Friday NHL Odds, Pick, Prediction: Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche Betting Preview
Rich Lam/Getty Images. Pictured: The Avalanche celebrate a goal against Vancouver.
- The Avalanche are big road favorites on Friday night against the Seattle Kraken.
- Colorado is rounding into Stanley Cup-contending form, while the expansion Kraken are still trying to find their football.
- Continue reading for a full breakdown of the matchup, including a betting pick.
Kraken vs. Avalanche Odds
| Avalanche Odds | -155 |
| Kraken Odds | +135 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Stanley Cup favorites and the NHL's latest expansion team will square off for the first time ever on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Seattle Kraken are in the midst of a six-game homestand but haven't been able to give their rabid fans much to cheer about. They're 3-5-0 on home ice so far this season and are currently mired in a four-game losing streak that has them stuck in last place in the Pacific Division.
As for the Colorado Avalanche, some early bumps in the road are now smoothing out. The Avs came out of the gate with a 2-4-0 record, but have points in six of their last seven games as their high-powered offense has fired up.
With Colorado seemingly scoring at will and Seattle unable to keep the puck out of its net, Friday's matchup looks straightforward — and could offer a decent payout for bold bettors.
Kraken's Problems Mostly In Net
The Kraken brain trust leaned heavily into analytics when building out their expansion roster. And while the team isn't winning games right now, some of its underlying numbers are impressive on the defensive side. Seattle has the best Corsi against per 60 minutes at 5-on-5, is tied for second-best expected goals against per 60 and is third-best at generating high-danger scoring chances.
But the club has been undone in net. Philipp Grubauer was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season with Colorado but now carries a league-worst -12.60 goals-saved above average in Seattle, where he's 4-8-1 with an .877 save percentage. And while the Kraken give up the third-fewest high-danger scoring chances per 60 minutes, no club is worse at stopping them when they do occur. That combination leaves Seattle with the third-highest high-danger goals allowed per 60 minutes at even strength.
An early-season injury to Chris Driedger left Grubauer shouldering most of the early-season load, but coach Dave Hakstol has given Driedger just one start in five games since returning to the roster. With the Kraken in the midst of a well-spaced-out six-game homestand, Grubauer will likely get the nod against his old squad on Friday.
Offensively, the Kraken's top line of Jaden Schwartz, Yanni Gourde and Jordan Eberle has been productive during the current losing streak. But there hasn't been enough secondary support to give Seattle a chance to outscore its mistakes.
Avalanche Rounding Into Form
Injuries have challenged the Avalanche all season. But despite currently missing key players like Nathan MacKinnon, J.T. Compher and Bowen Byram, Colorado has started to look like the team that came into the season as the Stanley Cup favorite.
Currently riding a three-game winning streak, the Avs have outscored their opponents 17-5 over that stretch, and are giving the Edmonton Oilers a run for their money with their 6-for-13 power play.
Yes, two of those wins have come against the reeling Vancouver Canucks. But Seattle is in just as vulnerable a position — a fledgling group trying to climb out of a tough spot with no shared history to draw from, and with just one win in the last eight games.
In net, Darcy Kuemper has been solid as Grubauer's replacement in Colorado. He's also carrying quite a heavy load but is managing it well, with a 7-4-0 record, .916 save percentage and an acceptable 0.56 goals saved above average.
Kraken vs. Avalanche Pick
The Kraken and the Avalanche are two teams headed in opposite directions right now. And while Seattle's underlying numbers might offer some hope that the tide will turn soon, it's not likely to happen against a Colorado group that has found its smile while winning some high-scoring games.
The Avs' moneyline of -155 suggests Colorado's chance of winning this game is greater than 60%. If that return isn't rich enough for your blood, the puck line looks playable. Five of Colorado's seven wins this season, including the latest three, have all been by two goals or more — as have all four of Seattle's most recent losses.
If those patterns hold, you could pick up a tidy payoff by leaning into the road favorite at +150 on Friday night.
Pick: Avalanche (puck line +150)
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