Welcome back to NHL Predictions here at Last Word On Hockey, where we provide analysis, insights, and predictions for upcoming NHL games. Tonight, the St. Louis Blues make their second of four stops on a Western Conference road trip with a matchup in Seattle against the Kraken.
NHL Predictions: St. Louis Blues vs Seattle Kraken
Time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
How to Watch TV: ESPN+, HULU
2025-2026 Season Series: 1-0-1
Location: Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington
For the third and final time in the regular season, the St. Louis Blues faceoff against the Seattle Kraken. Additionally, the Kraken might be seeking a bit of revenge after taking a 5-1 thumping in St. Louis just five days ago. The last trip the Blues made to Seattle in November was a tough one. They suffered heartbreak after allowing a tying goal with two seconds remaining, and ultimately losing it in overtime.
This is game number 61 for both teams this season. With just over a fourth of the season remaining, these two teams have found themselves in very different positions. The Blues are holding firm as the second to last team in the league with a 22-29-9 record. At this point of the season, the more wins the Blues earn, the worse their chances at the number one overall draft pick will be.
Seattle and their 29-22-0 record, however, are just three points out of first place in the Pacific Division. They will spend the next 21 games trying to catch the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks. They have to do this while holding off the Edmonton Oilers in the wildcard spot. The chances of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs are high and Seattle could end up making a bigger splash in this Friday’s trade deadline.
Running Out of Time
Though not mathematically eliminated, the St. Louis Blues have not been in playoff contention for some time now. General manager Doug Armstrong’s final trade deadline is in three days, and his phone has presumably been ringing since before the Olympic Break began.
Forward Robby Fabbri was placed on waivers over the weekend, after having just been picked up from Detroit this past December. On Monday, he was claimed by the Minnesota Wild. He played in just 15 games before Armstrong let him go for nothing in return. This move also comes with the recent rumours surrounding star forward Robert Thomas.
While Armstrong works behind the scenes, the Blues play has not been that bad of late. They have outscored their opponents 9-5 over the three games since returning from break. When these two teams met less than a week ago, Dylan Holloway had the first Blues hattrick of the season. Robert Thomas also returned from a personal leave of absence with a goal and assist to help the Blues stave off the Minnesota Wild Sunday night in Minneapolis.
Kraken Rising
In their four years as a franchise, the Seattle Kraken’s only Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance came in the 2022-2023 season. Hope ignited in the Pacific Northwest when they upset the largely favoured Colorado Avalanche in seven games. The Cinderella story ended at the hands of the Dallas Stars in the second round. Seattle has failed to recover since.
Head coach Lane Lambert looks to have turned the tide for the Kraken. If the season were to end today, they would travel south to Anaheim for a seven-game series against the Ducks. Utah and Edmonton are currently sitting in the two Wild Card positions. All the Kraken need to do is continue this pace. If they get hotter down the stretch, not only will they return to the playoffs, but home-ice advantage is absolutely within reach.
In order to make that final push, general manager Jason Botterill must be making a few phone calls before Friday’s deadline. In their history, the Kraken have been big-time sellers, often acquiring draft picks and cap space. So far, Jordan Eberle is the only Seattle player with 20+ goals and/or 40+ plus. The need for offensive help is there, and so are the draft picks and cap space Seattle can use to get it.
NHL Prediction:
The Kraken will be looking for more offense tonight. They clung to a 2-1 advantage for the entire third period against a very good Carolina Hurricanes team on Monday. Goaltender Joey Daccord stopped an impressive 35 out of 36 shots. The Kraken are also playing the third of six straight games on home ice, where they have been good. Meanwhile, many players for the Blues may very well be dressing in their final game. If Doug Armstrong decides to place some players in ‘asset protection’ mode, Seattle will skate all over them.
Prediction: Kraken win 4-1.
Prop Bets:
The over/under for this game is at 5.5. With a predicted five total goals, we are taking the under at -125. When these teams met last month in February, Dylan Holloway scored a hat-trick. We like him with a goal at +320. Kaapo Kakko scored on Monday as well as the only tally against the Blues last month. We’ll take him to score at +500.
Main Photo Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
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