Kraken vs. Wild Odds
| Kraken Odds | +230 |
| Wild Odds | -300 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-115 / -105) |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | NHL Network |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The last-place Seattle Kraken travel to Minnesota to take on the Central Division's second-place Wild. This is the third meeting between these two teams this season, with the Wild winning 4-2 in Seattle back in November.
Will the Wild take care of business once again, or can the Kraken keep this game closer?
Seattle Hits the Road To Continue Streak
The Seattle Kraken enter this contest on a three-game win streak, although all three were at home. Seattle has been awful on the road this season at 11-23-3.
Over their last 14 games as a road underdog, the Kraken are just 3-11. Of those 11 losses, eight have been by at least a two-goal margin.
Philipp Grubauer is the projected starting goaltender and is in the midst of a rough season with a 0.891 save percentage. Amongst starting goaltenders this year, he ranks dead last in 5-on-5 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) per 60 minutes. Grubauer has particularly struggled on the road this season, with a 6-14-2 record and 0.888 save percentage.
Grubauer probably won't get much scoring help. This season, Seattle ranks 31st in the league in 5-on-5 expected goals per 60 minutes (xGF). Over their last 10 contests, the Kraken are scoring just 2.4 goals per game.
Surging Wild Likely Turn to Fleury
The Minnesota Wild enter this matchup on the second half of a back-to-back following Thursday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks..
Minnesota entered Thursday this contest in tremendous form, having won 14 of their previous 18 games. Nine of those 14 wins were by at least two goals, which shows how dominant it has been.
This game should not be any different, since the Wild are better than the Kraken in every aspect of the game. Currently, Minnesota ranks higher than Seattle in both 5-on-5 expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF) and 5-on-5 expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA).
Since they are on the second half of a back-to-back, we can expect to see Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes for Minnesota. Fleury has been spectacular for Minnesota since it acquired him from Chicago.
Over his seven starts for the Wild, Fleury is 6-1 with a 0.921 save percentage. In his two starts against Seattle this season, Fleury has stopped 66 of 70 shots for a remarkable 0.943 save percentage.
Kraken vs. Wild Pick
While this is certainly a square pick, there is just no reason to not back the Wild in a blowout. Minnesota is superior in every single aspect of this game and has been playing its best hockey of the season over the last few weeks.
I think the puckline is shorter than it should be because the Wild are entering this matchup on the second half of a back-to-back, but that should not matter as they protect home ice against a far inferior team.
Pick: Minnesota Wild -1.5 (-115) | Play up to (-135)
