Seattle Kraken (0-0) vs. Anaheim Ducks (0-0)
The 2022-23 NHL season is finally here and brings a six-game Wednesday card including the Pacific Division showdown from Honda Center in Anaheim, California, so we have prepared the best Kraken vs. Ducks betting pick and odds.
Last season, Anaheim went 2-1-0 against Seattle, winning one of their two encounters at Honda Center. The Ducks are listed as small -120 moneyline favorites for Wednesday’s battle, while the Kraken are +100 road underdogs with a total of 5.5 goals.
The Seattle Kraken went 27-49-6 in their first NHL season, finishing bottom of the Pacific Division with 60 points and a minus-69 goal difference. At least, they had a better record than the Arizona Coyotes and Montreal Canadiens, and the Kraken hope they can improve in 2022-23. Last year, Seattle ranked 29th in the league in goals scored per game (2.60) and 24th in goals against (3.46), while the Kraken’s goaltenders registered the worst save percentage in the NHL (.880).
“A group of guys that we trust but more importantly are trusted inside of this dressing room.”
This season's leadership group will include vets Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Adam Lars son & Jaden Schwartz who all return as alternate captains.
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— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 10, 2022
Seattle selected Shane Wright with the fourth pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and the 19-year-old forward will get a chance to showcase his abilities, though we shouldn’t expect immediate fireworks. The Kraken were busy in the offseason, acquiring forwards Andre Burakovsky and Oliver Bjorkstrand along with defenseman Justin Schultz and goalie Martin Jones.
Chris Driedger is sidelined with an injury, and the 28-year-old netminder will probably miss the next three months. He was 9-14-1 in 24 starts and four relief appearances in 2021-22, while Philipp Grubauer went 18-31-5 with a 3.16 GAA and .889 save percentage. Grubauer is the first-choice goalie for the Kraken at the start of the new season, but the former member of the Washington Capitals and Colorado Avalanche will have to improve a lot if he wants to keep the job.