Seattle’s scoring surge makes this matchup with Vegas interesting—but the opponents behind those goals matter. The Kraken have scored 13 times in their first three games, with 12 coming against Calgary and just one against Edmonton. Both teams arrive at 2-1, yet our grades give the Golden Knights a clear advantage. Seattle now faces a test of whether that early production can carry into a tougher matchup, rather than simply repeat what worked against the Flames.
Seattle’s fast start has a useful counterweight
The Kraken didn’t need long to take control on Sunday, October 4. They scored three times within the opening eight minutes of a 6-1 win over Calgary, with Bobby McMann among the early scorers and Jordan Eberle adding a late goal. Joey Daccord also made 32 saves. That goaltending contribution matters: Seattle’s comfortable winning margin came with plenty of work at the other end.
Those two six-goal performances against Calgary are encouraging, but the 3-1 loss at Edmonton is the counterweight. Seattle has shown it can finish chances in bunches; it hasn’t yet shown that level of scoring across different opponents this season. Our offensive grade of D+ for the Kraken, compared with B+ for Vegas, makes that distinction especially relevant here.
Vegas brings a more balanced case
The Golden Knights’ Sunday win offered a different route to success. Vegas beat Vancouver 3-2 while allowing only 19 shots. Mitch Marner scored his first goal of the season, and Victor Olofsson added a power-play goal after Jack Eichel’s shot and Mark Stone’s rebound pass. It was a narrower result than Seattle’s, but one built on limiting shot volume as well as finding enough scoring.
Our grades favor Vegas in defensive play too: B+ against Seattle’s C. Our shot projections suggest a more modest difference in volume, at roughly 29 shots for the Golden Knights and 26 for the Kraken. That’s an edge, not a picture of one-way traffic. Seattle’s ability to turn its chances into goals—and get saves when Vegas applies pressure—remains central to its path.
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What the moneyline asks of Vegas
DraftKings' moneyline has Vegas favored at -180, with Seattle at +150. The stronger grades help explain the favorite’s position, but that price asks bettors to pay for the advantage. Seattle’s recent finishing and Daccord’s Sunday performance provide a credible counterweight, even with the scoring surge concentrated against one opponent.
Vegas has the stronger all-around profile, but our modest projected shot gap leaves room for Seattle’s finishing and goaltending to matter. The decisive test is whether the Golden Knights can make the Kraken work harder for scoring opportunities than Calgary did. If Seattle ends up with fewer shots, making the most of those opportunities while holding up at the other end becomes especially important.
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