Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 Odds, Picks, and Predictions: Makar Makes It Happen for Colorado

The Seattle Kraken won 3-1 in their playoff debut on Tuesday as +185 road dogs vs. the Colorado Avalanche, but the reigning Stanley Cup winners have gotten shorter on the moneyline for Game 2, and likely deserved a better result in the opener.

With health issues on the blueline and the urgency for a win, Cale Makar could be playing big minutes again after dusting off the rust in Game 1. He'll be driving the offense after amassing a team-tying 11 shot attempts in Game 1, and his Over markets are live tonight.  

Find out where my best bets lie in our NHL picks and predictions for Kraken vs. Avalanche on Thursday, April 20.

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 odds

Kraken vs Avalanche series odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of April 20, 2023.

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 predictions

Cale Makar returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing seven games but logged over 25 minutes, and will likely see big minutes again tonight with the poor health of the other Colorado Avalanche blueliners.

Josh Manson also played his first game after missing every contest since early March. He played just 10:48 in Game 1, which leads me to believe that he isn’t ready for big minutes tonight, meaning more for Makar. Jack Johnson was also a late scratch for the home side.

With a projected heavy slate of minutes tonight in a game the Avs need to win badly, Makar’s props are showing a little more value than usual.

The rearguard tied for the team lead in shot attempts with 11 on Tuesday, and with playoff hockey comes an increase in pucks on net from the point. Makar got just three of those shots through, but with a shot on goal market set at 2.5 and possibly 28 minutes of ice time heading his way, we should see another heavy dose of shots from the Norris Trophy winner.

The market has been getting shorter, but I’m willing to pay some tax on the Over 2.5 when I’m projecting over 3.00 shots on net. Makar averages 25.42 shot attempts/60 — third on the team — which works out to nearly 12 shot attempts per 28 minutes. Using his shot/60 rate, that works out to 3.3 shots on average. The Seattle Kraken are a decent shot-suppressing team, but they didn’t have much of an answer for Makar’s attempts in Game 1. 

If you missed the Over 2.5 at -140, I think this is playable to -150. His Over 0.5 assists at -128 is a decent pivot if the tax is past your threshold. Those with bet365 can parlay his Over 0.5 points with the Over 2.5 SOG for +130.

My best bet: Makar Over 2.5 shots on goal (-150 at BetMGM)

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 moneyline analysis

The Kraken surprised many with a 3-1 win in Game 1 vs. the Avs as heavy road dogs. They opened the scoring on a gift turnover and got some uncharacteristically good goaltending from Philipp Grubauer, who has been a sub-.900 goalie since leaving Colorado.

The Avs finished that game plus-1.43 expected goals, per Money Puck, and won the Corsi, xG, shots, and chances battles. This is not the same Avalanche team as last season, as there are depth concerns. Not having Gabriel Landeskog coupled with some banged-up blueliners hurt, but there is nothing special about this Seattle team, either.

To their credit, the Kraken are a deep team who run four lines, but they finished 10th in goal differential, 15th in GAA, 21st with the man advantage, and 21st in penalty killing. They did finish with the No. 4 scoring offense at 3.52 goals per game, but also finished 21st in expected goals for/60 at 5-on-5.

Seattle also ranked 20th in high-danger chance rate at even strength this year, with the No. 1 shooting percentage and Bottom 10 SV%. If they can't continue to score at a high rate, it could be trouble for the dogs.  

However, this is all priced in, and I’m not laying the tax on a Colorado team that also has some questions in net with Alex Georgiev in his first playoff series as a starter. 

The Avs are lacking a bottom-six this year, and the blueline is not as healthy with Makar, Manson, and now Johnson less than 100% and working their way back from injury. 

I’m not high on either team, but if you can get any playoff team at +200, it’s likely a threshold to make a play on price alone. Grubauer could be the difference if he is that motivated to beat his former team, but two seasons with the Kraken with a 3.04 GAA and a .891 SV% aren't promising. 

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 Over/Under analysis

The scoring dried up late in Game 1 with just one goal scored in the final 35 minutes of the game, and both power plays failed to find the back of the net. Seattle finished with 0.00 xGoals with the man advantage, while both clubs finished in the bottom half of the league in penalties taken per game.

During the regular season, Seattle finished as one of the highest-scoring teams per game, but also had the highest shooting percentage. Considering their lack of high-end scoring talent, that league-leading rate might not be as deserved. Despite the lucky shooting percentage and poor goaltending, Seattle still finished profitable to the Under on the season. 

The Avs were also a solid Under team in Games 1 through 82. They finished eighth in xGoal allowed at 5v5 during the season, and only the Hurricanes allowed fewer scoring chances. 

I’m not high on two-way scoring here, and think if the Avs play with the lead, they can keep this overachieving Kraken offense to two goals or fewer. Seattle’s team total of 2.5 is juiced toward the Under. There hasn’t been any noticeable movement on the total and although I’m off it, I do lean to the Under. 

Kraken vs Avalanche betting trend to know

The Avalanche are 12-2 in their last 14 Conference Quarterfinals games. Find more NHL betting trends for Kraken vs Avalanche.

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 game info

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 injuries

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