- What: Seattle Kraken vs Dallas Stars - 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 1
- Where: American Airlines Center
- When: Tuesday, May 2nd at 9:30 PM ET
The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue on Tuesday as the underdog Seattle Kraken continues their first postseason journey with Game 1 against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The puck will drop at 9:30 PM ET. Seattle just pulled off the unthinkable, knocking off the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games Sunday on the road. As for Dallas, they bounced the Minnesota Wild in six games last Friday. Find the Kraken vs Stars Game 1 picks.
Before we get into the odds and prediction for this contest, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.
Kraken vs Stars Game 1 Odds
By no surprise, the Stars are a big favorite in the series opener with -175 moneyline odds. The Kraken comes back at +158. Just eight points separated these two in the regular season. Dallas won two of the three meetings in 2022-23.
Game Preview
In just their second year as an expansion franchise, Seattle just barely snuck into the playoffs but boy, are they making the most of the opportunity. Tasked with the Avs, the Kraken looked like a veteran team, taking down Colorado in the first round.
Philipp Grubauer starred in the series, playing out of his mind against his former team. The netminder made a whopping 94 saves in the final three games, including 33 in Game 7. The depth of this group really shined through as well, with 15 different scorers finding the back of the net throughout the opening round.
To be honest, no one guy stood out. It was truly just a collective effort. Yanni Gourde's six points were a team-best, scoring once and supplying five assists. He also tallied a pair of points in the series-clincher, while Oliver Bjorkstrand scored both in the massive victory, his only two goals of the series. Needless to say, they were critical, though.
The Stars basically wiped the floor with the Wild and managed to do it without one of their best players in Joe Pavelski for a lot of the series after he suffered a concussion. However, the veteran is expected to be back in the mix for the second round, although he won't feature on the top line quite yet.
Dallas is a very talented squad on both ends of the ice and showed just why against Minnesota. The Stars scored 3.50 goals per night and allowed only 2.33, the best mark of any team left in the playoffs. Finnish superstar Roope Hintz put on a show, registering 12 points in the first round, netting five times, and tallying seven assists. The likes of Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin, and Meiro Heiskanen contributed on a consistent basis, too.
The Stars only had three games at home against the Wild but won two of them. The atmosphere in the Dallas building is always electric and should definitely help on Tuesday. For what it's worth, both of their victories versus Seattle this year were at the American Airlines Center.
Kraken vs Stars Game 1 Picks
Dallas is well-rested and on paper, is the better team. Does that mean they will win the series? Absolutely not. It's playoff hockey. That being said, I do expect them to take the opener.
