NHL dog of the day: Seattle looks for its first ever win

14 October 2021 at 4:57 pm·3-min read

Seven NHL regular season games are in the books. 1,305 games remain. It's a long season, it's a grind and we love it. We have our first full slate of the season, as nine games faceoff on Thursday night. All betting lines are courtesy of BetMGM.

Dog of the day

For the first time ever, the Seattle Kraken are my dog of the day. Seattle finds itself a +105 road underdog against the Nashville Predators. This is Nashville's first game of the season and their home opener.

We have already seen the Kraken once, and even though they lost the game, returns were encouraging. They fell behind 3-0 against the Vegas Golden Knights, but they made it a game before eventually losing by a score of 4-3.

Most 5-on-5 metrics suggested an even game, if anything, Seattle did a better job of driving play. This is an impressive feat against one of the league's elite teams.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: Vegas Golden Knights fans boo as the Seattle Kraken celebrate a goal by Ryan Donato #9 at 11:32 of the second period against the Golden Knights for the team's first-ever score during the Kraken's inaugural regular-season game at T-Mobile Arena on October 12, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Golden Knights defeated the Kraken 4-3. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) — Ryan Donato scored the first goal in Seattle Kraken history. Thursday, they look for their first win. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (Ethan Miller via Getty Images)

Nashville is a step down in competition as many expect them to struggle this season and take a step back after they got rid of key players such as Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis.

I also think there's value in the fact that Seattle has already played a game while Nashville hasn't. These repetitions are vital early in a season as teams settle into their system and get their legs under them.

Other games worth a look

Montreal @ Buffalo: Montreal is on the second half of a back-to-back on the road and is starting Sam Montembeault in net, who entered camp as third string goalie. Despite all of that, they still look appealing as a -140 favorite against Buffalo. I think the Sabres will be next level bad this season.

New York Islanders @ Carolina: These are the two best teams in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders are a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and they've been making bettors money as an underdog for years now. I'll take a shot on New York at +105.

Goaltending situations and back-to-backs

Three teams are on the second half of a back-to-back, and all three teams are favorites despite the scheduling disadvantage. The Rangers are -140 favorites in their home-opener after laying a leg against Washington last night. Montreal, as mentioned above, is a -140 favorite in Buffalo. The Toronto Maple Leafs are -175 road favorites against Ottawa, which seems a tad steep.

All three teams mentioned above will be starting different goalies from last night. Montembeault gets the start for Montreal. Igor Shesterkin gets the nod for the Rangers while the Leafs will go with Petr Mrazek.

Craig Anderson begins the season as the starting goalie for the Buffalo Sabres. Anton Forsberg gets the opener for Ottawa over Matt Murray, who's dealing with an illness. Carter Hutton will open the season in net for the Arizona Coyotes. Dallas has decided to go with Braden Holtby between the pipes in their first game.