Thursday night in the NHL features the Seattle Kraken steering into Winnipeg to faceoff with the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Welcome to NHL Predictions here at Last Word on Hockey, where we preview and predict the upcoming slate of NHL games around the league each day! In this article, we will preview and predict the matchup between the Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken. Be sure to check out all of our NHL Predictions throughout the 2024-25 season and follow along with your favourite teams.
NHL Predictions
Winnipeg Jets vs Seattle Kraken
Head-to-Head: Jets 1-0 Kraken
Time: 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: TSN3; KHN; KONG; ESPN+
The Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken will meet for the second time this season. Winnipeg took the first matchup on October 24th in Seattle. It was a 4-3 overtime victory for the Jets with Nikolaj Ehlers scoring the winning goal. The Jets blew a 3-1 third-period lead in that game but regrouped and took the second point in the extra frame. In the win, Nino Niederreiter scored twice and Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele recorded two assists each. For Seattle, Matty Beniers scored twice and added an assist in the loss.
Historically the Jets have owned the Kraken in their brief existence as a franchise in the NHL. Winnipeg is 8-2-0 overall versus Seattle and has won four of the last five meetings with them. However, seven of the last eight meetings between these two teams have been decided by just one goal. Winnipeg has scored three or more goals in all but one meeting against Seattle all-time.
Winnipeg Jets Heating Up Once Again
The Winnipeg Jets are once again getting on a roll. Winnipeg dismantled the Vancouver Canucks in their last game, skating away with a 6-1 victory on January 14th. They have now won three of their last four games overall, all three being very convincing victories. In their last game versus Vancouver, the Jets jumped all over the Canucks in the first period and never looked back. Kyle Connor recorded a natural hat trick in the first period and at one point had more goals than the Canucks had shots on goal in the game(!).
This Winnipeg team is showing just how dangerous they can be when they are firing on all cylinders. It appears to be a foregone conclusion that if this team scores more than two goals in a game, they are going to win. The Jets have lost just three times this season when they’ve scored at least three goals. Mighty impressive. Winnipeg’s speed and depth has been a massive problem for opposing teams to answer and was exhibited against the Canucks on Tuesday.
Seattle Kraken in Limbo
Now two weeks into the new year, the Seattle Kraken find themselves in a precarious situation. Sitting eight points out of a playoff spot entering play on Thursday, the team has reached the time of the year where they must decide their long-term plans moving forward. It appears the last scenario they want to partake in is an all-out fire sale of their roster. The Krakens offseason saw them invest big money to free agents Brandon Montour and Chandler Stephenson and sign Joey Daccord to a lucrative extension this season despite his limited track record. Things haven’t worked out as planned for this club which just two seasons ago won a first-round matchup with the Colorado Avalanche and seemed to be making big strides quickly. Now after missing the playoffs last season, it appears that it may be their fate once more. With the return of the NBA to Seattle looming in the background, the Seattle Kraken need to go in one direction or the other to give their fans a clear plan and keep them interested in this team.
Prediction
This is the case of one team being much inferior than the other. Winnipeg is too fast and too deep, has the better goaltender, and has the better special teams units. What more needs to be said? Seattle is also catching this Jets team after two signature wins on home ice, defeating the Avalanche and Canucks and outscoring them by a margin of 9-1. The Kraken need points badly to stay alive in the playoff hunt, but they will be hard-pressed to hang around in this matchup. This lethal Jets powerplay and their deadly top line, which is on complete fire, will not be stopped in this game.
Prediction: Jets win 4-1
Prop Bet of the Night
We might have to start calling Mark Scheifele, Mr. Consistency. It seems like every game the Jets play he is making an impact all over the ice. Gambling sites have Scheifele at +230 to record two or more points in this game. He and his linemates Connor and Vilardi all have hot hands right now, so look for Scheifele to find the scoresheet multiple times in this matchup.
Main Photo Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: January 16 Winnipeg Jets vs Seattle Kraken appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.