NHL Playoffs Odds: Seattle at Dallas, Game 2 Semifinals

The second-year Seattle Kraken haven’t been a NHL betting favorite in a playoff game yet but they are up 1-0 in their second-round matchup against the Dallas Stars, with Dallas as solid home favorite to even things up on Thursday.

Kraken vs. Stars, Game 2 | 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Expert Analysis

How to Bet Seattle at Dallas NHL Hockey Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 9:30 PM ET
Where: American Airlines Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NHL Lines: Stars -195, Kraken +185 (total 5.5)

Why Bet on Seattle?

The Kraken eliminated Stanley Cup champion Colorado in the first round and then upset Dallas 5-4 in overtime in Game 1 of Round 2 on Tuesday. After blowing a two-goal lead, Yanni Gourde scored the game-winning goal, in OT, added two hits and blocked two shots. Gourde’s attempt to pass to the point was blocked back to him. He spun around and beat Jake Oettinger with a shot at 12:17 of overtime to give the Kraken the win. Gourde’s playoff experience is showing this postseason — he has two goals, five assists, 12 shots on net, 30 hits, nine blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through eight appearances.

“That’s how you want to start the series,” Gourde, the fifth different Kraken scorer on the night, said after the wild finish. “It’s going to be a tough series. We know how good and strong they are, so it’s a huge game getting that first one.”

Gourde became the second Seattle player to score an overtime goal this postseason, joining Jordan Eberle in Game 4 of the First Round. The Kraken became the eighth club in NHL history to earn wins in each of their first two playoff overtime games, with that cohort also including the Stars franchise in 1968 (when they were known as the Minnesota North Stars).

Oliver Bjorkstrand had both goals in the Kraken’s Game 7 win over the Avalanche, and he scored two more times Tuesday. He’s up to five points, 25 shots on net, eight hits and a minus-2 rating through eight playoff contests. The 28-year-old continues to work well on the third line with Gourde and Eeli Tolvanen, a trio which has been effective in the postseason.

Seattle scored three goals in 0:52 of time. That’s the 6th-fastest any team in NHL history has scored three straight goals in an NHL playoff game and makes the Kraken one of only seven teams to score three goals in under 1:00 of game time in the postseason. They deserved to win as in 5-on-5 play they had the edge in offensive generation both in terms of volume (52.6%) and quality (53.3%).

Philipp Grubauer stopped 31 of 35 shots. Grubauer, who has now won four of his last five outings, is 5-3 with a 2.57 GAA and a .921 save percentage through eight postseason contests.

Bet Kraken to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

Why Bet on Dallas?

Dallas star Joe Pavelski returned from injury for Game 1 and lit the lamp four times but it wasn’t enough in a 5-4 overtime home loss. The Kraken became the fourth team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to earn a win despite allowing an opposing player to score four goals. The Kraken joined the Capitals (Game 5 of 1993 DSF; Ray Ferraro), Maple Leafs (Game 2 of 1986 DSF; Denis Savard) and Flyers (Game 4 of 1977 QF; Lanny McDonald).

Pavelski (38 years, 295 days) became the second-oldest player in NHL history to score a hat trick in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, behind only Johnny Bucyk (38 years, 344 days in Game 2 of 1974 SF). Pavelski (38 years, 295 days) became the oldest player in NHL history with four goals in a playoff game, shattering the previous mark held by Maurice Richard in Game 1 of the 1957 Stanley Cup Final (35 years, 245 days). Pavelski matched the Stars/North Stars franchise record for most goals in a playoff game – a feat previously established by Denis Gurianov (4-1—5 in Game 6 of 2020 R1). Pavelski was knocked out of Game 1 in the Minnesota series and spent two weeks in concussion protocol.

“Epic. Epic,” Coach Peter DeBoer said of Pavelski’s performance. “It’s a shame we wasted it and didn’t win. That’s on our group because he more than did his part. He tried to drag us to a win here tonight. It was just some uncharacteristic mistakes. Two faceoff goals, missed assignments, we just didn’t play hard enough for long enough with enough detail in our game. It reminds me a little bit of Game 1 against Minnesota. We turned it on late, had some chances in overtime, but just needed a little bit more for a little bit longer.”

Jamie Benn (21-35—56) had an assists but remains one goal away from simultaneously surpassing Brett Hull (21) and tying Dave Gagner (22) for the ninth most career playoff goals in franchise history. With his next assist, Benn (34) will tie Steve Payne (35) for the seventh most playoff assist in franchise history.

Max Domi had three assists in the loss and a plus-3 rating. Domi clearly benefited from the return of Joe Pavelski (concussion). It was Domi who helped out on three of Pavelski’s tallies. After opening the playoffs with no points in four games, Domi has racked up six points in his last three outings.

Jake Oettinger gave up five goals on 44 shots. Oettinger was shaky early on, allowing four goals in the first period. Three of those tallies came in a span of 52 seconds. Through seven playoff starts, Oettinger has a 4-3 record, a 2.35 GAA and a .921 save percentage.

Bet Stars to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

Game Trends

Kraken are 5-0 in their last 5 when their opponent allows 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Kraken are 4-1 in their last 5 overall.
Stars are 10-3 in their last 13 overall.
Stars are 6-2 in their last 8 home games.
Road team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.