The Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., hosts a battle between two teams in very different positions.
The Washington Capitals (12-12-4) have been a perennial playoff team since the arrival of Alexander Ovechkin but are well outside the playoffs right now in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Seattle Kraken (15-7-3), after a terrible first year in the league in 2021-22, are second place in the NHL standings for the Pacific Division.
Offseason signing Darcy Kuemper is expected to start in goal for Washington in the Kraken vs Capitals prediction.
He’s 8-9-2 this season with a 2.56 goals-against average (GAA) and a .916 save percentage. Martin Jones is likely to start for Seattle. He has a 12-5-2 record with a 2.97 GAA and a .888 save percentage.
The Kraken vs Capitals prediction starts at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBCS-DC+ and ROOT Sports NW. It is one of 10 NHL games on the schedule tonight.
Matchup Preview
Seattle has been one of the most surprising teams in the NHL this season, even with the New Jersey Devils and Boston Bruins taking up much of the headlines.
Seattle is just six points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division and has three games in hand.
They’re 7-2-1 in their last ten games but have lost two games in a row to the Montreal Canadiens and Florida Panthers on the NHL schedule.
Kraken’s Offense
Seattle has been winning on offense alone, defying NHL odds. They rank fifth in goals per game, despite having the fifth-fewest shots per game at just 29.4.
It’s a different story on defense, as Seattle allows only the third-fewest shots against per game but is 18th in goals allowed at 3.16 per game.
Goaltenders Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer have been well below average this season, with save percentages of .888 and .868.
Andre Burakovsky leads the Kraken in NHL player stats with 26 points, while 11 other players have at least 10 points.
Back-to-back Games
Washington is starting to turn the corner; at least, it seems that way. The Capitals have won back-to-back games on the road against the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Flyers and are 5-3-2 in their last ten games.
Washington, one of the NHL picks to make the playoffs every year, has struggled to score this season with just 2.79 goals per game, 27th in the league.
Ovechkin leads the Capitals in points with 27 in 28 games. He scored a pair of empty-net goals in Washington’s victory over Philadelphia and is now just 99 goals back of Wayne Gretzky for the all-time goalscoring lead.
Seattle isn’t dealing with many players on the NHL injury report, but Washington is pretty banged up heading into the Kraken vs Capitals prediction.
Forwards Nicklas Backstrom, Carl Hagelin, Connor Brown, and Tom Wilson are all out with long-term injuries. Defenseman Dmitry Orlov is also out with a lower-body injury.
Seattle Kraken vs. Washington Capitals Odds Breakdown
Moneyline: BetOnline has the home Capitals as the NHL odds favorites for the moneyline at -131. The Kraken are paying out +119 on the moneyline.
Puckline: Washington is listed at +190 on the -1.5 puckline, while the Kraken are paying out -220 on the +1.5 puckline.
Over/Under: The over/under for Friday night’s Kraken vs Capitals prediction is 6, with the over and under paying out -105 each.
Seattle Kraken vs. Washington Capitals Betting Preview
Kraken
Seattle has been one of the best teams in the league against the spread (ATS) this season with a record of 15-10, including 8-2 on the road.
Overall, Seattle is a remarkable 8-1-1 on the road this season, which is far and away the best road record among all NHL teams. The over-under is 9-16 in Kraken games.
Capitals
The Washington Capitals standings ATS haven’t been as good. Still, the Capitals are 15-13 ATS, including 6-6 at home. The over-under is 10-17 in Capitals games with one push.
Seattle Kraken vs. Washington Capitals Betting Pick and Prediction
As strange as it is to say it’s tough to bet against a team on the road, that’s exactly the case with the Seattle Kraken odds.
Not only are they the league’s best road team this season, but Seattle also ranks fifth in the league in goals per game at 3.6, while the Capitals are 27th in that category. Expect the Kraken to end their two-game slide tonight in Washington.
Final Kraken vs Capitals Score Prediction: 4-2 Kraken
NHL Pick: Seattle Kraken (+119)
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