NHL Odds, Preview, Expert Prediction: Kraken vs. Oilers (January 3)
Lawrence Scott/Getty Images. Pictured: Klim Kostin
- The Edmonton Oilers host the Seattle Kraken in NHL action on Tuesday night.
- Edmonton beat Seattle just a few days ago, but will it have the edge again tonight?
- Continue reading for a full breakdown of this matchup, including a betting pick.
Kraken vs. Oilers Odds
| Kraken Odds | +132 |
| Oilers Odds | -160 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET |
| TV | SN1 |
The Seattle Kraken and Edmonton Oilers will be playing for the second time in five nights on Tuesday in Edmonton. They met on December 30th in Seattle, when the Oilers completely dominated the Kraken for 60 minutes, winning by a score of 7-2.
The Oilers had a rough loss at home on New Year's Eve, falling to the Winnipeg Jets 2-1. But once again, they looked like the better team and certainly gave themselves a chance to win that game.
The Kraken completely dominated the New YorkIslanders in their recent game, winning on home ice by a score of 4-1.
Seattle will be seeking revenge after getting embarrassed on home ice by the Oilers, but Edmonton should have the answers to beat them yet again.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken have been such a pleasant surprise this season, skating to a record of 19-12-4, currently sitting in fourth place of the Pacific and tied with their opponent tonight.
Surprisingly, the Kraken has been one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, currently sitting in sixth for most goals for per game, averaging 3.46 GF/GP. They are also coming off of a very strong offensive performance against the Islanders, scoring four goals on 35 shots, and going 1-foor-2 with a man advantage.
Seattle doesn't necessarily have a superstar or game-breaker, but has a ton of depth. Andre Burakovsky, Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers have been leading the way for the Kraken, not necessarily lighting it up, but they are all having strong seasons.
Burakovsky has 10 goals and 18 assists in 35 games, Eberle has eight goals with 19 assists in 35 games and Beniers has 11 goals along with 14 assists in 35 games.
Offensively, the Kraken are fine, but defensively, they haven't been nearly as good. They have allowed 11 goals in their last three games and enter this contest allowing 3.26 goals against per game. Their weakest link as a team this season has been goaltending.
Philipp Grubauer is the expected starter tonight for Seattle and he hasn't had the best season in the blue paint. He enters this game with a 3-7-1 record, a .881 save percentage and a 3.53 goals against average.
Martin Jones has been the better of the two and there is certainly a chance he gets the nod tonight. Jones is 15-5-3 this season with a .888 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average.
Whichever goalie gets the start is going to have to play much better than they have thus far in order to shut down Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have won three out of their last five games, but they have been missing their second-best player, Leon Draisaitl, who is questionable to play in this game. The Oilers won the last meeting without Draisaitl, but there is no doubt that his absence has had an impact on the team's production. He did practice yesterday, so it is looking likely that he will make a return to the lineup.
The first thing that comes to mind when you think about the Edmonton Oilers is offense, which typically comes from Connor McDavid and Draisaitl. As a team, the Oilers currently sit in fourth, averaging 3.58 goals per game.
Not only are the Oilers dangerous at even strength, but they now have the number one power play unit in the league, converting at a 32.1% success rate. The man-advantage unit didn't convert in their last game and it will be difficult to keep them scoreless two games in a row.
Stuart Skinner has been excellent for the Oilers, who are typically known for their goaltending being their biggest crutch. Skinner enters this game with a record of 12-9-1, boasting a .917 save percentage and a 2.78 goals against average. He has won three of his last four starts and will look to keep that momentum going into this game.
Kraken vs. Oilers Pick
The Oilers completely out-skated and out-skilled the Kraken just a few days ago and I expect a similar result in this game. The Oilers didn't get what they deserved in their last game after outplaying the Winnipeg Jets, but falling short 2-1.
In my mind, Edmonton is simply just the much better team with their high-power offense, and elusive power play unit and, believe it or not, they have the better goaltending. McDavid was held off the score sheet in their last game and it's rare to see him go pointless in back-to-back games, so I think he will have a very big impact on this contest.
The Kraken have been solid this year, but I believe that Draisaitl will dress for this game and that the Oilers take this one in regulation.
Pick: Edmonton Oilers three-way (+105)
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
