Welcome to NHL Predictions. Each day, Last Word on Hockey looks at the games happening and gives our predictions for each one, breaking down head-to-head matchups and other factors that may play in. Today, we’re looking at the Seattle Kraken against the Calgary Flames. Be sure to check out more NHL Predictions every day there’s hockey this 2024-25 season.
NHL Predictions
Calgary Flames (33-25-11) vs Seattle Kraken (30-36-5)
Head-to-Head: Kraken lead 2-1
Time: 9:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: NHL Power Play on ESPN+ | A KHN, KONG | H SNW
The Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken will play their final head-to-head game of the season today. Seattle has won two of the first three matchups. Calgary finds themselves four points behind the St. Louis Blues for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference with just 13 games remaining. Mind you, they do have three games in-hand on the Blues. Regardless, every game for Calgary feels like a must-win right now with St. Louis playing well and Vancouver right there as well. Seattle, on the other hand, has no realistic chance of making the playoffs. They’re looking to build some chemistry together and look to next season. Let’s take a closer look at how these two teams match up and make a prediction about tonight’s game.
Seattle Building for Next Season
The Seattle Kraken will miss the playoffs for a second-straight season. The disappointing season led to management trading away some key veteran forwards at the deadline and shifting their focus to building for the future. Seattle has some good young players in their lineup they are hoping can develop into key contributors for next season. Former fourth-overall draft pick Shane Wright is having a solid year in his first full NHL season. Wright sits fourth on the team in scoring with 40 points in 68 games this season. This development is a key for Seattle to be able to make a push next season. The Kraken have also recently called up 2022 draft pick Jani Nyman. The 20-year-old has put up four points in his first six games for Seattle.
With the focus on the future, wins and losses in Seattle come secondary the rest of the way. That said, Seattle still brings a strong effort on most nights and force their opponents to bring their best. Seattle has struggled to keep goals out of their net this season which is a big reason they will miss the playoffs. The Kraken rank 25th in the league for team goals against. Seattle will need a strong goaltending performance and some contributions from their young talent to get the win tonight.
Calgary Finding Ways to Win
The Calgary Flames have been doing it all season long, finding ways to win. For a team that struggles to score, lacks depth on defence, and entered the season with uncertainty in goal, this team has no business battling for the playoffs. On the back of their Calder Trophy candidate Dustin Wolf, Calgary has surprised the league and fans. Instead of looking for a top draft pick, Calgary finds themselves on the verge of a playoff birth. The Flames have relied on strong goaltending and a hard-working style to keep games close and find ways to win one-goal games. Calgary has been led offensively by Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau. The two veterans are the only Flames with more than 50 points on the season.
The Flames are coming off a road trip that saw them win three out of four games. This was arguably the Flames most successful road trip of the season. More impressive than just the record was the way the Flames did it. In two of the wins, the Flames scored more than four goals, something they’ve struggled to do all season. First-time twenty-goal scorer Matthew Coronato is riding a hot steak scoring four goals in his last three games. Youngster Connor Zary also appears to be back to his old self after a knee injury earlier this season. If these two can provide scoring, alongside Kadri and Huberdeau, it will be a big boost to the Flames. Calgary hopes to bring home the moment from their road trip and keep rolling at home as every win is key in their chase to the playoffs.
NHL Predictions for the Kraken vs Flames
Seattle is coming off a hard-fought 5-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers and should be well-rested on the road against Calgary. Seattle has a solid offence that should be able to create some opportunities against the Flames. If Seattle can find the scoresheet early, they will have a good chance to hold on against the low-scoring Flames.
Calgary needs their secondary offence to continue their scoring. Seattle has flaws defensively and if Calgary can take advantage they should be able to secure a win with their rookie sensation Dustin Wolf in net. Expect the Flames to outlast Seattle in a close contest.
Prediction: Flames Win 3-2
Prop Bets of the Night
Seattle is looking for more and more from their youth. Shane Wright is a key part of that. He’s been held off the score sheet in two straight contests, but with over a half point a game we’d expect him to find the score sheet tonight. Both Nazem Kadri and Matthew Coronato have scored in each of the Flames last three games. Take a chance on at least one of these two scoring against a leaky Kraken team. Coronato offers a better payout with +240 to keep his scoring streak going.
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Main Photo Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
The post NHL Predictions: March 25th Seattle Kraken vs Calgary Flames appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.