Kraken vs. Stars Odds
| Kraken Odds | +220 |
| Stars Odds | -275 |
| Over/Under | 6 (+100/-120) |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Seattle will head to Dallas for the second leg of a tough road back-to-back after a loss in Minnesota. The Kraken had been in the midst of some better results prior to the loss however, as they had won three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history.
Dallas has played very well at home with a 24-10-3 mark this season and could be in a great spot to claim two desperately needed points on Saturday. Should we expect the Stars to cruise here?
Seattle Kraken: What Should We Make of Recent Results?
This has clearly been a more positive run of results for the Kraken, punctuated by the well deserved win on Monday over the Avalanche. However, I would not count on such a notable turnaround continuing, especially at this point in the season.
Over the past seven contests Seattle has played to just a 46.93 xGF%, and a week of better play shouldn't change what we expect too much. We can't forget that Seattle has regularly lost contests in which it controlled more of the play all season long, in large part due to a lack of scoring talent and awful starting goaltending.
Matty Beniers has joined the team and immediately shown why he was selected No. 2 overall in last year's entry draft, but this is still quite a thin unit up front with little in the way of true scoring talent.
After a fast contest last night in Minnesota we could definitely see Seattle struggle to keep pace with what should be a very urgent Stars team. That could result in a smaller offensive output as the Kraken do not feature a lot of game-breaking talent likely to steal undeserved results.
Chris Driedger should get the start in this back-to-back spot for the Kraken. Driedger has played to a -2.8 goals saved above expected rating with an .897 save % throughout 24 games played.
Dallas Stars: Win Needed to Bolster Playoff Odds
After an 0-3 trip through Western Canada, Dallas returns home looking to take advantage of this must-have contest, hosting one of the league's worst clubs on the second leg of a road back-to-back.
The Stars 4-4-2 run has hurt it's playoff chances and this is a game they must-have if they hope to stave off a Vegas team that I believe will go 3-1-0 in it's remaining contests.
Dallas has controlled play to a modest 50.25 xGF% over the past 10 games and has continued to see most of its offensive production coming from the top trio of Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski.
That could be a problem for Seattle however, as it it does not feature the kind of talent to go head-to-head and keep that unit in check. That trio should be heavily relied upon in this critical game for the Stars.
We could easily see the other lines contribute rare breakeven play in this spot as well, which would be a big bonus for a Stars team that been widely carried to reasonable results by that one unit and a strong powerplay.
Jake Oettinger will likely start in goal for the Stars and offers another edge over the Kraken. Oettinger has been stable this season, playing to a 0.3 GSAx with a .913 save % through 45 games played.
He has fallen into a spell of lesser results, but a lot of that has been the kind of chances against allowed by his club and I do not expect Dallas to allow so many grade-A opportunities to a Kraken club that is thin offensively.
Kraken vs. Stars Pick
By no means do I feel the Stars are an elite team and I would personally argue they will be the worst of all 16 teams entering the postseason should they sneak in.
But this is an excellent spot for them to get a desperately needed win and considering how they have played at home, it's far more than a "motivation" based narrative in my mind to think the Stars can dominate the Kraken in this spot.
Seattle's recent hot streak might help us get somewhat of a better price than we deserve in this spot, but I fully expect the Stars to control far more of the play here and put together a strong total.
At +100 for the Stars to cover -1.5, I think we have another plus money play that is comfortably hitting at better than 50% and some easy value on another obvious play.
Pick: Dallas Stars -1.5 (+100)
