The Los Angeles Kings (14-8-7) and Seattle Kraken (11-10-6) will conclude the NHL's four-game Wednesday slate. Puck drop is set for 10:00 p.m. EST at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Wash. The game will be broadcast live on TNT.
The Kings are priced at +175 to cover the puck line, with the over/under set at 5.5 (O +100 / U -120). The Kings are -150 favorites to win outright, while the Kraken are priced at +125 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Kings vs. Kraken predictions and NHL picks.
Kings vs. Kraken Odds, Pick
| Kings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +175 | 5.5 100o / -120u | -150 |
| Kraken Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -210 | 5.5 100o / -120u | +125 |
- Kings vs. Kraken Spread: -1.5 (+175), +1.5 (-210)
- Kings vs. Kraken Over/Under: 5.5 (O +100/U -120)
- Kings vs. Kraken Moneyline: Kings -150, Kraken +125
Kings vs. Kraken Preview
Los Angeles Kings
It was thought that the Kings might take a slight step backward this season after some puzzling offseason moves from GM Ken Holland, but they have remained comparably strong with a record of 14-8-7 entering Wednesday's matchup. The depth of the Western Conference looks quite poor, which has clearly been one reason that Los Angeles's results have not fallen off relative to the previous three seasons.
The Kings have scored just 2.72 goals per game this season, which ranks 27th in the NHL. In recent years, they have always been most adept from a defensive perspective, which has been a concern come playoff time when they get into what has become a yearly date with the Edmonton Oilers.
Los Angeles was solid offensively last year, finishing 14th in goals scored per game average, but as Anze Kopitar and the top six as a whole have been less productive, its offensive production has been quite a concern. The Kings' current core has also struggled to find success on the power play for several consecutive seasons, and that weakness has once again been prominent as they hold a success rate of just 17.9% with the man advantage, which ranks 27th in the NHL.
Over the last ten games, the Kings have allowed only 2.74 xGA/60, which is the best mark in the NHL. Their strong defensive play has helped number-one goaltender Darcy Kuemper achieve excellent statistics, with a .914 save percentage and 2.23 GAA entering tonight's matchup.
At the time of writing, it's still unclear if this start will go to Kuemper or Anton Forsberg, and given that Seattle has been one of the worst teams in the NHL recently, it wouldn't be shocking if Forsberg got the start, given that he has served as the backup in four straight matchups.
Forsberg holds a +0.9 GSAx rating and a .894 save percentage in eight appearances this season, so there is a clear dropoff between him and Kuemper.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken appeared to be one of the NHL's most logical regression candidates after the first month of the season, considering the upside of the roster and their underlying metrics. Regression has obviously hit the team quite hard, as they are just 3-6-1 over the last ten games and hold a league-worst expected goal share of 40.55% in that span.
In that span, the Kraken have generated just 23.82 shots per 60 and allowed 3.90 xGA/60, which is the highest mark in the league. Given the lack of elite scoring talent on the team, that's an extremely concerning combination, and it's not overly surprising that the team's results have been so awful of late.
It was never likely that the Kraken would offer any skater generating close to a point per game this season, but the production provided from the top line of Jordan Eberle, Jared McCann and Matty Beniers has been an even greater concern than expected. Eberle leads the team with 17 points in 27 games.
Eberle, McCann and Beniers have been controlling play effectively but are struggling to get much out of their scoring chances. In 94.7 minutes of even-strength play, Seattle's top trio has generated 3.23 xGF/60 and generated 67.78 shot attempts per 60, which is the highest mark of any unit on the team. They have still outscored opponents 5 to 4, but it's obvious to say the team still needs greater production.
The team also continues to rely quite heavily upon Chandler Stephenson to handle a very difficult workload, which has been an obvious flaw. Though there aren't a ton of suitable options on the team, the Kraken are being entirely crushed in Stephenson's minutes, and it seems as though management remains reluctant to accept that it handed out a very bad contract to Stephenson in the 2024 offseason.
Seattle's current second line of Mason Marchment, Stephenson and Eeli Tolvanen holds an expected goal share of just 35.7%. The trio does get a lot of defensive zone starts versus opponents' top units, but the majority of comparable "checking" lines have still found much greater success in similar roles this season. The Kings' top line should fare well in head-to-head minutes versus Stephenson's line in this matchup.
Joey Daccord is expected to start in goal for the Kraken. Daccord had been one of the more underrated goaltenders in the NHL over the previous two seasons, but has taken a step backwards with an .891 save percentage and -2.6 GSAx rating in 18 appearances this season.
Kings vs. Kraken Prediction
Los Angeles is 3-0-2 versus the lowly Pacific Division, and 9-3-4 versus the Western Conference. It has played the fifth softest schedule in the NHL, which has certainly helped it earn such a strong record despite what still looks to be a fairly modest overall process.
The Kings are a team that I'll be looking to fade in the near future, and this could be a sneaky spot for a desperate Kraken side to hang around with a Los Angeles side that lacks offensive upside. Still, it does feel like we have to put a lot of stock into the spot to get there on the Kraken at +120, given how ugly things have been of late.
In another play that the numbers won't necessarily support, I do see value in attempting to buy low on McCann from a shot volume perspective and back him to record over 2.5 shots on goal at +135. McCann is the team's top goalscorer on paper, and though his shot volume has been down in a small sample since returning from injury, he's still recorded over 2.5 shots on goal in five of 10 games this season.
Though Seattle's top line has offered disappointing production this year, it has still controlled play effectively and is generating plenty of attempts on goal. McCann is also still the primary shooting option on the Kraken's top power play unit, at least on paper, which makes me believe in time, his shot volume will elevate closer towards his career average with the Kraken.
At a long price of +135, backing McCann to record over 2.5 shots on goal is my favorite play from this matchup.
Pick: Jared McCann Over 2.5 Shots on Goal +135 (Bet365, Play to +128)
