Blue Jackets vs. Kraken Odds
| Blue Jackets Odds | +205 |
| Kraken Odds | -255 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 +104 / -128 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Seattle Kraken on Sunday, Jan. 28 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
The Kraken have two games left in January — versus the Blue Jackets and Sharks — before heading into a lengthy 11-day layoff due to the All-Star break and bye week. They sit three points back of the Predators in the wild-card race, and will surely view these two soft home games as must-haves given that they are now healthy again after a tough stretch.
The Blue Jackets have been competitive underdogs in all three games of their road trip, including a 5-4 overtime loss last night in Vancouver in a game which saw the Canucks close as -280 favorites.
Here's my Blue Jackets vs. Kraken pick and preview.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets have the talent to perform better than a .417 points percentage in the season's back half, and they have played more competitive matchups recently than some might realize. That should continue if young players such as Adam Fantilli continue to get the ice time their play suggests they deserve.
Even still, goal prevention has remained a significant issue for the Blue Jackets. They have allowed 4.00 goals against per game over the last 10 matchups, and 3.73 this season. They appear to be due for some positive regression when you consider their 2.99 xGA/60 over that period, but that would require improved work in goal.
A significant part of the problem has been the lowly play of Daniil Tarasov, who has quietly offered a significant drop off compared to regular starter Elvis Merzlikins. Tarasov owns a -7.9 GSAx with an .881 save % across nine appearances this season, and should be expected to get this start as Merzlikins played last night in Vancouver.
Vancouver Canucks
Its easy to forget that the last time these teams met on January 13th, the Kraken's 7-4 victory marked their ninth straight, and 13th in a row where they managed at least a point.
Immediately following that win, the Kraken lost a number of crucial pieces to injury, including Vince Dunn and Matty Beniers, who joined Andre Burakovsky on the IR. They played four straight playoff teams with a skeleton lineup, and lost all four as a result.
The Kraken are now playing back at full strength again and will be a team to watch coming out of the bye-week as a result. They dominated the Blackhawks 6-2 in a get-right spot, and were tough-luck losers Friday versus St. Louis.
Having Andre Burakovsky back in the lineup with no other key absences actually makes their lineup more complete now than it has been for much of the last two seasons. It is easy to forget that Burakovsky was the Kraken's leading scorer when he went down last season, and does have the upside to play at a near point-per-game pace.
The Kraken have displayed solid defensive play for much of this season, but have lacked much in the way of dynamic scoring threats.
Joey Daccord is the Kraken's projected starter. He owns a +6.3 GSAx and .920 save % across 32 appearances. It is possible that the Kraken allow backup Philipp Grubauer a chance to work, though it would not make much sense considering they are heading toward a huge layoff anyways. Keep your eye on goalie confirmations out of morning skate as a result.
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Blue Jackets vs. Canucks
Betting Pick & Prediction
I have frequently credited the Blue Jackets for playing to their betting price more often than the actual results suggested. That take would again have been true last night, in a game Columbus blew late with some awful penalty killing.
I'm going to flip-flop on that take here though, as the Kraken make a quietly brutal matchup here. The Kraken should trend closer to the run of dominant form we saw in early January again now playing at full health, and will have a rare goaltending edge versus Tarasov, who's the lesser of the Blue Jackets' options and has been one of the leagues worst goaltenders.
You could bet the Kraken Moneyline right to -245, or if you prefer to play a less-juiced option, betting the puck-line at +105 is another option. Both should run to similar expected values over a large sample.
Pick: Seattle Kraken -1.5 (+105 at bet365)
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