The NHL Preseason officially continues on Tuesday with a plethora of games. Among them is an intriguing matchup between the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken. This contest will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with puck drop scheduled for 10:30 PM ET. Vegas of course won it all last year for the first time in franchise history and have gone 3-4 in the preseason. Seattle is 3-3 thus far with a pair of losses to the Oilers recently while also beating the Canucks. Continue reading for our Kraken vs Golden Knights picks.
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Kraken vs Golden Knights Odds
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Kraken | +147 | +145 | +145 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | -165 | -170 | -165 |
The Golden Knights are a clear favorite with -165 moneyline odds for an implied win probability of 62.26%. The Kraken come back at +147 and have a 40.49% chance of coming out victorious. Vegas won three of their four meetings in 2022-23. And in 2021-22, they were 4-0 against Seattle. Needless to say, this is a hockey team the Knights dominate.
Big Year For Kraken
It's safe to say absolutely no one thought a second-year team would make a heroic run to the Western Conference Semifinals last season, but that's exactly what the Kraken did. Despite few stars on their roster, Seattle came together as one and began the playoffs by shocking the defending champ Colorado Avalanche in the opening round in seven games. The semis were honestly a heartbreaker as they stuck with the Dallas Stars all the way through, losing a heartbreaking in Game 7 by a score of 2-1.
Versatility is the name of the game for the Kraken. Well, at least it was in 2022-23. This group had six different players with a minimum of 20 goals, with Jared McCann leading the way. The 27-year-old scored 40 times and also provided 30 assists in what was considered a true breakout campaign. The likes of Jordan Eberle, Vince Dunn, Matty Beniers, and many others all did their part, too.
When it comes to preseason, the Kraken will surely be looking for a win Tuesday. The Oilers beat them 3-1 on Friday behind goals from Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Evander Kane. McCann scored the lone goal for Seattle. Eeli Tolvanen is their best player in preseason through the first handful of games, scoring three goals and tallying two assists. Kailer Yamamoto also had two goals. Even though preseason doesn't mean a whole lot, grabbing a victory against a Vegas team that they can basically never beat would be big.
Repeat For Golden Knights?
Making the Stanley Cup in two of your first six seasons as a franchise is extremely impressive. And after losing in 2018, Bruce Cassidy's team made sure to get it done in 2023. The Golden Knights were hands down the best club in the playoffs and it resulted in a title. They went 51-22-8 during the regular season and evidently carried that momentum into the postseason, taking out the Winnipeg Jets, Oilers, Dallas Stars, and lastly, the Florida Panthers. No one could stop Vegas.
Throughout the playoff run, there were so many different guys producing the goods. Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, and Mark Stone, plus several more. Eichel had a team-best 26 points in the Cup run while Marchessault finished with a +17 in the postseason. With essentially the same roster, there's absolutely no reason the Golden Knights won't be in the mix when it's all said and done again.
Although their 3-4 record in the preseason isn't fantastic, the offensive production has been solid. Eichel has two goals and six assists already while Marchessault has three goals himself. Vegas erupted for seven goals on Saturday in Los Angeles against the Kings, scoring four unanswered in the third period after sitting at a 3-3 deadlock at the end of the second. Eichel netted twice in the third and Nicolas Roy also scored. Marchessault got in on the action as well.
Kraken vs Golden Knights Picks
It's difficult to back the Kraken when their track record against the Golden Knights is so poor. Plus, Vegas is coming off a dominant win where the entire offense flourished. I'll take the hosts to get it done here at home and move to .500 in preseason play. Hammer the moneyline.
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