Seattle Kraken (25-22-11) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (27-21-8)
February 29, 2024 at 10:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Seattle Kraken -111 / Pittsburgh Penguins -111 — Over/Under: 6
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Seattle Kraken meet in NHL action from Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday night. Who comes out on top in Thursday’s inter-conference matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Penguins vs. Kraken Prediction.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this one looking to build on a 4-3 win over Vancouver for their third straight win. Sidney Crosby leads the Penguins in scoring with 62 points including a team-high 32 goals while Jake Guentzel has 52 points with 22 goals and 30 assists. Evgeni Malkin has 45 points with 16 goals and 29 assists while Erik Karlsson’s added 43 points with 35 assists and Kris Letang has 37 points of his own with 30 assists this season. Tristan Jarry has gone 17-17-4 with a 2.57 GAA and a .912 save percentage while Alex Nedeljkovic has a 9-4-4 record with a 2.67 GAA and a .915 save percentage this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts
- The Penguins have won each of their last four games as underdogs against Pacific Division opponents.
- The Penguins have covered the puck line in nine of their last 10 games as underdogs.
- The Penguins have lost the first period in seven of their last eight games as underdogs after coming off overtime.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in five of the Penguins’ last six games as underdogs.
Seattle Kraken Team Preview
The Seattle Kraken come into this game looking to build on a 4-3 shootout win over Boston last time out. Jared McCann leads the Kraken in scoring with 46 points including a team-high 25 goals while Vince Dunn has 43 points with a team-high 32 assists. Oliver Bjorkstrand has 42 points with 14 goals and 28 assists as well this season. Joey Daccord has gone 16-12-10 with a 2.45 GAA and a .919 save percentage in goal for Seattle this season while Philipp Grubauer is 8-9-1 with a 2.97 GAA and an .892 save percentage this season.
Seattle Kraken Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the Kraken’s last six games.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Kraken’s last six games.
- The Kraken have won the first period in each of their last seven games as home favorites after coming off overtime.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in eight of the Kraken’s last nine games as favorites.
Penguins vs. Kraken Prediction
I’m on the Penguins here. The Pens have been rolling as of late and while the goaltending in spots has been questionable and has resulted in some tight games, the reality here is that Pittsburgh’s getting the better price here. Seattle hasn’t been known for consistently winning a ton of games at home and they’ve also been inconsistent overall in the last couple of weeks. I’ll take my shot with Pittsburgh in this one.