Predators vs Kraken

Nashville has quietly caught fire, winning five of the first seven games on this marathon road trip and 12 of their last 17 overall, while Seattle’s recent 4-0-1 push has been built more on hot goaltending than any real offensive breakout. With Roman Josi still sidelined and Jonathan Marchessault listed day-to-day, the Predators are leaning heavily on a healthy core of Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly up front, but their defensive structure has tightened to the point that they’ve allowed just 14 goals over those seven road games. Seattle, meanwhile, is still missing key pieces like Jaden Schwartz and Brandon Montour, and even during this mini-resurgence the Kraken have struggled to consistently score more than twice a night despite strong work from Joey Daccord and Philipp Grubauer. Forsberg already torched Seattle for two goals in their most recent meeting, and with Juuse Saros rediscovering form, Nashville’s current road form plus a slightly healthier top-end group nudges this coin-flip matchup toward the visitors even in a tough building, though equal moneyline odds keep this in the solid-but-not-elite value range. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/01/2026 09:43

Both teams enter this one trending toward tighter, lower-scoring hockey, with Nashville’s seven-game road stretch featuring only 14 goals allowed and Seattle’s goaltending tandem holding opponents to two or fewer in five straight while the offense continues to waste strong expected-goals nights. The Predators’ attack is better than it looked early in the year, but their season scoring rate still sits under three goals per game, while the Kraken are barely over two and a half and are down a proven finisher in Schwartz on top of Montour’s puck-moving absence on the back end. Historically this matchup has produced some offense, including Forsberg’s two-goal outburst in their last meeting, but the current versions of these teams are leaning into structure, improved penalty killing from Nashville and grind-it-out five-on-five play from Seattle, especially with both sides hovering near the playoff bubble as the midpoint of the schedule approaches. With Saros stabilizing and the Kraken’s skaters still searching for finish, this profiles as a 3-2 or tighter kind of night far more often than not, and getting the Under at a better price than the Over earns this play an elevated grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/01/2026 09:43

Given Nashville’s current surge and Seattle’s tendency to play one-goal grinders when the goaltending is rolling, backing the Predators to stay within a goal aligns with how both teams have been trending, even if the price is hefty. The Preds have tightened up dramatically on this road swing and have not been getting run out of buildings, while the Kraken’s limited finishing talent without Schwartz in the lineup makes multi-goal wins harder to come by, particularly when Saros is tracking well and Nashville’s veteran forward core is in rhythm. Seattle’s home-ice edge and the emotional lift of a New Year’s game in a loud building do raise the risk of an empty-net cover for the hosts, and past meetings have occasionally opened up late, but more often than not this shapes up as another low-total, one-bounce affair between two bubble teams that can’t afford to let points slip away. The combination of strong likelihood of a tight scoreline and poor payout on the +1.5 leads to a modest grade despite the on-ice matchup looking favorable for the underdog puckline. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 01/01/2026 09:43