The Vegas Golden Knights made quite the splash when they entered the NHL in 2017-18, finishing first in the Pacific Division during their inaugural season. They then had a superb postseason, marching past Los Angeles, San Jose and Winnipeg before losing to Washington in the Stanley Cup Final. The Seattle Kraken hope to follow in their footsteps beginning Tuesday on 2021 NHL Opening Night, when they visit the Golden Knights for the first game in franchise history. Seattle will be hard-pressed to have a better start to its initial season than the one enjoyed by Vegas, which won eight of its first nine contests in the NHL.
The puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas is the -250 favorite (risk $250 to win $100) on the money line in the latest Golden Knights vs. Kraken odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while Seattle is the +205 underdog. The over-under for total goals scored is 5.5. Before making any Kraken vs. Golden Knights picks or any other NHL predictions, you need to see what Sportsline’s No. 1 NHL expert Matt Severance has to say.
Severance is a well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005. He dominated the NHL last season by going a whopping 158-104 on money-line NHL picks, returning over $1,400 for the $100 bettor.
Now, Severance has set his sights on Golden Knights vs. Kraken and just locked in his NHL picks for Tuesday. You can head to SportsLine now to see Severance’s expert NHL picks and predictions. Here are several NHL betting lines and trends for Kraken vs. Golden Knights:
- Golden Knights vs. Kraken money line: Vegas -250, Seattle +205
- Golden Knights vs. Kraken over-under: 5.5 goals
- Golden Knights vs. Kraken puck line: Vegas -1.5 (+100)
- VGK: The Golden Knights have won 42 of their last 58 home contests
- SEA: Only seven of the previous 25 expansion teams have won their first regular-season game
Featured Game | Vegas Golden Knights vs. Seattle Kraken
Why the Golden Knights can win
Vegas has advanced to the third round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in three of its first four NHL seasons and came within two victories of reaching the Final for a second time in 2020-21. The team parted ways with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury during the offseason, trading the reigning Vezina Trophy winner and face of the franchise to Chicago, but still has a capable netminder in Robin Lehner. Since joining the Golden Knights in February 2020, the 30-year-old Swede has posted a 16-4-2 record and 2.20 goals-against average in 22 regular-season games.
Captain Mark Stone led Vegas in scoring last campaign with 61 points and has averaged nearly a point per game (135 in 138) since being acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline in 2018-19. The 29-year-old right wing has eclipsed the 20-goal plateau in each of the last seven seasons and notched at least 61 points six times in that span. Six-time 30-goal scorer Max Pacioretty has led the Golden Knights in tallies each of the last two campaigns, netting 24 in 2020-21 after producing 32 the previous season.
Why the Kraken can win
Seattle is solid in the crease with Philipp Grubauer, who was signed as a free agent to a six-year, $35.4 million contract in July. The 29-year-old German had the best season of his NHL career in 2020-21 with Colorado, posting a 30-9-1 record to help lead the Avalanche to the Presidents’ Trophy. Grubauer finished second in the league with a 1.95 GAA and was tied for first with seven shutouts.
The Kraken don’t possess an elite scorer but do have several players who can score goals. Jordan Eberle (six times), Jaden Schwartz (four), Yanni Gourde (two) and Marcus Johansson (two) all have recorded 20-goal seasons, with the former netting a career-high 35 with Edmonton in 2011-12. Seattle’s defense is anchored by captain Mark Giordano, a three-time All-Star with Calgary who won the Norris Trophy in 2019.
How to make Golden Knights vs. Kraken picks
Severance is leaning under on total goals scored. He’s also found an X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the money line. You can see his expert NHL picks and predictions only on SportsLine.
So who wins Kraken vs. Golden Knights? And what X-factor makes one side of the money line a huge value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side you need to jump on, all from the expert who crushed his NHL money-line picks in 2020-21, and find out.
