NHL Thursday best bets: Release the Kraken

We have a fun seven-game slate ahead of us on Thursday night. Let's waste no time getting to a couple of plays that stand out from the pack.

The Kraken smacked the Predators around a season ago, winning two of three head-to-head meetings while outscoring them by eight goals.

I expect their success against the Predators to continue on Thursday night. Although Nashville gave the Lightning a good run for their money on Tuesday, I'm not high on this Preds team.

They're lacking talent down the middle, Filip Forsberg is the only impact winger on the roster, and the defensive ceiling of the team can only be so high when Tyson Barrie is logging more than 20 minutes per game.

Juuse Saros has a way of masking a lot of problems, but on many nights, I think the task will be too much - even for him.

The Kraken are one of the deepest teams in the NHL. They make their hay by overwhelming opponents with their depth. That proved to be too much for a powerhouse Avalanche team to handle in the playoffs, so it should be even more evident against a team like the Predators.

I expect the Kraken to test Saros early and often while giving up very little at the other end. They're one of the best chance-suppression teams in the NHL, and outside of Roman Josi and Forsberg, the Predators don't have much dynamic ability in their lineup to break the Kraken down.

Look for the Kraken to pick up their first win of the season in what should be a crazy and fun environment in Nashville.

Bet: Kraken (-105)

The Sharks are a complete dumpster fire. They won fewer games than any other team a season ago, and that was with 40-goal scorer Timo Meier and Norris winner Erik Karlsson on the roster for most of the year.

There isn't really much positive to say about the team. They don't have firepower up front. They don't have depth. They don't have a stable defense core. And they certainly don't have goaltending.

Tonight's projected starter, Kaapo Kahkonen, is coming off a truly miserable season. He posted a putrid .883 save percentage last year and was objectively one of the worst goaltenders in the league.

He's more likely to cause the Sharks problems than erase them, which isn't ideal when playing behind the worst roster you'll find.

The Golden Knights are a stout defensive side that won't give much to its opponents. They also have the high-end weapons to be clinical at the other end. Against this Sharks team, there should be no shortage of opportunities landing on the sticks of Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Mark Stone, and Co.

Vegas should be able to control this game from start to finish and breeze to a sweat-free victory inside 60 minutes.

Bet: Golden Knights in regulation (-150)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.

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