Seattle Kraken at Columbus Blue Jackets

By Sam Batz

The bottom-of-the-barrel Columbus Blue Jackets prepare to host a burgeoning Seattle Kraken team on Friday, March 3rd (7:00 PM EST, NHLPP/ESPN+). Friday’s matchup is the second of the season between Columbus and Seattle. The first meeting ended 3-1 in favor of the Kraken, who will look to emulate that success once again against their Eastern Conference foes. The odds favor Seattle at -176, while the Blue Jackets are priced at +145. A Columbus victory here would be a startling upset for Seattle, and is an outcome the Kraken need to avoid at all cost. 

Seattle Kraken Breakdown (-176)

The Seattle Kraken are the NHL’s newest team, having played just two full seasons beginning in 2021. In their first year, the Kraken finished last in the Pacific Division after winning just 27 games. This year however, Seattle is primed to make their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in the franchise’s young history. The Kraken are currently 33-21-6 with 72 points through 60 regular season games. They are 4th in the Pacific Division (6 points away from 1st), 7th in the Western Conference, and according to FiveThirtyEight, have an 86% chance to start their first postseason campaign. 

Seattle will be expected to defeat the Blue Jackets on Friday. They beat them once before, and although the Kraken are 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, this matchup with Columbus should serve as an opportunity for Seattle to right the ship. They are coming off a 5-3 road win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, and will take on the Detroit Red Wings the day before facing Columbus. The lack of rest before facing the Blue Jackets should not deter favor from the Kraken. Seattle has 50 more goals for, and 35 fewer goals against, than Columbus, all while posting an away game win-rate of 60%.   

Columbus Blue Jackets Breakdown (+145)

The Columbus Blue Jackets have the worst record, and the lowest point total, in the league. They are currently 20-35-6 with 46 points through 61 games. They are last in the Metropolitan Division, behind first place by an insurmountable 40 points. Columbus has the worst goal differential in the Eastern Conference (-66), and have allowed the most goals against (225) as well. They are projected to finish the regular season with just 65 points, and while not officially eliminated from the playoffs, the Blue Jackets have <1% chance to see the postseason.

Columbus is 5-3-2 in their last 10 games, and are coming off a 5-3 upset victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. They have enjoyed a short two-day respite, and should be well rested for Friday’s game against Seattle. The Blue Jackets will still be considered the Underdogs though, regardless of downtime. Columbus trails Seattle in nearly every measurable statistic, and has a win-rate of just 39.4% at home. However, with little to play for and nothing to lose, the Blue Jackets could pose a dangerous threat to any team who doesn’t take them seriously. 

Kraken vs. Blue Jackets: Season Stats

Seattle Kraken (33-21-6) 72 208 (8th) 189 (17th) +19 3.47 (6th) 3.15 (17th) 15-12-3 (50.0%) 18-9-3 (60.0%)

Stat Type Pts Total GF Total GA G Diff GF/GP GA/GP Home (Win-rate) Away (Win-rate)

Columbus Blue Jackets (20-35-6) 46 158 (30th) 224 (30th) -66 2.59 (30th) 3.67 (30th) 13-18-2 (39.4%) 7-17-4 (25.0%)

Kraken vs. Blue Jackets: Odds

Betting odds courtesy of PointsBet:

Team	Spread	Total	Moneyline
Seattle Kraken	N/A	Ov 6.5 (-110)	-176
Columbus Blue Jackets	N/A	Un 6.5  (-110)	+145

Check back later for the latest point spread, totals, and moneyline odds on PointsBet. 

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Kraken vs. Blue Jackets: Key Players

Seattle Kraken

Jordan Eberle: The Seattle Right Winger leads the team with 47 player points (13 goals, 34 assists). Eberle averaged 0.3 goals, 0.6 assists, and 0.9 points in his last 10 games. He has 9 goals and 17 assists through 31 games against the Blue Jackets in his career. I predict Eberle will assist 1 goal on Friday.  

Jared McCann: Seattle’s Left Winger has recorded 43 player points (27 goals, 16 assists), leading the team in goals scored. McCann averaged 0.4 goals, 0.4 assists, and 0.8 points in his last 10 games. He has 5 goals and 4 assists through 17 games against the Blue Jackets in his career. I predict McCann will score at least 1 goal on Friday.  

 

Columbus Blue Jackets

Johnny Gaudreau: The Columbus Left Winger leads the team with 54 player points (15 goals, 39 assists). He has the most assists and the 4th most goals. Gaudreau averaged 0.2 goals, 0.4 assists, and 0.6 points in his last 10 games. He has 2 goals and 3 assists in 5 games against the Seattle Kraken in his career. I predict Gaudreau will record at least 1 player point (goal or assist) on Friday. 

Boone Jenner: Columbus’ Center has record 36 player points (19 goals, 17 assists), leading the team in goals. In his last 10 games, Jenner averaged 0.5 goals, 0.5 assists, and 1.0 point. He has 0 goals and 2 assists in 3 games against the Kraken in his career. I predict Jenner will score his first ever goal against Seattle on Friday. 

Kraken vs. Blue Jackets: Betting Trends

Seattle Kraken 36-24 19-11 (Away) 17-12 (vs. East) 27-29-4 5-5 17-6-2 (as Favorites) 5-2-1 (Favorites Away)

Betting Trend ATS (Season) ATS (Home/Away) ATS (Conference) O/U (Season) O/U (Last 10) ML (Favorite/Underdog) ML (Home/Away)

Columbus Blue Jackets 32-29 18-15 (Home) 17-9 (vs. West) 30-30-1 3-7 18-31-6 (as Underdogs) 11-15-2 (Underdogs Home)

Prediction

I would take the Seattle Kraken (-176) to win the game. They are a better team than Columbus, and it is a fairly safe bet, with PointsBet giving the Kraken a 61% win probability. Seattle has been deadly on the road, winning 62.5% of their away games as Favorites. Columbus is weaker than Seattle on both sides of the puck, allowing the 3rd most goals against (224) in the league. Seattle has lit the lamp over 200 times, and against a substandard defense like Columbus, will be expected to pour it on. 

Prediction: Seattle Kraken (-176) Moneyline and the Over (6.5). Final Score: 5-2 

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