San Jose Sharks vs Seattle Kraken Prediction, Betting Odds, and Best Pick for Wednesday Night Hockey

The San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken are throwing down tonight in Seattle for a divisional clash between two teams trying to find their identity early in the season. Sure, it’s early in the season, but these teams aren’t fading away fast. The Sharks are hanging around the lower half of the Pacific Division, where they’re sitting at 4-6-3, while the Kraken are off to a more promising start at 6-2-4 and tied for 3rd place in the division standings with 16 points. Overall, however, the division is one of the more competitive.

Despite this, both teams are coming off very different types of results. The Sharks dropped a 3-2 shootout heartbreaker to the Red Wings after 4 skaters in the showdown, while the Kraken played a solid game on home ice, beating the Blackhawks 3-1. This will be the first meeting between these two this season, and based on current form and matchup data, one team has a bit of an edge.

Game Details and Betting Odds

This game is a late one with the puck drop set for 10:00 PM EST at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. According to the current betting lines, the Kraken are -166 favorites on the moneyline, while the Sharks are hanging in there at +140 underdogs. The puck line has Seattle at -1.5 priced +145 and San Jose at +1.5 priced -175. The over/under is set at 5.5 goals, with the under juiced at -125 and the over paying out at +105.

Seattle has clearly been dominant within the division, holding a perfect 3-0-0 record against other Pacific teams. That bodes well, considering San Jose is 0-1-2 in the same situation and hasn’t shown the ability to close out games against familiar foes. In terms of standings, the Kraken are competing near the top, while the Sharks are simply trying to stay relevant in the standings.

Team Analysis — Strengths, Weaknesses, and Recent Form

Let’s start with the Sharks. They continue to struggle defensively despite some offensive bright spots. The numbers aren’t pretty either, as they’re giving up 4.00 GPG, which is the worst in the league. They’ve allowed 52 goals, while only scoring just 42, and they rank near the bottom in several key categories, including their PK rate at 67.5% and penalty minutes at 106. That lack of discipline could be a major problem against a Kraken power play clicking at a respectable 23.5%, which ranks 10th in the NHL.

Their bright spot is without a doubt Macklin Celebrini. The rookie phenom leads the team with 18 points across 7 goals and 11 assists and is averaging 2 power-play goals and a +2 plus-minus rating. He’s been involved in nearly every scoring play this season and is already proving to be a franchise cornerstone, hence everyone in the NHL is talking about him. William Eklund has added some secondary production with 9 points over the last 10 games, but the rest of the roster thins out quickly after that.

Seattle doesn’t have a flashy offense, but they have shown that it doesn’t need one. Their strength lies in structure. They’ve only given up 32 goals total, 3rd-fewest in the league, and allow just 2.67 GPG. That’s a deep contrast to San Jose’s defensive struggles. The Kraken aren’t winning games with 5-goal outbursts, but instead they’re doing it with responsible hockey, clean zone exits, and opportunistic scoring.

Jordan Eberle leads the team with 10 points over 5 goals and 5 assists, and has been very consistent over the past 10 games, and Jaden Schwartz has pitched in with 6 helpers. While the Kraken only have 33 goals scored on the season, they’re getting timely contributions and know how to win tight games — like their recent 3-1 win over Chicago or their earlier 3-0 shutout against the dominant Winnipeg.

Special teams could be a deciding factor in this one tonight as Seattle holds the edge on both the power play at 23.5% vs 20.5% and penalty kill at 71.0% vs 67.5%. When you also factor in the discipline on top of that, San Jose has taken 5 more penalties than Seattle this season — it’s likely the Kraken will get more chances with the man advantage.

Looking at the last 5 games alone, Seattle is 3-1-1, while San Jose is 2-2-1, though the Sharks’ wins both came in overtime or shootouts. The Sharks have given up 17 goals in their last 5, while the Kraken have allowed just 12. These aren’t massive gaps by any means, but they do reinforce what the full season stats already tell us — Seattle is better defensively and more reliable in the later parts of the games.

Prediction and Best Pick

The Kraken are simply the better team across the board, even if it’s not by much. They’re more disciplined, stronger on special teams, and allow fewer high-danger chances. The Sharks do have the most talented individual player on the ice with the rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini, but we all know that one player isn’t enough to carry a team when the rest of the roster is leaking goals and taking bad penalties.

• Prediction: Kraken 3, Sharks 1
• Best Bet: Seattle Kraken moneyline at -166

Seattle undoubtedly plays with structure, and at home, they should be able to dictate the pace. We expect the Kraken to keep this one tight early on, maybe even through the second period, capitalize on a San Jose penalty or two, and ride strong goaltending and defensive play to a regulation win. The price isn’t great at -166, but these teams are close enough not to warrant a puck line bet.