuel. MacKinnon hinted that he would not play in this matchup following Tuesday's matchup versus the Flames, but if he were to play, he would certainly be motivated to try and rack up some points versus a weak Kraken side.
Cale Makar returned to the lineup on Tuesday and had an excellent performance in his hometown, racking up three assists. Given that he may feel more in need of game action than other Avs' stars following a long layoff, he may be one of the few Avalanche stars that does play in this game.
Scott Wedgewood is listed as probable, but there's certainly no guarantee that will be the case as of now, and the decision will likely be based on player preference in terms of staying sharp versus not wanting to risk injury. Wedgewood holds a +22.1 GSAx and a league-leading save percentage and, based only on surface-level stats, has a legitimate case for the Vezina Trophy.
Kraken vs. Avalanche Prediction
This is an ugly game to attempt to handicap, as bettors are attempting to weigh if they want to back a horrid Kraken side versus what may be a skeleton lineup from the Avs. Colorado's depth is strong enough that even with the top skaters out, it deserves to be a slight favorite, but laying the current price of -170 for the Avalanche to win does not seem remotely appealing to me.
While I'm not remotely excited to put faith in the Kraken, this spot feels volatile enough that taking the current price of +155 versus what will likely end up being a highly shorthanded Avalanche roster seems much more logical.
That's the bet I would recommend locking in at the time of writing, with the hope being Colorado sits a lot of key bodies, but if the Avalanche ultimately do play most of their top skaters, then I would pass.
Pick: Seattle Kraken Moneyline +155 (Play to +145 Pending Avalanche roster)
