The slumping Seattle Kraken host the Chicago Blackhawks, who are riding a three-game winning streak, in the first-ever meeting between these two franchises.
Seattle opened as a -140 NHL betting home favorite in this meeting between two teams near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, with Philipp Grubauer (4-8 SU, 3.18 GAA) and Marc-Andre Fleury (3-7 SU, 3.50 GAA) the probable starters in net.
Here are our best free NHL picks and predictions for Blackhawks vs. Kraken for Wednesday, November 17.
Blackhawks vs Kraken odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Seattle opened as a -140 moneyline favorite and has since moved to -135 (at the time of writing) with a total of 5.5. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Blackhawks vs Kraken predictions
Predictions made on 11/17/2021 at 9:40 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Blackhawks vs Kraken game info
• Location: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
• Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2021
• Puck drop: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT
Blackhawks vs Kraken betting preview
Injuries
Blackhawks: Tyler Johnson F (Questionable), Brandon Hagel F (Out), Mackenzie Entwistle F (Out).
Kraken: Mason Appleton F (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Blackhawks vs Kraken head-to-head record
Blackhawks: N/A
Kraken: N/A
Betting trend to know
The Under is 4-0-2 in Blackhawks’ last six vs. Western Conference opponents. Find more NHL betting trends for Blackhawks vs. Kraken.
Blackhawks vs Kraken picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline analysis
The Blackhawks roll into Climate Pledge Arena Wednesday on a three-game winning streak, having beaten the Coyotes, Penguins, and Predators. All three of those games were at home, however, as Chicago is still looking for its first win on the road this season. The visitors enter tonight’s match 0-6 SU on the road this year but facing a Seattle team that has lost four straight and 10 of its last 13 could help buck that trend.
The backend has been a major problem for the expansion Kraken this year, as they sit second-last in goals allowed per game at 3.67 and are tied for the most 5-on-5 goals allowed at 41 — equating to 3.35 per contest.
Philipp Grubauer is a long way from Colorado and his peripherals are nowhere near last season. He’s dropped four of his last five starts and has allowed a lofty 13 goals over his last three games, which includes a loss to the Coyotes — which was Arizona’s first win of the season after 12 straight Ls to open the campaign.
Seattle has also done its best in helping other teams cover as eight of the Kraken's last nine losses have been by two or more goals, which spans their 12 most recent games. Seattle also owns the second-worst power play in the league and is 2 for 33 over its last 10 games.
The Kraken are an easy team to fade, but Chicago hasn’t been stacking wins this season and started the season 1-11 SU before this three-game winning streak. The Blackhawks sit right next to Seattle in goals allowed per game and 5-on-5 goals allowed per 60. However, their recent play has shown a little more encouragement in the team’s ability to play some tight games.
Chicago has allowed just four goals over its last three games and muscled out a pair of OT wins. Projected starter Marc-Andre Fleury has had a rough go after winning the Vezina last season, but he’s stopped 64 of his last 67 shots and has looked much sharper than the beginning of the season. MAF can absolutely shut down a Seattle offense that sits 26th in expected goals for and struggles with the man advantage.
Looking at the price, Seattle seems to be a slightly overvalued team. They closed at -160 on the ML versus Anaheim two games ago, which was a price that was off by possibly 20-25 points. On the Chicago side, the Hawks closed at +133 on the ML in Winnipeg last week and now are priced at +125 at Seattle. Seattle and Winnipeg are two different spectrums in terms of power rankings and this +125 price seems 10-15 points too high.
Chicago is starting a four-game road trip but it doesn’t play again until Saturday in Edmonton so there are no schedule tricks thrown into this price. It’s the plus-money Hawks for us Wednesday.
Prediction: Blackhawks ML (+125)
Over/Under analysis
The Blackhawks are 4-1-2 to the Under over their last seven games, with an average combined total of 4.43 goals. The Hawks have struggled to score all year, but their commitment to the backend has made them a solid Under team this month — plus MAF is in great form, the power play is 2 for 19 in November and the PK is 15 for 17.
Only two teams are scoring fewer goals per game than Chicago on the season and no team is scoring less at even strength with just 1.43 5-on-5 goals per game. Eleven of its 32 goals have come on the power play and the man-advantage unit is just not clicking right now.
Seattle is a little trickier in terms of a total. The Kraken are 6-0 to the Over in their last six but that was against three Top-10 offenses and five Top-15 offenses. Seattle’s opponents have done the majority of the scoring of late and we’re not sure the Blackhawks are going to run up the score. Seattle has taken two or fewer penalties in four straight games and in seven of its last 10. Giving the Chicago PP fewer chances should keep this score low.
Grubauer and MAF were both Vezina finalists a season ago and perhaps the Seattle goalie can use this matchup as a turning point for his season that has been a disappointment to begin the year.
Both teams are in the bottom of the league in 5-on-5 expected goals for and in the top half in even-strength expected goals against. Each team’s power play is struggling while their PKs have been on point. It’s the Under for us.
Prediction: Under 5.5 (-110)
Best bet
We still feel Seattle is overvalued here with no schedule conflicts for either team coming into the game. There is not much dividing either of these teams and if we were to put together a power ranking, Chicago and Seattle would be side-by-side, making the CHI +125 ML a great play on price alone.
Home ice is roughly worth 20 cents on the ML which puts this matchup at CHI +105 on neutral ice. We see it closer to -110 aside. Home teams have won at roughly 54-55 percent over the last 10 seasons.
Pick: Blackhawks ML (+125)
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