Pacific Division: Oilers vs Kraken Matchup Odds Analysis
Seattle Won 7 of Last 9 Against Western Conference
Very few games this time of year offer a straight-up handicap, with both teams keeping key guys off the NHL injury report. Unlike College Football this time of year, we can sit back and trust what we’ve watched from both of these clubs over the last three months.
It’s a little too early for NHL scoreboard watching, but perhaps out of the corner of their collective eyes, with both teams tied for the fourth spot in the Pacific Division, NHL games like this are important to both.
Edmonton Oilers (19-15-2, 40 points) at Seattle Kraken (18-11-4, 40 points)
Date & Time:
Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington
Streaming: RSSW, ESPN+
Oilers Far From Stanley Cup Contender
We never thought the Edmonton Oilers were a contender to win the Stanley Cup last NHL season, and even with all the changes they’ve made in addition to having one of the best players on the planet, Edmonton has managed to regress even more in 2022.
Our latest power rankings have the Oilers ranked close to the middle of the pack, something bettors can attest to considering they’re a “perfect” 18-18 against the NHL spread this season, good enough to give NHL bettors just enough taste of what could be, while never revealing what is. We lean on teams who are great on special teams.
Even though the Oilers are the top power-play unit (32.3%) in the league, it’s their inability to kill off odds-man advantages that gives back that 32.3% pretty quickly, leaving the Oilers to lean on their 5-on-5 play which has allowed 77 goals this season while scoring just 69.
Both statistics put Edmonton in the bottom third of the league. To be fair, the Oilers have played 29 games against teams that made the postseason last year (16-13), but as soon as we want to praise them for their record against those clubs, we wash that down with their less-than stellar 3-4 record against teams who did not, a category the Seattle Kraken fall under.
Let’s continue our Oilers vs Kraken matchup odds preview by further diving into Seattle.
Kraken Not a Contender, Confidence is Growing
Like the Oilers, the Kraken (#16) isn’t quite in the discussion of making a playoff run, but they are slightly ahead of Edmonton (#17). While both NHL teams would be battling for the last playoff spot if this was the last month of the season, you have to give head coach Dave Hakstol and GM Ron Francis credit after finishing 28th last NHL season.
They didn’t chase the Vegas Golden Knights first-year success, they created their own path that is starting to pay dividends into their second season. Speaking of Hakstol, there was no other coach in the league that sat firmly on the hot seat more than the former Philadelphia Flyers coach.
That talk has turned into complete silence when it comes to a coach that is more likely to be the front-runner to win the Jack Adams Award. Only two other teams, Boston Bruins at +1017 units, and Arizona Coyotes at +508 units, have been more profitable than Seattle at +507 units, who are by far the best story in the NHL in 2022.
Let’s conclude our Oilers vs Kraken matchup odds preview by diving into early betting patterns followed by our selection.
Oilers Likely Public Play
Numbers on this game have slowly started to trickle out, with the Kraken opening as a small favorite. Expect the Oilers to take over that position when the puck drops, which means wait because our official Oilers vs. Kraken match-up odds preview selection will be on the home team, but we’re going to wait in hopes of grabbing some plus money.
| Last Updated: 12/30/2022 | Edmonton Oilers | Seattle Kraken |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | -109 | -112 |
