The Seattle Kraken and Dallas Stars face off on Monday night at American Airlines Center for the first time since their intense playoff series.
The Stars have been one of the best teams in the league this season at 17-8-4 while the Kraken have disappointed at 10-14-8. With that in mind, it's no surprise NHL odds have labeled Dallas a sizeable favorite.
With Dallas moneyline not holding much value by itself, I am taking to the NHL player props market for my best bet. Find out who I'm targeting in my free NHL picks for the Kraken vs. Stars on December 18.
Kraken vs Stars odds
Kraken vs Stars predictions
The Dallas Stars took down the Seattle Kraken in seven games in the Western Conference semifinals and perhaps no one enjoyed that series more than Joe Pavelski. The Stars forward returned from injury to put up eight goals — including a four-goal game — and an assist in the series.
Pavelski has had plenty of success against Seattle in the regular season as well with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in six games. In total, he's scored 13 goals with seven assists for 20 points in just 13 games against the young Kraken franchise.
The veteran forward is once again off to a great start this season with 13 goals in 29 games. He's been especially good at home with eight of those goals coming in 14 home games as opposed to five tallies in 15 road games. Pavelski scored in back-to-back games — both at home — before being held off the scoresheet on Sunday in St. Louis.
Pavelski has been pretty consistent this season for the Stars, recording a point in 20 of 29 games. That consistency has shown up against the Kraken as well. In 13 games against Seattle, Pavelski has recorded a point in 10 of them.
There is going to be some extra juice in the building for this playoff rematch and Pavelski will be raring to go against the Kraken.
My best bet: Joe Pavelski to score a goal (+190 at BetMGM)
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Kraken vs Stars same-game parlay
Joe Pavelski to score
Stars moneyline
Over 6.5
The Kraken have struggled overall this season, but especially against good teams. They're 3-6-4 in their last 13 games with those three wins coming against the Sharks, Panthers, and Blackhawks. The Florida win was impressive, but beating San Jose and Chicago... not so much.
Seattle is also without a few key forwards in Jordan Schwartz and Andre Burakovsky, plus Jordan Eberle is questionable for tonight. Not to mention defenseman Justin Schultz and goaltender Philipp Grubauer.
The Stars have also had their share of ups and downs recently, but they haven’t fallen into any stretches like Seattle has. Even with Jake Oettinger’s status up in the air, Dallas should take care of business at home against a Kraken team that is 4-6-5 on the road.
Finally, I'm adding in the Over 6.5 to close out the parlay. There have been at least seven goals in six straight Stars games and eight of their past nine for a total of 70 goals (7.77 per game).
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Kraken vs Stars moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Stars odds are between -190 and -205 on the moneyline, which is right in the range of the opening -195 line. Meanwhile, the Kraken are up to as high as +165 after opening at +160.
The total is set at either 6.5 or 6.0 across the board. You can get Over 6.5 (+106) and Under 6.5 (+120), or Over 6 (-120) and Under 6.0 (+100)
Kraken vs Stars betting trend to know
The Stars have hit the first-period game total Over in 31 of their last 50 games at home (+5.70 Units / 9% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Kraken vs. Stars.
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Kraken vs Stars game info
| Location: | American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX |
| Date: | Monday, December 18, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NHL Network |
Kraken vs Stars latest injuries
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