NHL Odds, Pick & Preview: Kraken vs. Blues (April 6)
Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Ville Husso
- The St. Louis Blues host the Seattle Kraken in Wednesday's NHL action.
- The Blues are heavy ML favorites, but analyst Jonny Lazarus has a found an interesting wager with plenty of betting value.
- Check out below where he has landed for this top selection.
Kraken vs. Blues Odds
| Kraken Odds | +200 |
| Blues Odds | -250 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via BetMGM. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The St. Louis Blues, winners of four of their last five games, have been playing a great stretch of hockey as they’re gearing up to make a playoff run.
On the other side, the Seattle Kraken have been decent (not great), but are now just playing spoiler as they don't have any chance at making the postseason.
The Blues won the first two meetings entering Wednesday’s latest affair between these side and hope to get a third in this latest clash.
Seattle Kraken
It has been a very frustrating inaugural season for the Kraken. Seattle has struggled on both ends of the ice, as it’s the fourth-worst offensive team with just 2.61 goals per game. Defensively, the team is the eighth-worst defensive at giving up goals, yielding 3.49 per outing.
Nothing has really well for the Kraken, but to their credit they do come out and play hard every single night. One specific area that has been a major concern for them is goaltending. Chris Driedger has seen most of the action lately and his stats haven’t been all that impressive. He’s 7-10-1 overall, with a 3.05 GAA and .898 save percentage.
In order for the Kraken to have a chance at winning, they need to do everything they can to stay out the penalty box. They haven't given up a short-handed goal in their past three games, but the Blues have the third-best power play and will look to take advantage of the Kraken's fifth-worst man down unit, which is only successful 74.3% of the time.
Seattle is 0-2-0 against the Blues, so it will try and get their its win against them in franchise history.
St. Louis Blues
Not only have the Blues been winning games as of late, but their offense is on fire. In their past five games, they’ve scored a combined 24 goals. Their eyes basically light up when they see a weak defensive opponent like the Kraken on the schedule with how well they have been producing.
St. Louis has four players with more than 50 points. Jordan Kyrou is leading the way with 62, followed by Vladimir Tarasenko (61), Robert Thomas (59) and Pavel Buchnevich (57), who is in his first year with the team.
The Blues’ top two lines have been phenomenal and they carry the offensive success. They’re the fifth-best offensive team in the league, averaging 3.59 goals per game, but also do an incredible job at keeping the puck out of their own net, thanks to the play of Ville Husso.
The St. Louis goaltender is 4-0-0 in his last four starts, only allowing nine goals in that span. That said, he should have no issues against a weak offensive Kraken team.
Kraken vs. Blues Pick
There is no hiding the fact the Blues are the better team in all facets of the game.
Husso is the real X factor. He has been so strong in the blue paint, boasting a 20-6-5 record on the season with a .923 save percentage and a ninth best +16.2 GSAx overall.
Offensively, I don't think Seattle has enough talent to score as many goals. The Kraken have shown some spurts in their previous games, but the Blues are a whole different beast. They’ve been strong on home ice, going 22-9-4 this season.
The Blues should win this one with ease and it should take no longer than regulation to get the victory.
Pick: St. Louis to Win in Regulation (-160)
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