Avalanche a Heavy Favorite in Game 2 vs Kraken

What: Seattle Kraken vs Colorado Avalanche - First Round Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 2
Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
When: Thursday, April 20th at 9:30 PM ET

The Colorado Avalanche will be looking to put behind a brutal Game 1 loss in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Tuesday against the Seattle Kraken as they once again go head-to-head on Thursday evening at Ball Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 9:30 PM ET. The Kraken won the series opener 3-1 against the defending champions, one of several surprising outcomes so far in these playoffs. Continue reading for the Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 picks.

Before we get into the odds and preview for Thursday's affair, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.

Kraken vs Avalanche Game 2 Odds

Team
Seattle Kraken	+180	+175	+175
Colorado Avalanche	-201	-210	-210

Even though the Avs were underwhelming Tuesday, they're a heavy -201 favorite in Game 2 for an implied win probability of 66.78%. The Kraken comes back at +180 and has a 35.71% chance of coming out victorious. The total is set at six goals, with the under being hit in five straight meetings. Seattle has also four of the last five against last year's Stanley Cup winners.

Game 2 Preview

Even though Colorado has dealt with countless injuries all season long, they've still been considered a legitimate contender to come out of the West. But, their title defense certainly didn't get off to a great start against a franchise making its playoff debut. Mikko Rantanen scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, who had a very difficult time beating Seattle netminder Philipp Grubauer.

Colorado actually outshot the Kraken 35-30 and 14-5 in the third period but struggled to find goals. In fairness though, Grubauer was brilliant in between the posts. The loss ended a streak of 10 straight first-round Game 1 wins for Jared Bednar's group. While Rantanen scored and Nathan MacKinnon notched an assist, the superstar duo must get going and make more of an impact. Cale Makar also has to get involved. After all, he is one of their best players as well. With no Gabriel Landeskog, it's up to these three to carry the offensive load against an inexperienced opponent.

History was made Tuesday for Seattle, who are in the postseason in just their second year as an organization. To win on the road in Colorado is absolutely huge, even if they do drop Thursday's matchup before heading back home to the Pacific Northwest.

Eeli Tolvanen got the scoring started in the first before Alexander Wennberg and Morgan Geekie both found the back of the net as well. As previously mentioned, Grubauer shined against his former team and certainly kept the Kraken in this contest.

Although essentially no one is giving Seattle much of a chance to pull off the upset in the first round, the Kraken proved they're no pushover. After all, their head-to-head record with Colorado is impressive, giving hope to potentially moving past the Avs.