The defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche (2-1-1) take on the Seattle Kraken (1-2-2) on Friday night at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST and it is one of three NHL matchups tonight. Phillip Grubauer is expected to start for the visiting Kraken.
NHL Games
Through two NHL games, Grubauer has a 4.26 goals-against average (GAA) and lowly .851 save percentage. He allowed five goals in losses to the Carolina Hurricanes and Anaheim Ducks.
Alexander Georgiev starts for the Avalanche. Acquired from the New York Rangers in the offseason, the Russian netminder is coming off of a 24-save overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets but allowed just five goals in his two prior starts, both of which were wins.
Matchup Information
NHL Standings
This is an NHL matchup of two teams with dramatically different expectations this season. The Avalanche intend on defending the Stanley Cup and have a loaded roster and should finish at or near the top of the NHL standings while the Kraken are slowly building toward long-term success.
They have a solid foundation, but they won’t be favored in these Kraken vs. Avalanche trends.
Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche Stats
The Kraken are 10th in the Western Conference and tied for fourth in the Pacific Division with four points and a 1-2-2 record.
They’ve had their troubles, but they’ve actually been playing competitively through the first five games of the NHL season. The Kraken vs Avalanche trends show this should be a spirited contest.
Seattle scored its lone victory over the Los Angeles Kings last Thursday. It has lopsided losses to the Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights, two strong teams, but lost in overtime to the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks.
Andre Burakovsky leads the Kraken in NHL stats with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) through five games. Rookie Matty Beniers has four points as does Oliver Bjorkstrand.
Seattle looks much better than last season, but still might not be ready to compete for a playoff spot.
2022 NHL Draft
Shane Wright, the team’s first-round pick, fourth overall, in the 2022 NHL Draft, recorded his first career point against the Blues, picking up an assist.
Wright, however, is averaging less than 7 minutes per game and is a candidate to go back to junior before he hits the 10-game mark. He was also a healthy scratch twice.
“The extra work that he gets with our coaching staff, with our skill staff, is very important in terms of some of the small skills of the game,” Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said of the plan for Wright.
“From faceoffs to different areas of play. But the biggest thing is just staying confident and continuing to grow and for him to be excited about being in the lineup.”
Tonight’s Game
The Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, enter tonight’s game as a major betting favorite in Kraken vs. Avalanche trends.
Colorado is 2-1-1 this season and is tied for sixth in the league with 4.25 goals per game. The offense hasn’t been a problem at all, especially the power play, which Colorado leads all NHL stats at 53.8 percent.
Avalanche Position at the Rankings
While Colorado has done a good job at limiting opposition chances – they rank sixth in the league at allowing just 27.8 shots per game – they are tied for 19th in goals allowed at 3.5 per game.
Georgiev has been just OK through three starts, while Pavel Francouz has been disastrous with a 5.17 GAA and .815 save percentage.
Rantanen and MacKinnon Taking the Lead
As expected, Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon are leading the way offensively for the Avalanche with nine and eight points, respectively.
Valeri Nichushkin, fresh off of signing an eight-year, $49 million contract extension in the offseason, leads the team with five goals and has eight points total.
Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Trends
- Moneyline: For Kraken vs. Avalanche trends, Colorado is the moneyline favorite at -257. Seattle is the overwhelming underdog at +228.
- Puckline: The puckline for the Kraken vs. Avalanche trends is listed at +1.5 (-113) for the Kraken and -1.5 (-107) for the Avalanche. Colorado is 2-2 against the puckline this season, while the Kraken are 3-2.
- Over/Under: As usual, the over/under is set at 6.5. The over is paying out -125, while the under is at +113. The over is 4-0 in Avalanche games and 3-1-1 in Kraken games.
Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche Predictions
Colorado should have little trouble winning this game given they’re playing at home and have the more talented roster. However, Seattle has been tougher to play against this season.
The Kraken odds just aren’t good enough on the moneyline, and while the puckline odds are more favorable, the team hasn’t shown enough consistency to have confidence in that bet.
Considering the over is a combined 7-1-1 in games played by these two teams, it feels like a safe bet to expect more than six goals.
NHL Pick: Over 6.5 goals (-125)
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