An intense inter-conference duel is scheduled for this evening as the Washington Capitals make a long trek to the pacific northwest to take on the Seattle Kraken. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Capitals-Kraken prediction will be made.

Coming into this matchup with a 10-11-3 record, the Capitals are fresh off of an impressive 5-1 win over the Canucks, Washington is hopeful that the victory can serve as a jumpstart to what has been a sluggish start to the season. Fortunately, Washington may be headed in the right direction with wins in three of their previous four games.

Becoming one of the hottest teams in all of the hockey land, the Kraken has officially hit their stride with six consecutive wins under their belt. Now at an impressive 14-5-3, Seattle is ready to take the league by storm and prove that they are coming along nicely in their second-ever season as an NHL squad.

Here are the Capitals-Kraken NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Capitals-Kraken Odds

Washington Capitals: +1.5 (-250)

Seattle Kraken: -1.5 (+198)

Over: 6 (-114)

Under: 6 (-106)

Why The Capitals Could Cover The Spread

There is a multitude of reasons why the Capitals could end up covering later tonight, but none are more obvious than the fact that Washington should have a tremendous chance in covering thanks to their out-of-this-world superstar Alex Ovechkin. Bafflingly enough, Ovechkin has scored a whopping 135-game opening goals and is only one behind NHL great Jaromir Jagr for most first-goal scores in a game. Not only that, but Ovechkin has been playing like a man possessed thus far and is even coming off a two-goal performance in the Capitals' 5-1 victory. As a whole, Ovechkin has tallied 13 total goals which currently puts him tied for eighth in the league for most goals.

Outside of Ovechkin being an offensive workhorse for Washington, another element that needs to go the ‘Caps way is the fact that they need to have a continued stellar offensive presence from center Dylan Strome. With the Capitals having struggled mightily at times to put the puck in the net with only an average of 2.79 goals per game, Strome serves as the next man up behind Ovechkin as Washington's top offensive threat. Not only does Strome lead the club with 13 assists, but he also has secured at least one point in three of his past four games played.

In addition, the Capitals have been in good company with last year's Stanley Cup Champion goaltender Darcy Keumper. The former Avalanche net-minder enters play ranking within the top ten of NHL goaltenders in almost every single category. With Washington's inconsistent scoring ability, Keumper has a chance to be the ultimate equalizer ahead of this intriguing showdown in Seattle.

Why The Kraken Could Cover The Spread

Only a few short weeks ago, the Kraken found themselves smack dab in the middle of the Pacific division standings erupting in flames and catching fire. Simply put, Seattle has arguably been one of the hottest teams out west and has put together one of the more impressive stretches of play in their short franchise history. Nevertheless, continuing such a stretch will be the ultimate challenge, but they have shown time and time again that they are the real deal.

At first glance in finding a way to improve off an efficient 15-7 mark against the spread, one of the biggest surprises on this roster has been the stupendous play of another Stanley Cup Champion from last year's Avalanche squad. Introducing left-winger Andre Burakovsky, who is quickly making a name for himself and most likely no longer needs a proper introduction to the casual hockey fan or bettor.

Alas, the 27-year-old Austrian has popped off in his first season in Seattle and leads the club with 23 points heading into Thursday night. In the wild 9-8 overtime victory over the Kings on Tuesday, it was none other than Burakovsky that was feeling it with his two goals on the night. With a red-hot stick at the moment, the Kraken would be fools not to draw up some offensive plays around their newly acquired forward if they want to win a seventh straight game and cover the spread in doing so.

Even more importantly, this highly-anticipated showdown may come down to whether or not the Kraken can rebound after surrendering a whopping eight goals versus Los Angeles. While they did just enough to secure the victory in large part due to the offense, the defense and goaltending efforts will need to hold their end of the bargain.

Final Capitals-Kraken Prediction & Pick

While both sides have indeed begun to hit their stride, the Kraken have proven more often than not how dangerous they can be at Climate Pledge Arena and are squaring off with a Capitals bunch that has been weak to say the least away from home with a 3-7-2 record.

Final Capitals-Kraken Prediction & Pick: Kraken -1.5 (+198)