NHL Odds, Pick, Prediction: Coyotes vs. Kraken (Wednesday, Feb. 9)
Steph Chambers/Getty Images. Pictured: Seattle Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
- The Seattle Kraken host the Arizona Coyotes in Wednesday's NHL action.
- These sides faced off in November, with the Coyotes getting the upper hand, but the Kraken are massive favorites in this rematch.
- Greg Liodice breaks down the game below and details why he's backing Seattle.
Coyotes vs. Kraken Odds
| Coyotes Odds | +190 |
| Kraken Odds | -225 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
In a battle of the Western Conference's bottom two teams, the Seattle Kraken hosts the Arizona Coyotes in Wednesday's NHL showdown. These teams faced off in November, with Arizona getting the upper hand, so the Kraken will look to even it up in this latest meeting.
The Coyotes have become the butt of a lot of jokes over the past decade and this season is no different. They’re 3-7 in their last 10 games, plus they're coming off a loss to the Vancouver Canucks in Tuesday's action. That said, Arizona hopes to even out the Pacific Northwest trip against its latest foe.
Seattle, the NHL's 32nd franchise, stumbled out the gate, but seems to be getting its footing back. The Kraken are coming off a shutout win before the All-Star break, putting them at 5-5 in their last 10 games. This is their best stretch of performances since entering the league.
Arizona Coyotes
It’s very clear Arizona is trying to rebuild and it has good pieces for the future. The Coyotes are led by All-Star Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse and Shayne Gostisbehere, who have all provided exceptional production. With the talent in front of them, they’re missing a good amount of players in Connor Timmins, Barrett Hayton, Johan Larsson and, potentially, Scott Wedgewood.
As expected, but Arizona isn't exactly the best team at generating offense. The franchise stands at 28th in expected goals per 60 minutes with a 2.03 xGF/60 minutes. Plus, the Coyotes create the fourth-lowest amount of high-danger chances. Not only that, but Arizona is the worst team on the power play, scoring just 12.2% of the time.
Arizona’s defense isn’t great, either, and its goaltending is average at best. While the Coyotes don’t allow as many high-danger chances as you’d think, they do allow the second-most goals in the league.
Since goaltender Karel Vejmelka played Tuesday, it’s a toss-up to see if Scott Wedgewood will start. He’s listed as day-to-day with a chest injury, so if he doesn’t suit up, then it could be Ivan Prosvetov’s net. The young Russian is posting an .893 SV % with a -1.3 GSAx (Goals Saved Above Expected). I would keep tabs on the goaltending situation first before making any decision.
Seattle Kraken
While it’s been a fairly rough start to the season, Seattle has a good foundation to build on. Jared McCann is a good young piece, while Jordan Eberle was the franchise’s first All-Star and Yanni Gourde is winning over the hearts of the fans. The Kraken will be without Jaden Schwartz for at least another week, and it’s undetermined if Carson Soucy, Jamie Oleksiak and Will Borgen will play, as they’re all dealing with injuries.
Seattle has done a bang-up job since the tough start. Creating offense seems like it’s been easier for the club of late, as it's now at a 2.11 xGF/60 and 25th in high-danger chances (which is higher than before). The power play is one thing that still needs to get better, scoring at a 15.9% rate.
Seattle has always been solid on defense. The franchise allows the fifth-least amount of high-danger chances, but the fifth-most goals allowed, which is a big difference.
What started out to be a nightmare of a season for the Kraken goaltenders is starting to turn around. Philipp Grubauer just pitched Seattle’s first-ever shutout against the New York Islanders, and he’s riding high. The former Vezina finalist is still posting historically low numbers with an .887 SV% and a league worst -24.0 GSAx, but the viewer can see he’s getting better.
Coyotes-Kraken Pick
This one will be fun, because neither team has anything to lose. They’re so far away from the playoffs that they can just play hockey.
However, I’m backing the Kraken in this bout since they have been playing well since mid-January. It could be a bit more difficult should Wedgewood come back, but I’m confident in picking Seattle.
Pick: Seattle -1.5 (+110)
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