The Seattle Kraken and the Colorado Avalanche face off on Sunday. We're in the Rockies, sharing our NHL odds series, making a Kraken-Avalanche prediction and pick while showing you how to watch.
The Kraken are coming off a 4-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Significantly, Alexander Wennberg scored one goal and one assist. Adam Boqvist tallied one goal and one assist to help. Additionally, Jared McCann netted a goal and an assist. The Kraken fired 35 shots on goal and went 2 for 4 on the powerplay. Meanwhile, Phillip Grubauer made 21 saves behind a shaky defense that went 3 for 4 on the penalty kill.
The Avalanche are coming off a 7-3 shellacking at the hands of the Dallas Stars. Sadly, they fell behind 3-1 after the first period and were trailing 6-1 at one point. Samuel Girard was their leading scorer, with one goal and two assists. Unfortunately, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar all failed to 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 look to recover from the bad performance.
The Kraken comes into this showdown with a record of 35-21-6. Additionally, they are 20-9-3 on the road. The Kraken are 6-3-1 over 10 games. Moreover, they have averaged 3.6 goals per game. The Avalanche come into this battle with a record of 34-21-5. Also, they are 16-10-4 at Ball Arena. The Avs have gone 7-2-1 over 10 games.
The Kraken defeated the Avalanche 3-2 in Colorado earlier this season before losing 2-1 in a shootout at home.
Here are the Kraken-Avalanche NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Kraken-Avalanche Odds
Seattle Kraken: +1.5 (-178) ML (+136)
Colorado Avalanche: -1.5 (+144) ML (-164)
Over: 6 (-118)
Under: 6 (-104)
How To Watch Kraken vs. Avalanche
TV: ESPN+, ALT, ROOT, and SportsNet
Stream: NHL
Time: 9 PM ET/6 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Kraken Could Cover The Spread
The Kraken have improved this season thanks to a better offense. Now, they will look to keep the momentum going in this showdown with another team that is also fighting for a playoff spot.
Jordan Eberle is the leader of the offense with 13 goals and 36 assists. Ultimately, he helps find open shooters and create scoring opportunities. One of those shooters is McCann. Significantly, McCann has 29 goals and 17 assists. He also has netted four goals and four assists over five games. Then, there is Vince Dunn. He has 11 goals and 34 assists. Ultimately, these players have helped a Seattle offense that now ranks fifth in goals. The Kraken are also the best team in the NHL in shooting percentage but field a powerplay that is only 20th.
Martin Jones or Grubauer will start. Notably, 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 is 17th in goals allowed and 28th on the penalty kill.
The Kraken will cover the spread if they can generate scoring opportunities. Then, they must avoid taking penalties.
Why The Avalanche Could Cover The Spread
The Avalanche played the worst game of their season against the Stars. Now, they must bounce back quickly against a Seattle team that is better than last season and a threat to score at any time.
MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Makar must carry an offense that is still waiting for the return of Gabriel Landeskog from a season-long injury. Moreover, 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 have been a defensive team this year. The Avs rank 20th in goals and 23rd in shooting percentage. However, they are also ninth on the powerplay. The Avalanche must find ways to get some chances.
The Avs have not announced who will start. However, whoever starts will play behind a defense that is fourth in the NHL in goals allowed. But the Avs struggle on the penalty kill, ranking 19th.
The Avalanche will cover the spread if they can move the puck fluidly around the ice. Then, they must draw penalties. Colorado also cannot afford to take penalties to prevent giving Seattle extra chances to beat them.
Final Kraken-Avalanche Prediction & Pick
These two teams will likely be in the playoffs. However, barring a good run by both teams, it will be the last matchup of the season. The Avs will be angry after their humliating defeat and it will drive them to play better. Therefore, expect the Avs to find a way to come away with the victory.
Final Kraken-Avalanche Prediction & Pick: Colorado Avalanche ML (-164)
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