NHL Best Bets for Thursday, March 2nd: Kraken to buck interconference trend in Detroit
The Kraken were closed at -180 against the Red Wings in Seattle back on February 18th, so whatever theory is behind the betting market to price this game as is, with both teams listed at -110, has holes in it, if you ask me.
Sure, on the surface the Red Wings, like the rest of the Eastern Conference teams, have dominated their Western Conference counterparts, but most of their success against has come against the worst teams in the West, not the best. Detroit is 4-8 versus Western Conference playoff teams overall and 2-3 at home this season.
Seattle might not be among the best teams, but they are in a playoff spot, and they are one of four Western Conference teams with a positive ROI in games against teams from the East. The Kraken’s 17-12 record against the East.
Things haven’t been going well for the Kraken as of late, but the market has gone overboard here. I mean, we’re talking about more than a 10 percent swing from one game to the next in a matchup where the home team has virtually no advantage and their opponents are better on the road (18-9-3) than they are at home (15-12-3).