The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Seattle to face the Kraken in an East versus West matchup at Climate Pledge Arena. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for all the NHL’s games. In this afternoon’s game, the Penguins aim to gain ground in the Metropolitan Division, while the Kraken look to turn around another bad stretch.
NHL Predictions
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Seattle Kraken
Head-to-Head: Penguins 0-1 Kraken
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh; KHN; KONG; ESPN+
This will be the second contest between the Penguins and Kraken this season. Seattle won the first meeting by a 4-2 score on January 11. Pittsburgh is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Meanwhile, Seattle sits at the sixth in the Pacific Division, and the club is just hoping to establish some momentum.
The Penguins’ Story
The Penguins are 20-22-8 heading into this matchup. Following a stretch where Pittsburgh looked good, they’ve gone 3-5-2, struggling to gain ground in the wildcard race. Captain Sidney Crosby continues to stay above a point per game, with 51 points in 50 games. Rickard Rakell and Bryan have also been racking up points for the Penguins. Rakell has 41 points in 49 games and could be a good trading piece ahead of the deadline.
In net, Alex Nedeljkovic is likely to get the start. The goalie is coming off a huge win against the Kings where he was able to shut the door and get Pittsburgh a much-needed victory. While Joel Blomqvist has struggled in the win column since coming back up to Pittsburgh, he has maintained a .904 save percentage, showing he’s capable of being a quality netminder going forward.
The Kraken Story
For Seattle, Joey Daccord is the expected starter in this one. However, always check social media before locking in a daily fantasy starter.The Kraken have a -13 scoring differential coming into this game. The have 142 total goals scored, but have allowed 155 goals against so far.
Jaden Schwartz has tallied 16 goals and 17 assists for the Kraken. Chandler Stephenson may be scoring the goals like he has at previous stops in his career. However, he has four goals and five assists over the last 10 games.
Seattle is 21-25-3 overall entering Saturday’s game and 11-11-3 at home in the Pacific Northwest.
Prediction
Pittsburgh will be looking to come out swinging following their loss to Anaheim. Meanwhile, the season seems to be in trouble for Seattle. With a team not looking like they have much fight, Pittsburgh should be able to get the win.
NHL Prediction: Penguins win 5-3.
Prop Bet for the Night
FanDuel’s Total Goals Over 5.5 (+104) – Both teams accounted for six goals in the first meeting of the season. Expect the final meeting of the season to be similar.
Main photo by: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Please play responsibly, check for your local rules and age restrictions, some jurisdictions require ages 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
