Avalanche vs Kraken Game 2 Prediction & Picks: Can Colorado Even Series Before It’s Too Late?

The Seattle Kraken and Colorado Avalanche are scheduled to play Game 2 of their first-round matchup on Thursday, April 20. The first Kraken vs Avalanche saw a shocking conclusion as Seattle managed to upset Colorado at Ball Arena. Needless to say, fans are wondering how the defending Stanley Cup Champions will respond tonight.

sea you soon @Avalanche pic.twitter.com/aW2AaY3z81

— x – Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) April 15, 2023

The Kraken are flying high after a victory in their NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, but they can’t afford to take the Avalanche lightly. Will Seattle rise to the occasion again and put the 2021-22 champions in a hole? Or will Colorado shift the momentum by evening the series?

As usual, Betting News has your Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 betting needs covered. Here’s a look at the latest odds for the upcoming matchup, as well as a game prediction and betting options worth consideration.

Seattle Kraken vs Colorado Avalanche Game 2 Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Seattle Kraken vs. Colorado Avalanche (SEA leads 1-0)
• Venue & Location: Ball Arena (Denver, Colorado)
• Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023
• Game Time: 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• Kraken vs Avalanche TV Info: ESPN

Kraken vs Avalanche Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, April 20 at 9:05 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Seattle Kraken +1.5 (-146)
• Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+122)

Over/Under

• Over 5.5 Goals (-128)
• Under 5.5 Goals (+104)

Moneyline

• Seattle Kraken +180
• Colorado Avalanche -220

Kraken vs Avalanche Betting Trends

• Seattle is 5-0 straight up in its last five games against the Central Division.
• Colorado is 13-5 straight up in its last 18 games against the Pacific Division.
• The total has hit the under in four of Seattle’s last five games played in April.
• The total has hit the over in four of Colorado’s last six games on a Thursday.
• The total has hit the under in each of the last five Seattle-Colorado matchups.

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 Preview

While some teams might panic after losing Game 1, I don’t see that being the case with the Avalanche. They’re the defending champions, after all, and know how to deal with adversity.

The first step to bouncing back is to solve Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer. The veteran netminder turned aside 34 of the 35 shots the Avalanche sent his way in the opening contest. Having said that, the strong performance is likely an outlier given that Grubauer finished the regular season with a .895 save percentage.

It’s also worth noting that Grubauer has only picked up two wins in his last eight starts against the Avalanche. Furthermore, he finished with a sub-.900 SV% four times over that stretch with three of those instances occurring at Ball Arena.

In other words, don’t expect Grubauer to have a similar performance tonight. The Avalanche have too many offensively gifted players (Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Valeri Nichushkin, etc.) to be held to one goal again.

It’s also worth noting that the Avs had won six of their final regular-season outings before their Game 1 loss, scoring an average of 4.14 goals during that span. If anything, the lack of offense on Tuesday was an anomaly and not the rule.

I expect Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to have a bounce-back performance as well. After all, he’s played to a 2.13 goals-against average and .927 SV% with one shutout in his last 14 games.

Experience from last year’s Stanley Cup run also gives the Avalanche an edge tonight. Again, Game 2 marks the Kraken’s second-ever postseason game. They’ve never had to deal with this sort of pressure before, whereas Colorado thrives when the stakes are high.

Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol has also never made it beyond the first round in two previous postseason appearances with the Philadelphia Flyers. That’s not even to mention how he has a losing record in the playoffs (5-8, 38.5%), whereas Colorado bench boss Jared Bednar is 40-24 all-time (62.5%) and finished each of the previous four with a winning record.

The Kraken have proven that they can hang with the Stanley Cup Champions, but it’s clear that the Avalanche are far from dead yet.

Avalanche vs Kraken Game 2 Prediction and Picks

Avalanche vs Kraken Prediction: Avalanche 3, Kraken 2

Avalanche vs Kraken: Avalanche ML (Best Value: -220 at BetOnline) & Nathan MacKinnon Any Time Goal Scorer (Best Value: -110 at BetOnline)

After being embarrassed in Game 1, I see the Avalanche evening the series tonight. They’re too good to fall into an 0-2 hole and will do everything in their power to reverse the momentum. The Kraken will likely keep things close, but strong performances from Colorado’s top players and a bounce-back showing from Georgiev will be enough to make the difference.

One prop bet that I do like is the idea of Nathan MacKinnon scoring a goal (-110). The Avalanche superstar finished the regular season with a career-high 42 goals and has scored nine in his last 12 outings. Considering how he also has 13 goals in his last 17 games at Ball Arena, there’s a pretty solid chance that MacKinnon finds the back of the net in Game 2.

Other Avalanche vs Kraken Betting Resources

• Avalanche vs Kraken Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats

Other NHL Stories on Betting News (April 19)

• Stanley Cup Winner Odds and Best Bets