Seattle has already scored six goals twice this season—and scored just three combined in its two losses. That uneven start makes the Kraken an interesting test for Detroit. The Red Wings have the stronger grades in our analysis and enter as a modest favorite, but Seattle’s recent goaltending offers a better counterargument than its latest score might suggest.
Detroit has an edge, not a runaway matchup
The latest DraftKings moneyline odds have Detroit at -142 and Seattle at +120. Our grades fit that general ordering: the Red Wings earn B- marks for both their attack and defensive play, compared with C- and C for the Kraken. We rate Detroit more highly on both fronts, though that doesn’t automatically make the favorite’s price a bargain.
The teams’ recent results aren’t nearly as tidy. Detroit beat Ottawa 5-3 on Tuesday after scoring only two goals across its preceding two games. Seattle beat Calgary 6-1 twice, but lost 3-1 to Edmonton and then fell 6-2 to Vegas on Tuesday. The Kraken have shown they can score, but their two biggest performances came against the same opponent.
Our shooting projections give Detroit about 28 shots to Seattle’s 26. That’s a modest volume advantage, so the Red Wings may need to make more of their opportunities rather than overwhelm Seattle with attempts. It leaves room for the Kraken to stay competitive if they get better work in net than they did against Vegas.
Daccord’s last outing isn’t his whole early-season story
Joey Daccord's recent performances show both sides of that possibility. He allowed five goals on 21 shots against Vegas before being replaced after two periods. His preceding two appearances were much stronger: he stopped 32 of 33 shots and 24 of 25, both against Calgary. Across those three appearances this season, his save percentage is .911.
Detroit’s John Gibson has a .903 save percentage across three appearances. He allowed one goal against the Rangers, then three each against Winnipeg and Ottawa. These are small samples, but they give Seattle a concrete path into this matchup: Daccord has already delivered two strong games, even though his latest outing was rough. Like Seattle’s scoring outbursts, those stronger goalie performances both came against Calgary. For Detroit, the challenge is to make its modest projected shooting edge count against him.
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What the 6.5-goal total asks of these teams
The posted total is 6.5, so an over needs at least seven combined goals. Three of Seattle’s four recent games this season have reached that mark, compared with one of Detroit’s three. The important detail is how they got there: Seattle’s two wins featured six-goal performances, while its latest loss reached eight combined goals largely because Vegas scored six.
That makes a simple high-scoring trend less convincing than it first looks. Seattle hasn’t consistently supplied the scoring itself, and Detroit’s five-goal game against Ottawa followed outputs of zero and two. Meanwhile, both goalies have allowed just one goal in an early appearance. Seven goals is a meaningful hurdle if either team returns to those quieter scoring performances.
Detroit’s stronger team evaluations and slight shooting edge give it the clearer matchup case, but Seattle’s best counterweight is Daccord’s work before the Vegas loss. The key is whether the Kraken can carry their better play beyond the Calgary matchups: both their six-goal outbursts and Daccord’s strongest outings came against that opponent. For bettors, Detroit having the stronger profile and this becoming a seven-goal game are separate judgments; the modest shooting gap doesn’t bridge them on its own.
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