A premier Western Conference showdown will be on tap tonight as the Seattle Kraken head up north to take on the Edmonton Oilers. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Kraken-Oilers prediction and pick will be unveiled for all betting fanatics to see.
Enduring the most success they have had in their short-lived franchise history, the Seattle Kraken saw their whopping eight-game winning streak snapped after coming up short to the three-time Eastern Conference defending champions in the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 4-1 at home. Now heading out on a lone road game, the Kraken currently sit two points behind the Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division Standings.
On the other side of things, the Oilers enter play with victories in their last three games and seem to be trending upward after a rocky start to the first half of the season. With a resounding 4-3 road victory over the Vegas Golden Knights that certainly spoke volumes around the league, can the 24-18-3 Edmonton Oilers continue their ascending nature to the top of the Western Conference Standings?
Here are the Kraken-Oilers NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Kraken-Oilers Odds
Seattle Kraken: +1.5 (-158)
Edmonton Oilers: -1.5 (+128)
Over: 6.5 (-134)
Under: 6.5 (+110)
How To Watch Kraken vs. Oilers
TV: ESPN+
Stream: NHLPP/ESPN+
Time: 9:00 ET/5:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Kraken Could Cover The Spread
One of the hottest teams that the sport of hockey has to offer, the Kraken have transformed themselves into an elite championship contender in only their second-ever season of existence. Trying to follow the formula of another recent NHL expansion franchise in the Vegas Golden Knights who have become a playoff threat year in and year out, the Kraken are certainly well on their way.
All in all, Seattle will benefit greatly if they can bounce back from scoring only once against Tampa Bay if they can find a way to generate more shots on goal. With only 23 shots on net in yesterday's defeat, Seattle needs to pepper the goalie with a plethora of shots with the hope that a few can sneak by whoever is in net for Edmonton. On paper, the Kraken aren't the type of team to generate an abundant amount of shots on goal with the seventh-fewest in the league, but this could be a recipe for success if they come out a little more aggressive offensively.
On the other side of things, the Kraken's elite goaltending play this season has been tough to beat as former Avalanche net-minders Phillip Grubauer and Martin Jones boast the third-best record of any goalie in the league. Without a doubt, squaring off with a high-octane offense like the Oilers will be a non-easy task and whoever is in net for the Kraken will need to stand on his head to get the job done.
Why The Oilers Could Cover The Spread
Like previously stated above, Edmonton has been one of the top offensive units that the game of hockey has had to offer for multiple seasons now and they certainly have not failed to miss a beat during the 2022-2023 regular season. In fact, the Oilers' offense has been absolutely humming with a 3.64 goals per game average that is fourth-most in the league which includes 17 total goals during their current three-game winning streak. Alas, it is hard to argue against the fact that the main reason that the Oilers will find a way to cover the spread later tonight will be because of the surplus of weaponry when the puck is in Edmonton's possession.
While stating the obvious of Edmonton's offensive prowess, it will turn out to be the possible return of forward Evander Kane that may be the biggest difference-maker of all. Missing the last several months with a wrist injury that was sustained by a skater's blade back on Nov. 8th, Kane has finally gotten close to being 100% and could be suiting up for play for the first time in a hot minute.
Having Kane in the lineup will be a sight for sore eyes, but how about the splendid play of this extra-man attack that is converting on a league-high 30% of their power-play opportunities? Although they failed to come through on their lone power-play opportunity against Vegas, the key to success for Edmonton in this one will be to remain aggressive on the boards and hope to eventually catch the Kraken off guard resulting in some Seattle penalties. If this happens to be the case, then the Oilers should be in a pretty decent position to cover.
Final Kraken-Oilers Prediction & Pick
No doubt about it, both of these teams enter Tuesday with some great play of late, but the Kraken's ferocious 16-4-2 road record is extremely difficult to look past.
Final Kraken-Oilers Prediction & Pick: Kraken +1.5 (-158)
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