Seattle Kraken vs Dallas Stars Game 7 odds, picks and predictions

Montreal Gazette

15 May 2023

Seattle Kraken vs Dallas Stars Game 7 odds, picks and predictions

The Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars are getting geared up for what should be a very exciting Game 7, with the winner moving on to take on Vegas in the Western Conference Finals.

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The pressure certainly falls on the Dallas Stars tonight. They are the home team, they are technically the better team, and nobody — I mean nobody — could have expected the Kraken to be in this position.

Game 7s are always played extremely tightly, especially in the opening period. Philipp Grubauer and Jake Oettinger have been special in their respective goals, and I expect them to set the tone in tonight’s game.

Find out my best bet in our free NHL picks and predictions for Stars vs. Kraken on May 15.

Kraken vs Stars Game 7 odds

Kraken vs Stars series odds

Kraken vs Stars Game 7 predictions

The Seattle Kraken will be playing their second straight Game 7 on the road after going into Colorado and defeating the defending champions in the winner-take-all meeting in Round 1.

This isn’t Jake Oettinger’s first Game 7, either. Last year, he stood on his head in a Game 7 in Calgary where he made 64 saves while skating to a 1.81 GAA and a .954 SV%. Unfortunately, the Stars fell 3-2 in overtime.

I’m expecting a similar kind of performance from Oettinger once again, same with Philipp Grubauer considering the fact that he made 33 saves and only allowed one goal while boasting a .971 SV% in the last Game 7.

In the playoffs, the Kraken have been very strong in the opening period of their games, averaging 0.91 goals against in first periods while the Dallas Stars are allowing 0.72 goals in the opening frame.

The beginning of a Game 7 always has more of a feeling-out process since both teams are less willing to take any risks. I expect Grubauer and Oettinger to be strong and to keep the opening frame a low-scoring one.

My best bet: First-period Under 1.5 (-115 at BetMGM)

The difference in this game in my opinion is going to be special teams. The Stars have been able to feed off of their man advantage in this postseason and are converting at 32.5% while the Kraken have been struggling at just 14.7%.

The two teams have been relatively even at 5-on-5, but it’s obvious that the one clear advantage that the Stars have is the power play. That being said, this game will ultimately be decided by which goalie stands on their head.

Jake Oettinger has been phenomenal this postseason, skating to a .900 SV% along with a 2.89 GAA, while his counterpart, Phillipp Grubauer has been just as impressive in goal for the Kraken, with a .901 SV% with a 3.05 GAA.

The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these two teams and winning two Game 7s on the road in the same postseason is a tough task. I have to side with the home team.

Kraken vs Stars Game 7 Over/Under analysis

As I talked about before, this game is all going to come down to the goaltending.

Game 7 always tends to trend a little bit more low scoring, and as a team, the Stars are allowing 3.25 while the Kraken are giving up 3.31 per contest.

The Over has definitely been more common in this series, but a Game 7 is just a totally different animal, especially with what we’ve seen from Oettinger and Grubauer in their previous Game 7 performances.

Dallas is averaging just 2.72 goals against on home ice and the Kraken are allowing 3.04 goals against on the road.

With all of the pressure and intensity in this game tonight, I would lean toward the Under.