Canucks vs. Kraken Odds
| Canucks Odds | -114 |
| Kraken Odds | -105 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -120 / -102 |
Vancouver is having a significantly better season than Seattle, but the Canucks have struggled recently while the Kraken might have turned the corner.
The Kraken even earned a 4-3 overtime victory over Vancouver on Saturday, so let's keep that in mind as we preview the upcoming contest and offer a Canucks vs. Kraken prediction.
Vancouver Canucks
First off, it's important to emphasize that the sky isn't falling for the Canucks. Despite losing three of their past four, they still have a commanding 13-6-1 record.
The Canucks have two elite offensive threats in J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, who have provided 30 and 28 points through 20 contests, respectively. They also feature defenseman Quinn Hughes, who amazingly leads the scoring race with eight goals and 31 points. Combine that with forwards Brock Boeser, Andrei Kuzmenko, Ilya Mikheyev and Nils Hoglander, and Vancouver isn't hurting for offensive depth.
There's a reason this team is leading the league with 4.00 goals per game and will likely continue to be among the NHL's top offenses throughout the remainder of the campaign.
What's less certain is the Canucks' defense. They rank 25th in xGA (62.66), which is something you might not have assumed because they're fifth (2.55) in terms of goals allowed per game. That's thanks to Thatcher Demko, who has a 9-5-0 record, a 2.26 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 14 contests this year. However, because Vancouver's underlining defense is flawed, the Canucks are particularly vulnerable to cold patches from Demko, which is what we've seen recently.
Demko has a 3.41 GAA and an .872 save percentage over his past five outings. Vancouver can manufacture wins through sheer offensive force, but without Demko performing at an elite level, the Canucks look less like well-oiled machine and more like a one-dimensional squad.
Seattle Kraken
Earlier in the campaign, a game against Seattle would have been an ideal way for a cold goaltender to regain some confidence. Through Nov. 13, Seattle's offense ranked 29th with 2.50 goals per game, but lately there's been a change. The Kraken have averaged 3.27 goals over their past five contests and have claimed three of their past four outings.
Perhaps that recent success should come with an asterisk, though. After all, during that span they've faced the lowly Oilers, Sharks, Flames and the Islanders, which entered that contest after losing six straight. It could be argued that the only real test Seattle has faced lately was Vancouver, though it did win that game.
Regardless, there's still some room for cautious optimism. Seattle was one of the league's top offenses last season and the key to its success was scoring depth, so it's encouraging to see that driving the Kraken lately. Over the past five outings, 13 players have scored for Seattle and six have recorded multiple goals.
Sure, forwards Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jordan Eberle have each registered seven points to lead the charge, but this has been a true team effort. Perhaps some lighter competition is just what they needed to sort out some early season issues.
What likely won't see sustained improvement is Seattle's goaltending. Philipp Grubauer has struggled, posting a 3.35 GAA and an .885 save percentage in 12 contests and might miss Friday's game due to an injury. If he can't play, Joey Daccord will likely start. But he's been subpar with a 2.80 GAA and a .902 save percentage in 11 outings.
Canucks vs. Kraken
Betting Pick & Prediction
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With that kind of goaltending, it's impressive that Seattle held Vancouver to three goals in the last meeting and I'd expect more from the Canucks tonight.
I love the over (6.5), but the potential payout of -130 on FanDuel is a little low for my tastes. Instead, I recommend taking Vancouver on the moneyline.
Pick: Vancouver Canucks Moneyline (-111) | Play to -120
