Kraken vs. Devils Odds, Picks: NHL Betting Guide

Kraken vs. Devils Odds

The Seattle Kraken will continue their five-game Eastern road trip Thursday with a matchup against the New Jersey Devils.

Sitting second in the Pacific Division standings, the Kraken came out of the All-Star break with a disappointing shutout loss against the New YorkIslanders on Tuesday. One night earlier, the Devils fended off the Vancouver Canucks thanks to an overtime winner from Jesper Bratt.

Here's the latest on both teams and your best bet for Thursday's game.

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Seattle Kraken

With 63 points in 50 games, the Kraken have already set a new franchise points record after managing just 60 points in their inaugural campaign. Seattle's success has been built off lots of goals from lots of different scorers. In fact, eight players are already in double digits and four others are knocking on the door.

And while the Kraken still have the second-worst penalty-killing rate in the league (72.5%), they've been on a roll lately and haven't given up a shorthanded goal in eight games. Unfortunately, their own power play has also gone cold over that same stretch and they are just 3-for-26 over the past 10 games.

In net, Martin Jones has delivered the timely saves that have helped Seattle put up points. However, Jones took the loss on Long Island on Tuesday, and the Kraken are heading into a back-to-back set where they'll also face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

So, don't be surprised to see Philipp Grubauer get the nod in New Jersey. The 31-year-old is 5-0-0 lifetime against the Devils and has been playing well over the past month — 2-1-1 with just seven goals allowed.

On the injury front, leading point-man Andre Burakovsky was knocked out of Tuesday's game against the Islanders. There was no update on his status following practice in New Jersey on Wednesday.

Defenseman Justin Schultz has missed the past six games with an undisclosed issue and did practice on Wednesday, but his status remains uncertain.

New Jersey Devils

Second in the Metropolitan Division with 70 points in 50 games, the Devils have also surpassed their output from last season, when they finished with 63 points.

New Jersey scores nearly as much as Seattle and Jack Hughes is already up to a stunning 35 goals. But during a three-point, nine-shot outing against Vancouver on Monday, Hughes sustained an upper-body injury that kept him off the ice Tuesday. He then left practice early Wednesday, so his status for Thursday's game is uncertain.

Otherwise, the Devils are healthy. Defenseman John Marino returned to action on Monday after missing 17 games with an upper-body injury.

Defensively, New Jersey is stronger than Seattle and is second in the league in expected goals share at 5-on-5 (52.92%) and running a penalty kill that's 81.1% effective. And with Vitek Vanecek now settled into the starter's role, the Devils are finally getting the saves they need. Vanecek's numbers this season are shifting from solid to outstanding — 7.5 goals saved above expected, a 2.34 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and, most importantly, a 22-5-2 record.

Kraken vs. Devils Pick

When these teams met in Seattle on Jan. 19, Seattle battled to a 4-3 overtime win thanks to a clinching tally from Andre Burakovsky.

It sounds like he's less likely to suit up Thursday than Hughes is for the Devils, but there's concern on both sides for the top scorers.

Another funny quirk — both these teams have been better on the road than at home this season. New Jersey is 19-3-2 away from home, while Seattle is 16-6-2.

So, even though the Devils are a red-hot 8-1-1 in their past 10 games, there's good reason to take a long look at the road dogs, especially with Seattle sitting at a juicy +134 on the moneyline.

That's good value for a disciplined group that will be looking to erase the memory of an uncharacteristically sluggish post-all-star outing on Long Island.

Pick: Kraken Moneyline | Play to +120

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