Stars vs. Kraken 2023: Series Preview, Predictions, Betting Trends, and Bets

Well, there we have it. Round Two of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs is in the books, and wow, was it crazy! We saw what could have been one the greatest NHL teams of all time, the Bruins, fall to the Florida Panthers in a Game 7 overtime. Then, we saw the Oilers struggle a bit versus LA, but Connor McDavid and co. put the pedal to the metal and closed out the Kings.

The Golden Knights took it to Winnipeg and beat them in five games, and we saw the Hurricanes stumble a bit, but they had what it takes to advance. The Dallas Stars and Minnesota played a six games series that felt like seven, but they took care of business and will now face off against the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

We are going to take a look at the pros and cons of each team. Why you should or shouldn’t trust either team in the next round and what best bets you need to make to be profitable in the next round of the NHL Playoffs. Here is my Kraken vs. Stars series preview and best bets!

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Stars vs. Kraken 2023: Series Preview, Predictions, Betting Trends, and Bets

The Kraken Continues to be Dangerous

If you read my article, NHL: 4 Most Dangerous Playoff Teams, you would know I believe in the Seattle Kraken. They have shown that they can ramp up their defense while doing enough offensively to take down who was thought to be the team with the best shot in the West of making the Stanley Cup Finals.

it’s the lil grubi jump for us 🥹 pic.twitter.com/yDyDDbn4vf

— x – Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) May 1, 2023

After all, the Avalanche were in the finals last year and finished the regular season in first place in the West with 109 points. So seeing the Kraken take them down and holding them to only one goal in a Game 7 really showed me they have what it takes.

The Kraken has really made leaps and bounds between this year and the last. Last year Seattle won just 27 games: This year, 46. This year the Kraken have managed to get 40 more points than last year, hitting 100 points for the first time. Lastly, if there is any major reason why a team performs better, it’s scoring. Last year, Seattle finished 29th in scoring with just 216 goals. This year they have scored an astounding 289 goals. The difference between last year’s team and this is night and day.

Now Seattle’s difference isn’t what we will be relying on in this series, but the Kraken possesses one of the best defensive tandems in the NHL. Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson each have a +/- +29, making them one of the most efficient defensive tandems in the league, and with so few teams remaining, they are probably the best left.

The Kraken seems to have all the right pieces to continue their incredible run.

Will The Stars Align for Dallas

We saw Dallas be a middle-of-the-road team for most of the season. They had good moments and bad moments, but now they are making headway by doing all the right things at once. They took down the Wild in six games by playing good defense, with a good goalie, and by being led by Roope Hintz. The combo of good defense and an offense led by the NHL playoffs leading offensive player can cause problems for this red-hot Kraken team.

Roope Hintz has led the Stars in their series against the Wild. He leads the NHL Playoffs with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in six games and has shown he can be dangerous and score in any fashion. However, it’s yet to be seen if the Dallas defensive tandem mentioned above can slow down this Dallas offense.

Another reason the Stars have been winning is their goalie. Jake Oettinger had a great first round against the Flames which was a great way to continue a red-hot season. In the regular season, Oettinger went 37-11-11 with a 2.37 GAA, five shutouts, and a .919 save percentage. He has been dominant, which showed in these first two playoff series.

Who Will Advance

I think that this year is the year that the stars align for the Kraken. Seattle has improved much over the last year, and their team is so well-balanced. They have a stud leading their offense and a stout goalie defending their back end. However, Dallas will have to find a way to score to stay in this series, as I see the Kraken putting up some goals.

Dallas’s Oettinger does allow 2.37 goals per game, and I think the Kraken will score at least two in each game. So I’ll be riding with the Kraken to advance in six games. Here are my best bets for Game 1 and the series.