The Colorado Avalanche visit the Seattle Kraken Saturday for Game 3 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Puck drop from Climate Pledge Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Avalanche vs. Kraken odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
This series is tied 1-1. The Kraken picked up a surprising 3-1 victory in Game 1 in their 1st-ever playoff game, while the Avalanche scratched out a 3-2 win in Game 2.
Seattle did most everything right in the series opener, dishing out 40 hits to just 29 for the Avalanche, while blocking 23 shots to just 19 for Colorado. In Game 2, the Avs managed a 3-2 victory, as they picked up the physical play with 50 hits to just 40 for the Kraken.
The power play has been non-existent for both teams, going 0-for-5 for Seattle in the first 2 games and 0-for-4 in the first 2 games for Colorado.
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Avalanche at Kraken odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:20 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Avalanche -155 (bet $155 to win $100) | Kraken +130 (bet $100 to win $130)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche -1.5 (+165) | Kraken +1.5 (-200)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Avalanche at Kraken projected goalies
Alexandar Georgiev (40-16-6, 2.53 GAA, .919 SV%, 5 SO – regular season) vs. Philipp Grubauer (17-14-4, 2.85 GAA, .895 SV% – regular season)
The Bulgarian backstop has been playing lights out in this series, stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced in Game 1, while allowing just 2 goals on 29 shots in Game 2. The win in Game 2 was actually his 1st career NHL postseason victory.
Grubauer, the former Avs tendy, made 38 saves on 41 shots in Game 2. He has allowed 3 or fewer goals in each of his past 6 starts and 7 appearances dating back to March 27 in the regular season.
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Avalanche at Kraken picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 4, Kraken 1
Moneyline
Seattle won its 1st-ever postseason game in Game 1. On Saturday, it will try to get its 1st-ever home playoff win. The AVALANCHE (-155) are poised to prevent that franchise history in this series.
Climate Pledge Arena should be at full throat when the defending champs come through. While Colorado has really missed the offense of Gabriel Landeskog (knee), who will not return for these playoffs, it still has plenty of experience to tap into from last season. There is plenty of depth on this roster to upend the upstart Kraken (+130), too.
Puck line/Against the spread
The AVALANCHE -1.5 (+165) are worth playing on the puck line.
On the road, Colorado has won 11 consecutive games, while going 4-7 on the puck line in those outings. It has struggled with the Kraken +1.5 (-200), but Colorado will secure the Game 3 win with its most impressive showing of the series. That’s what champions do when people start to count them out and doubt their ability.
Over/Under
The UNDER 6 (-120) is easily the best play on the board, as the power play has been non-existent on both sides.
Both games have gone Under in this series. The Under is 3-1-1 in the past 5 games overall in this series, while going 6-0 in the past 6 meetings between these 2 teams. The Under is also 19-6-1 in the past 26 games for the Kraken against teams with a winning percentage greater than .600.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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