Wednesday NHL Odds, Picks, Prediction: Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken Betting Preview
Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Nathan McKinnon.
- The Colorado Avalanche face the Seattle Kraken in Wednesday's NHL action.
- The Avalanche have been on a roll, but the Kraken offense can't be relied on to score many goals.
- Jonny Lazarus breaks down the game and shares his top betting picks below.
Avalanche vs. Kraken Odds
| Avalanche Odds | -380 |
| Kraken Odds | +300 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via Caesars. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Despite losing their most recent game, the Avalanche have been on an absolute tear in the month of April, going 7-1-0 in the last 19 days. The Capitals may have spoiled their winning streak, but they pretty much have the Presidents' Trophy locked up.
The Kraken don't have much left to play for but their own pride. That being said, they're on a two-game win streak, with both wins coming on home ice. They're now looking to pull off a massive upset against the heavy road favorite Avalanche.
The Avalanche have some key players missing from their lineup like Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri, and Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer would love to get revenge against his former team.
The Avs are an offensive juggernaut and will be starting their backup goaltender, Pavel Francouz, but this total might still be a bit too high.
Colorado Avalanche
There's no doubt the Avalanche are and have been the best team in the league all season long, but with this game being somewhat meaningless for both teams, should they really be as favored as much as they are?
The Avs are insanely talented offensively and have scored a total of 22 goals in their previous five games. They have also averaged 4.24 goals per game since April 9.
Even though they're so strong up front, they haven't let their defensive game slack. In the same five-game span, they've allowed 12 goals against and have averaged 2.41 goals against per game, which is the seventh-best amongst the other teams in the league.
With that being said, in this matchup, we will most likely see Francouz, who hasn't had all that many appearances this season. But in the short span we've seen, he's been successful, skating to a 15-3-1 record with a 2.49 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
Francouz has won his last three starts and has allowed only seven goals combined in those games. He will look to continue his strong play and keep the Kraken off the board.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken are 0-2-0 in their previous two games against the Avalanche and have been outscored 11-6.
Seattle hasn't had much success this season when it comes to scoring goals, but it have has a new spark with recent college call-up Matty Beniers, who has tallied two goals and an assist in his first three NHL games.
Beniers was the first-ever draft pick by the Kraken, going second overall in last year's NHL Entry Draft, and so far, he has lived up to the hype. He has scored goals in back-to-back games and will look to continue that momentum against the Avalanche.
He might be a key piece going forward because this team is the fifth-worst offensive team in the league, averaging only 2.59 goals per game. It also owns the fourth-worst power-play that converts only 14.4% of the time. In the Kraken's previous five games, they have scored only 13 total goals.
Not only have they been struggling offensively, but their defense has been very weak as well. They allow 3.45 goals against per game, and goaltender Grubauer has not had his best season.
He's 17-29-5 on the year with a 3.11 GAA and a .891 save percentage. That being said, this matchup is different for him because he would love to put on a strong performance against his former team.
Avalanche vs. Kraken Pick
The Kraken have only seven games remaining and want to continue this progression leading into the offseason. A win on home ice or even a strong performance against the best team in the league would be incredible.
Grubauer is 2-0-1 in his last three starts, including one shutout.
Froucouz has also had a strong previous three starts, winning each of those contests. His competition is not very threatening tonight, so he should be able to continue his strong play.
The Avalanche are buzzing right now, but the Kraken offense cannot be relied on to score goals. I think 6.5 is too high for this game. I like the under.
Pick: Under 6.5 (-105)
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