On Sunday, the Seattle Kraken and the Colorado Avalanche face off. We’re in the Rockies sharing our NHL odds series, Kraken Avalanche prediction and tips as we show you how to watch.
The Kraken win a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Significantly, Alexander Wennberg scored one goal and one assist. Adam Boqvist scored a goal and an assist to help. In addition, Jared McCann scored one goal and one assist. The Kraken fired 35 shots on target and went 2-4 on the power play. Meanwhile, Phillip Grubauer made 21 saves from behind a shaky defense that went 3-4 on penalties.
The Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 7-3. Unfortunately, they fell back 3:1 after the first half and were now 6:1 behind. Samuel Girard was their top scorer with one goal and two assists. Unfortunately, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar could not register a point. MacKinnon also finished with a plus/minus rating of minus 3, while Rantanen and Makar each had a minus 1 rating. All three are trying to recover from the poor performance.
The Kraken goes into this showdown with a record of 35-21-6. Also, they are 20-9-3 on the road. The Kraken are 6-3-1 over 10 games. Also, they averaged 3.6 goals per game. The Avalanche go into this fight with a record of 34-21-5. Also, they are 16-10-4 in the ball arena. The Avs have played 7-2-1 in 10 games.
The Kraken defeated the Avalanche 3-2 in Colorado earlier this season before losing 2-1 at home in a penalty shootout.
Here are the Kraken-Avalanche NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Kraken Avalanche Odds
Seattle Octopus: +1.5 (-178) ML (+136)
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+144) ML (-164)
Over: 6 (-118)
Below: 6 (-104)
How to watch Kraken vs Avalanche
Television: ESPN+, ALT, ROOT and SportsNet
Streaming: NHL
Time: 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
Why the Kraken could cover the spread
The Kraken have improved this season thanks to a better offense. Now they will try to keep the momentum going in this showdown with another team also battling for a playoff spot.
Jordan Eberle is the offensive leader with 13 goals and 36 assists. Ultimately, he helps find open shooters and create scoring chances. One of those shooters is McCann. Significantly, McCann has 29 goals and 17 assists. He also has four goals and four assists in five games. Then there’s Vince Dunn. He has 11 goals and 34 assists. Ultimately, these players helped an offense from Seattle, which now ranks fifth for goals. The Kraken are also the best team in the NHL in terms of shooting percentage, but put up a power play that ranks only 20th.
Start Martin Jones or Grubauer. Remarkably, Grubauer helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup last season and would love the chance to beat them. These goalies play behind a defense that ranks 17th in goals allowed and 28th in shootouts.
The Kraken covers the spread when it can generate scoring chances. Then they have to avoid penalty kicks.
Why the avalanche could cover the spread
The Avalanche played their worst game of the season against the Stars. Now they need to recover quickly against a Seattle team that’s better than last season and capable of scoring at any time.
MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar must carry an offense still awaiting the return of Gabriel Landeskog from a season injury. Also, they must avoid repeating the mistakes they made in the Dallas game. The best way for the Avs to win this game is to do what they do best. Ultimately, they were a defensive team this year. The Avs rank 20th in goals and 23rd in shot percentages. However, they are also ninth on the power play. The Avalanche must find ways to get opportunities.
The Avs have not announced who is going to start. However, whoever starts is playing behind a defense that ranks fourth in the NHL in terms of goals allowed. But the Avs struggle on penalties and finish in 19th place.
The avalanche covers the spread when they can move the puck fluidly across the ice. Then they have to draw penalties. Colorado also can’t afford to take penalties to prevent Seattle from getting extra chances to beat them.
Final Kraken Avalanche Prediction & Selection
These two teams will likely be in the playoffs. However, without a good run from both teams, it will be the last duel of the season. The Avs will be furious after their humiliating loss and it will make them play better. Therefore, expect the Avs to find a way to walk away with the win.
Final Kraken Avalanche Prediction & Selection: Colorado Avalanche ML (-164)
