Wild vs Kraken

The Wild roll into Seattle on a mini two-game skid after back-to-back losses in Los Angeles, but that follows a 12-game point streak and still leaves them third in the Central, while the Kraken counter with a 4-game winning run and an 8-0-1 tear that has dragged them back into the Pacific race. With Zach Bogosian the only notable Wild regular listed out and Seattle still missing Jaden Schwartz on IR (plus Max McCormick done for the year), the current ESPN rosters show both cores otherwise intact and healthy for this one. Recent head-to-heads tilt heavily Minnesota’s way: in March 2025 and again in Seattle on December 8, the Wild outscored the Kraken 8-1, with Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman repeatedly on the scoresheet while Jordan Eberle has provided most of Seattle’s damage in this matchup. At roughly the halfway mark (44 games for Minnesota, 41 for Seattle), the Wild are sitting in a projected C3 slot with near-lock playoff odds, whereas Seattle’s underlying numbers and earlier Bubble Watch projections still paint them as a fringe contender despite the current heater. Laying -154 on the road with Minnesota prices this around 60–61% implied; given their superior 5-on-5 profile, special teams edge against the league’s worst penalty kill, and demonstrated matchup advantage, I make this a modest value position on the Wild moneyline at a B+ grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 08/01/2026 11:15.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/min/minnesota-wild))

Even with both teams getting strong goaltending lately, the ingredients here lean slightly toward goals: Minnesota is averaging 3.11 goals per game with a top-third power play, Seattle sits around 2.78 goals for with a similarly efficient power play, and the Kraken’s penalty kill is dead last at just over 70%, a dangerous mix against Kaprizov, Boldy and Quinn Hughes driving the Wild’s man-advantage. Recent form is more up-tempo than the full-season numbers suggest: Seattle’s current 4-game win streak has produced scorelines of 4-1, 4-3, 5-1 and 7-4, while Minnesota’s last three (two losses to the Kings plus a win in Anaheim) have landed on totals of 7, 9 and 6, and their last trip to Seattle finished 4-1 Wild despite relatively low shooting percentages on both sides. With both clubs in the thick of the Western playoff race at the halfway pole, coaching tendencies have tilted toward leaning on top offensive talent rather than sitting back, and the combination of shaky Kraken PK, high-end Wild shooters, and a reasonably fast Seattle top six makes 6 a fair but beatable number; I’ll grade Over 6 at -118 as a B, expecting enough offensive pressure and power-play time to push this past the key number more often than not. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 08/01/2026 11:15.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/sea/seattle-kraken))

Given that Minnesota has blown Seattle out in two straight meetings (4-0 in St. Paul and 4-1 here in Seattle) and owns the higher-end finishing talent, backing the Wild -1.5 at 150 is tempting, but the current context makes the expensive home side puckline more attractive: the Kraken have ripped off four straight wins, Grubauer and Daccord are both playing at a high level, and their last nine games are littered with one-goal decisions, while the Wild arrive on the back end of a tough West Coast swing with two straight losses and heavy minutes piled on their top pair and top line. With Schwartz and McCormick out, Seattle’s forward depth is slightly thinned, yet the active roster still features enough two-way veterans (Eberle, Stephenson, Dunn, Larsson) to keep games tight, and at the season’s midpoint the playoff urgency for a bubble team like the Kraken tends to produce conservative third-period game scripts that favor one-goal outcomes rather than empty-net blowouts. The price on Seattle +1.5 at -188 reflects a high probability but offers only modest edge relative to my projection; I’ll still lean to the home side on the puckline for a B- grade, expecting their goaltending and recent structure to keep this within a goal more often than not even if Minnesota ultimately takes the two points. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 08/01/2026 11:15.([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/_/name/sea/seattle-kraken))