Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken Game 4 Prediction, Odds
The Avalanche held off a Kraken rally to claim a 6-4 win in Game 3 on Saturday in their second straight victory since dropping Game 1 of the series on home ice. With Saturday’s defeat, the Kraken forfeited home ice advantage in the series, and have now lost four of their past five overall contests.
The Avs have shortened to -167 favourites since opening as -157 chalk on the Monday NHL odds. The Kraken have faded to +138 underdogs while the total has held steady at 6.0.
Avalanche vs. Kraken NHL Playoffs Betting Odds
In addition to giving them their first lead of the series, Saturday’s win also marked the Avalanche’s third victory in six meetings with the Kraken this season. The Avs are also 3-1 straight up in four all-time road dates with the Kraken. Saturday’s high-scoring affair also put the brakes on a steady run for the UNDER, which paid out in each of the six previous clashes between these clubs.
In the wake of Saturday’s victory, the Avalanche have vaulted to heavy -625 favourites to claim a fifth straight first round series victory while the Kraken have dipped to +488 longshots to rebound and eventually eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champions. Colorado’s Game 3 win has also cemented the club’s position as +603 second favourites on the Stanley Cup odds, with the Kraken tumbling to a distant +7580 bet.
Colorado Avalanche
Apart from a 19-second stretch in the second period during which the Kraken scored twice to overcome an early two-goal deficit, the Avalanche dominated in Game 3 of the series. Colorado shooters finally solved Philipp Grubauer, lighting up their former goaltender for three goals in the third period to put things out of reach. The duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen combined for all three third-period goals and closed out the contest with two markers each. MacKinnon’s big night was welcome after the club’s leading scorer during the regular season mustered just a single assist through the first two games of the series. However, it is looking increasingly unlikely that the team will be without Valeri Nichushkin for Game 3. Nichushkin apparently left the club, and Seattle, under mysterious circumstances , with the Avs saying nothing more than his absence is for personal reasons.
Seattle Kraken
The Kraken seized an early 1-0 lead and looked poised to extend their recent home streak after scoring twice in 19 seconds in the second frame. However, this club was otherwise overwhelmed by an Avs squad that has finally found its groove. Jaden Schwartz emerged as the star for Seattle, opening and closing the scoring in the contest in his first multi-goal outing since mid-February. The top line also finally got in on the action. Matty Beniers scored his first goal of the postseason to tie the game in the second period, with Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle picking up assists. However, that goal not only represents the first time the team’s top trio has cracked the scoresheet in the series, but also the first points any of the top liners have recorded in five games. As for netminder Philipp Grubauer, there is no doubt he would like to have another shot at stopping the Rantanen goal that broke the tie in the third period. However, the 31-year-old German has performed yeoman’s duty in the crease in this series while facing a steady onslaught from the Avs, stopping 100 of the 109 shots he has faced through the first three games.
Game 4 Prediction: Who Will Win Avalanche vs. Kraken?
With MacKinnon and Rantanen finally swinging into form, the Kraken face a monumental task to get back into this series. Accordingly, they will seek to once again establish tempo early on. However, unless they can find a way to frustrate Avs shooters with a stronger defensive performance, they will be heading back to Colorado for Game 5 facing elimination.
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