Trent Reinsmith
- What: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Seattle Kraken
- Date: Thursday, April 13, 2023
- Location: Climate Pledge Arena
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: ESPN
Tonight’s nationally televised NHL game on ESPN won’t have postseason implications because the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken have both punched their tickets for the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, but if Vegas wins, they will claim their third Pacific Division title, and first since 2020.
The matchup between these two teams is the final 2023 NHL regular season game for both teams. With a win, the Golden Knights will move to 51-22-9 and 111 points. However, if Seattle beats Vegas, the door will be open for the Edmonton Oilers, with a win tonight over the San Jose Sharks to tie Vegas in points. If that happens, Edmonton will claim the Pacific Division title as they have more regulation-time wins than the Golden Knights. Seattle brings a 46-27-8 record into tonight’s game.
Tonight marks the fourth meeting of the 2023 NHL season between these teams. Vegas went up 2-1 in the season series on Tuesday with a 4-1 win in Vegas. Seattle had been on a five-game winning streak before that setback. Vegas was coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars.
Before we look at the betting breakdown for tonight’s NHL matchup between the Seattle Kraken and the Vegas Golden Knights, check out our guide to betting on the 2023 Stanley Cup and our tips for betting on the NHL.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Seattle Kraken picks for April 13, 2023
| Teams |  |  |  |
| Vegas Golden Knights | -120 | -120 | -120 |
| Seattle Kraken | +100 | +100 | +100 |
Vegas Golden Knights breakdown
The Vegas Golden Knights lost their starting goaltender Logan Thompson in early February with a lower-body injury. However, the team has gone 13-3-2 since then. On March 2, the team traded for veteran goalie Jonathan Quick. That was a good move because Adin Hill left the lineup with an injury not long after that. Quick is scheduled to get the start in the final game of the season after Laurent Brossoit picked up his fourth straight win on Tuesday against Seattle. Quick has losses in his past three outings, but the team picked up a point in two of those games, losing to the Predators 3-2 in overtime and 2-1 to the Stars in a shootout.
Jack Eichel leads Vegas in scoring with 65 points. His 27 goals are second on the team, one fewer than club leader Jonathan Marchessault. The other Vegas player with more than 20 goals on the 2023 NHL season is Reilly Smith with 25.
Vegas has a road record of 25-7-8 this season, and the team is 6-1-3 in its past 10 games.
Seattle Kraken breakdown
Seattle ended February with a win following a three-game losing skid. The team then won its four games before once again losing three straight. Since that losing skid, Seattle has not lost back-to-back games, and the team is 9-4-1 overall, which bodes well for them heading into the 2023 NHL playoffs.
Jared McCann leads the team in scoring with 70 points. He is also first in team goal scoring with 40. Both numbers are career highs for the 26-year-old winger. The Kraken do not have another player with more than 30 goals this year, but Matty Beniers, Daniel Sprong, Jordan Eberle, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jaden Schwartz have all scored 20 or more goals.
Seattle has a capable goaltending duo in Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer. However, Jones is day-to-day with a hand injury. Backup goalie Joey Daccord picked up the loss on Tuesday to Vegas. With that, expect Grubauer to get the start tonight. He has a 2.87 goals against average and .895 save percentage this year.
Seattle is 20-16-4 at home this year.
Best bet for Vegas Golden Knights vs. Seattle Kraken
While the Golden Knights are playing for the Pacific Division title, the Seattle Kraken have a chance to move from a wild card spot to No. 3 in the Western Conference with a win tonight and a Los Angeles Kings loss to the Anaheim Ducks. With that, I expect a very competitive game, but I think the Knights are simply the better team heading into this matchup. The best bet is to pick the Vegas Golden Knights to beat the Seattle Kraken.
Pick: Vegas Golden Knights to beat the Seattle Kraken.
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