The Seattle Kraken (26-14-4) and their dominant offense welcome the New Jersey Devils (29-12-3) and their suffocating defense at Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday.
New Jersey is wrapping up a five-game road trip coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the Sharks on Monday, their fifth consecutive win.
The Devils committed four penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Ryan Graves scored one apiece for the Devils. Hischier added an assist to share the scoring lead with Jesper Bratt, who had two assists.
Vitek Vanecek saved 29 of 32 shots in the win. Seattle is playing the first of five games at home after a 5-2 loss against the Oilers on Tuesday. Vince Dunn and Daniel Sprong each scored once for the Kraken. Martin Jones saved only 28 of 33 shots against (.848%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 4-3 (SO) victory for the Kraken in April. Jared McCann led Seattle with two points (0G 2A). Michael McLeod led New Jersey with two points (0G 2A). Philipp Grubauer got the win despite saving only 23 of 26 shots (.884%).
FACING OFF
New Jersey is averaging 3.52 goals per game for the season, sixth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Kraken team that is allowing 3.14 goals a game (17th).
Meanwhile, Seattle has found the net 3.66 times a game on average, fourth in the league, and will be looking to overwhelm the Devils’ stout defense, which is holding opponents to 2.61 goals per game (3rd).
New Jersey averages more shots a game (34.6) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth. Seattle has had difficulty stopping shots, ranking No. 29 with a team save percentage of .892%.
The Kraken’s 20.77% power play percentage ranks 18th in the league, while the Devils are 23rd with a conversion rate of 19.85%. Seattle has been poor at penalty killing, as the hosts own the league’s second-lowest PK% at 69.85%. New Jersey’s 80.71% ranks 11th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 55 points this season, ninth-most in the NHL, Hughes is the top skater for the Devils. He is among the league leaders with 29 goals (6th) and has added 26 assists. In the net, Vanecek (18-5-2) is New Jersey’s top goaltender.
He has a 2.37 GAA and a .914% save percentage. Andre Burakovsky (37 points), Matty Beniers (36), and Jordan Eberle (35) lead the Kraken in scoring. Burakovsky has 12 goals and 25 assists, while Beniers has 17 goals and 19 assists. Eberle has 10 goals and 25 assists. Jones (21-5-3) has the best goals against average for Seattle at 2.76. He has a save percentage of .895%.
HOME AND AWAY
New Jersey has won seven in a row away from home this season. Seattle is 10-9-2 at Climate Pledge Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NJ Devils
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
