The Colorado Avalanche and the Seattle Kraken meet Friday for Game 6 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, as the series shifts back to Seattle. Puck drop from Climate Pledge Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Avalanche vs. Kraken odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Kraken lead the series 3-2.
The defending champ Avalanche face an elimination game against the 2nd-year Kraken. Colorado lost a pivotal Game 5 on home ice 3-2 Wednesday. While Colorado has had some injury issues, missing Gabriel Landeskog, while also losing Valeri Nichushkin to a personal issue, it still has had its chances.
The Kraken have taken advantage of some miscues and bad bounces for the Avs, and it has done what got them into the playoffs in the 1st place. Seattle has fought and clawed for everything, while winning on the road. That was the regular-season recipe for success, and it has spilled over into the playoffs.
Seattle has scored 3 or more goals in 4 of the 5 games in this series, and it holds a slight 15-14 edge in goals scored.
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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 Wednesday at 10:41 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Avalanche -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | Kraken +135 (bet $100 to win $135)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Avalanche -1.5 (+155) | Kraken +1.5 (-190)
- 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)
Georgiev allowed 3 goals on 29 shots in the setback in Game 5, and he has now lost back-to-back starts for the 1st time since March 4-5. Oddly enough, in that 2-game losing skid in March, one of the setbacks was against the Kraken in OT in Denver.
Grubauer, the former Avalanche backstop, stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced in the Game 5 win in his old stomping ground. The German-born tendy is 3-2-0 with a 2.61 GAA and .918 SV% in 5 games in this postseason. It is the same 2.61 GAA he posted in 2021 as a member of the Avs in 10 playoff games.
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Avalanche at Kraken picks and predictions
Prediction
Avalanche 3, Kraken 2
Moneyline
The AVALANCHE (-160) are moderate favorites, and they’re going to get it done on the road. Look for Colorado to show off its championship mettle, scratching out a close win to deny the Kraken (+135) their 1st-ever playoff series win.
Colorado is 12-5 in the past 17 games when playing on a day of rest. The road team is also 6-2 in the previous 8 meetings in this series.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Kraken +1.5 (-190) is just a little too pricey for my liking just for a little insurance. If you like Seattle, especially on its home ice, just play it straight up for a much better value.
PASS.
Over/Under
UNDER 6 (-120) is the lean in Game 6.
We’ve seen the Under cash in 8 of the last 9 meetings between these teams. The intensity in this series will be at an all-time high, too.
Look for the Kraken to be nervous, playing in its 1st-ever close-out game, while the Avalanche will likely be very calculated and careful, as it doesn’t want to take too many chances leading to odd-man rushes the other way.
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