The Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars face off for Game 2 at American Airlines Center with the visitors holding an early lead following a wild series opener.
Seattle spread out the scoring and survived a four-goal performance from Joe Pavelski to take Game 1 in overtime as both goalies had off-nights.
Will we see another high-scoring duel between the clubs, or will they revert to their usual defensive styles? We’ll discuss that and more in our Kraken vs Stars NHL picks and predictions for Thursday, May 4.
Kraken vs Stars Game 2 odds
Kraken vs Stars series odds
| Team | To win | Win in 4 | Win in 5 | Win in 6 | Win in 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kraken | +100 | +1,000 | +700 | +450 | +600 |
| Stars | -120 | N/A | +600 | +400 | +320 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of May 4.
Kraken vs Stars Game 2 predictions
The Kraken and Stars combined for nine goals in Game 1, including six in the opening frame, in a high-scoring affair that most did not anticipate.
Joe Pavelski, who made his return after missing five games with a concussion, potted all four goals for Dallas, while Seattle had five different scorers, with Yanni Gourde netting the overtime winner midway through the extra frame.
The victory marked the highest-scoring performance of the playoffs for the Kraken so far, with Seattle scoring more than three goals just once against Colorado in its first round series. The Kraken averaged 2.57 GPG in their opening series and essentially doubled that mark in Game 1 against the Stars. Will we see the visitors run the score up again? I’m not so sure.
Prior to the Game 1 loss, Dallas had given up just 2.33 GPG throughout its first round series against Minnesota, and just three goals total over its last three contests.
It was a rough night in net for Jake Oettinger, who allowed five goals on 44 shots (.886 SV%). Oettinger had posted three straight performances with a .940 SV% or better, stopping 85 of 88 shots over that span. It wasn’t totally on the goaltender in Game 1, though, as Dallas gave up 34 shots in regulation, and another 10 in 12 minutes of overtime.
With the Stars looking to tie up the series on home ice, I’m expecting a much better defensive performance as they look to hold the Kraken to two goals or less.
My best bet: Kraken Under 2.5 Goals (-161 at BetMGM)
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Kraken vs Stars Game 2 moneyline analysis
The Stars opened as the home favorite for the second straight game at -193 on the moneyline and had their edge jump up to as high as -220 at some books by this morning. You rarely see teams go down 2-0 on home ice, so I think we’ll see Dallas even up the series tonight.
Dallas got a big boost from Pavelski, who made his first appearance since the opening game of the postseason, but they likely can’t count on another four-goal performance from the veteran. Fortunately, the Stars have got multiple other options that could step up and deliver in Game 2.
Roope Hintz was uncharacteristically quiet with no points while going minus-2 in the loss, while Jason Robertson was also held off the scoresheet. The duo had combined for 19 points in the first round, with Hintz recording a point in five of six contests against Minnesota.
I suspect we’ll see both players get back on track for Dallas tonight and lead the Stars to victory.
Kraken vs Stars Game 2 Over/Under analysis
The total opened at 5.5 goals for the second straight game, and despite a nine-goal eruption in the series opener, I’m going to go with the Under for the second straight contest.
The Under is 6-1 in Seattle’s last seven road games and 9-2 in the club’s last 11 games overall. Dallas also tends to lock in defensively after a bad loss, with the Under going 4-0-1 in the Stars’ last five contests after giving up five goals or more in the previous game.
Oettinger did post back-to-back outings with a sub-.900 SV% in the first round, but his overall .921 SV% this postseason gives me confidence that we should see a bounce-back performance tonight.
Philipp Grubauer also holds an identical .921 SV% in the playoffs, with just two sub-.900 SV% performances in eight games.
While both clubs can score, as we saw in Game 1, I think we’ll see quite a few goalie duels in this series, and that could start as soon as tonight.
Kraken vs Stars betting trend to know
The Under is 5-1 in Seattle’s last six games following a win. Find more NHL betting trends for Kraken vs. Stars.
Kraken vs Stars Game 2 game info
| Location: | American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX |
| Date: | Thursday, May 4, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | TNT |
