Kraken vs Penguins Odds & Picks: Seattle Opens Road Trip as Big Underdog

The Seattle Kraken (13-25-4) kick off a four-game East Coast road trip on Thursday against the heavily favored Pittsburgh Penguins (27-10-5). The hosts ride a six-game winning streak into this matchup, which is one reason why the Kraken vs Penguins prediction has the visitors as huge underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Kraken vs Penguins Odds & Analysis

Sportsbook Odds

Pittsburgh continues a six-game homestand and will try to win its seventh in a row overall after doubling the Arizona Coyotes 6-3 as a massive -490 favorite on Tuesday. The Penguins have closed as favorites of -240 or higher in each of their last four games, so this big number is not surprising at all. The high total is also not shocking considering the OVER is 4-1 in their last five games with closing numbers of 6 or higher and an average of 7.8 goals scored during that stretch. Combine that with Seattle’s 4-11-2 road mark, and bettors can only expect this line to continue to rise in favor of the home team.

Get the best Kraken vs Penguins odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Kraken Looking To Break Four-Game Road Skid On Third East Coast Swing

This is not Seattle’s first road trip back East, and that should mean something for this particular swing. The Kraken went 2-2 on their last trip between November 26 and December 1, including a 4-1 upset victory over the Florida Panthers as +175 underdogs.

While they have lost four straight games away from home, all of those came vs current playoff teams in the Western Conference in the Anaheim Ducks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues.

Two of the last three were one-goal defeats as well, so at least Seattle was fairly competitive despite closing as an underdog of +140 or higher in all four games.

Pittsburgh Heating Up In East And Emerging As Serious Stanley Cup Threat

The Penguins are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference right now and are becoming one of the top clubs in the league after a disappointing 5-6-4 start to the season.

They have lost just twice since December 1, and both of those setbacks took place on the road. The last time Pittsburgh dropped a home game was November 27 when the team fell to 10-7-4.

Jeff Carter, the 37-year-old center who has 26 points and is third on the team with 12 goals, was rewarded with a two-year contract extension on Wednesday. That is the perfect example of a successful franchise recognizing the hard work of a key player who has won Stanley Cups and taking care of him in hopes of winning another.

Kraken vs Penguins Pick & Insights

Kraken: Keys To Victory

This is a homecoming of sorts for young center Jared McCann, who spent the previous three years with the Penguins and is on pace for the best season of his career. McCann leads the Kraken with 25 points (team-high 16 goals and nine assists) and he should be extra motivated in facing the team that traded him away to the Toronto Maple Leafs right before he was picked in the expansion draft. Pittsburgh wanted to get something for him.

Penguins: Keys To Victory

Carter has been very good during the winning streak with one goal and five assists, but leading scorer Jake Guentzel has been relatively quiet in the last three with only one assist. Guentzel started the winning streak with three goals and an assist in the first three games, and that is a testament to the depth of this Pittsburgh team. Picking up the pace recently has been captain Sidney Crosby, who has four goals and three assists in the last three, coincidentally since he was left off the Metro Division all-star team.

Odds Shark’s Computer Kraken vs Penguins Prediction: Penguins ML (-320)

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