Golden Knights-Kraken Odds, Pick & Prediction for the NHL Winter Classic

The NHL Winter Classic is here. This year, we’ll get the Vegas Golden Knights visiting the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Park. It should be a nice 40-ish-degrees for today’s game, and there is no precipitation in the forecast. I’m excited, you’re excited, so let’s dive right into our top Golden Knights-Kraken pick and prediction for this year’s NHL Winter Classic. Make sure to use top bets for New Year’s Day!

Golden Knights-Kraken Odds, Pick & Prediction for the Winter Classic

The goalies for this one are unconfirmed, but it appears that backups Logan Thompson and Joey Daccord will start in net for Vegas and Seattle, respectively. This year, Thompson ranks 31st in total goals saved above expected (GSAE) with 2.8, racking them up in 1,000-plus minutes of ice time. Meanwhile, Daccord ranks 50th in GSAE with -0.6 in even more ice time than Thompson. The statistical disparity between the two extends to last year, albeit to a less significant degree — Daccord ranked 60th with -0.6 GSAE while Thompson ranked 54th with 0.1 GSAE.

Seattle’s worse situation in net bodes poorly against Vegas’ offense. The Golden Knights rank second in expected goals for (83.6) this year, far ahead of the 21st-ranked Kraken. The Golden Knights have been getting unlucky, as they rank ninth in save percentage above expected in unblocked shots (0.72%), which explains why they rank a less-impressive ninth in goals for (78). That again far outpaces the Kraken, who rank 26th in overall goals for. Keep things simple by backing Vegas on New Year’s Day — you can even boost their moneyline odds from -135 to +111 for the first $25 at BetMGM!

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