Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Seattle Kraken Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The Tampa Bay Lightning (12-11-5, 5th in Atlantic Division) travel to Washington to take on the Seattle Kraken (8-13-6, 5th in Pacific Division) on Saturday evening at Climate Pledge Arena. The Lightning have won three of their previous four games against the Kraken, including a 4-1 victory during their last matchup at Climate Pledge Arena. The puck drops at 10:00 PM Eastern Time.

Lightning lose on the road

The Lightning have lost five of their previous seven contests leading into their matchup with the Kraken on Saturday, including a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Nashville Predators on the road Thursday. Goalie Jonas Johansson made 25 saves in the loss. The Lightning held a brief 1-0 lead in the first period on Alex Barre-Boulet's fifth goal of the season. Tampa Bay has had difficulty putting the puck in the back of the net consistently as of late, scoring two goals or less in five of their last seven games.

Lightning coach Jon Cooper on the loss:

“We’re playing a decent road game, and then they get two quick ones in the second and once that happened, we didn’t punch back. That’s probably the most disappointing thing about the game.”

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) December 8, 2023

Key injuries: LW Conor Sheary is on the injured reserve for Tampa Bay.

Kraken lose sixth straight

The Kraken lost their sixth straight game when they fell to the New Jersey Devils 2-1 at home on Thursday evening. LW Tye Kartye scored his fifth goal of the season to cut Seattle's deficit to one in the second period, but the Devils would shut down their opponent the rest of the way. Seattle's offense has struggled recently, scoring two goals or less in four of their previous six games.

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) December 8, 2023

Key injuries; LW Andre Burakovsky returned to Seattle's lineup for the first time since October 21, but left for the locker room in the second period with an injury. He did return, but is questionable for Saturday's game. Center Jaden Schwartz remains on injured reserve with a lower body issue.

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Best Bets

Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

The Lightning have had a rough few weeks, losing five of their previous seven games overall and four straight on the road. Tampa Bay has managed to win only 30% of their games away from their home stadium this season. Adding to Tampa Bay's woes in this matchup, Seattle has won the previous two games against the Lightning at home by a combined score of 8-2. The Kraken have also beat the Lightning in four of their previous five matchups overall. While the Kraken has been inconsistent on offense this season, Tampa Bay goalies have had difficulty stopping anyone, ranking only 24th in the league in save percentage. The trends strongly suggest the Kraken will win at home versus Tampa Bay on Saturday evening.

Take Seattle.

Prediction: Seattle +107

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Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

Two of the previous three matchups between these two squads have gone over the goal total, with seven combined goals scored during their game played at the end of October. The Lightning rank near the bottom of the league in several key defensive categories including average points allowed per game, so the odds the Kraken will add a significant amount of points to the total are higher than normal. Seattle goalies rank in the bottom half of the league in save percentage, so Tampa Bay also has a good chance to add multiple scores to the total. Tampa Bay goalies have allowed four goals or more in three of their last five contests. The Kraken have pushed or gone over the goal total in three of their last five matchups. The stats and trends strongly support a higher-scoring affair in Seattle on Saturday.

Take the over.

Prediction: Over 6.5 Goals

 Greg analyzed and interpreted data and published reports on his findings that were used by some of the largest financial institutions in the United States to better understand how to service and retain their customers. He then parlayed his experience with data analysis into launching one of the most visited toy and collectible retail sites during the internet boom of the early 2000s. He now brings 20+ years of analyzing trends and data to StatSalt & Winners & Whiners.