The Washington Capitals (10-11-3) and Seattle Kraken (14-5-3) meet Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Capitals vs. Kraken odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Capitals registered a 5-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday in the 2nd game of their 6-game road trip after falling by an identical score in New Jersey Saturday. Washington has cashed the Under in 5 straight games.
The Kraken are coming off a wild 9-8 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday, the team’s 6th consecutive victory. Seattle has scored 4 or more goals in 4 straight outings and is averaging 5.3 goals per game during the 6-game run.
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Capitals at Kraken odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:26 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Capitals +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | Kraken -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Capitals +1.5 (-240) | Kraken -1.5 (+175)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -135 | U: +115)
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Capitals at Kraken projected goalies
Darcy Kuemper (12-4-0, 2.44 GAA, .921 SV%, 2 SO) vs. Philipp Grubauer (4-1-1, 3.35 GAA, .870 SV%)
Kuemper has picked up victories in 3 consecutive games, including allowing just 3 goals on 87 shots in a shutout of the Calgary Flames Friday. While he was 4-6-0 over 10 starts in November, he had a solid 2.61 GAA and .912 SV%. The Caps provided just 9 total goals of offensive support in the 6 losses.
Grubauer allowed 2 goals on 22 shots in his return to the lineup Friday at Vegas after missing 5 weeks due to a lower-body injury. He has faced just one Eastern Conference team, the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 17, and he was on the short end of a 5-1 loss.
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Capitals at Kraken picks and predictions
Prediction
Kraken 4, Capitals 2
The KRAKEN (-125) have been red-hot on offense, led by rookie C Matty Beniers, who has 4 goals and 7 assists with a plus-9 rating across the past 5 outings. Offseason free-agent addition LW Andre Burakovsky is good for 5 goals and 3 assists in the past 4 outings, and Justin Schultz has 2 goals and 10 oints in the past 6 games. The Kraken are releasing the puck and getting points from all over.
The Capitals have won just once in the past 7 games on the road, and they’re 2-10 in the past 12 against teams with a winning record, too.
Puck line/Against the spread
The KRAKEN -1.5 (+175) are worth a roll of the dice on the puck line for a chance to nearly double up.
Seattle has won 6 in a row, 4 straight against the Eastern Conference and 5 of their last 7 at home. While the Kraken have won just twice in the past 5 games by more than 1 goal, 6 of their past 11 wins have been by 2 or more goals.
Over/Under
OVER 5.5 (-135) is the play here, and the fact the total is so low makes this a strong play.
Seattle has lit the lamp 17 times in the past 3 games, has scored 3 or more goals in 5 straight outings and 15 of the previous 17 outings.
The reason the line is so low is due to the Caps, who are on a 5-0 Under run. It will be interesting to see if Grubauer can cool off the red-hot Kraken.
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