Seattle Kraken vs. St. Louis Blues: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 2/28/2023

by Chuck Sommers

Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO
Where to watch: ROOT-NW, BSMW

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks


DraftKings: Kraken -165, Blues +140
FanDuel: Kraken -154, Blues +128
BetMGM: Kraken -155, Blues +125
Caesars: Kraken -154, Blues +130

Season record
Kraken: 32-21-6
Blues: 26-28-5

The All-Star break is over, the second half of the NHL season can officially begin, and we're bound for what should be a very exciting second half of the hockey season. Basketball and hockey are about to rule the roost in the sports betting world once the Super Bowl is done with, and we should all be very excited for what's to come. When the trade deadline hits and players switch teams, you know things are about to get hectic over these final 30 games or so. One way you can stay tuned with the action is following what our champion handicappers are doing in the world of the NHL. Look at ASA, Inc., reeling in a $6,750 profit off a 17-9-0 run. Al McMordie is also doing well on the ice with a 13-5-0 run and a net profit of $6,050. Scott Rickenbach has also been hanging strong with a lot of betting action, in what's been an unusual year, with a 24-18-0 run and reeling in $5,950. You know this action is going to be great now that games are back and a busy second half if on the horizon. All you need to do is head to our BEST BETS page at bigal.com to find out all of what we're trying to tell you. Make sure you're locked in at bigal.com and go to our Best Bets page to find out what our champion handicappers have to say in the world of the NHL!

Kraken - Blues preview, prediction and analysis


The Seattle Kraken will be playing the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, February 28 in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Seattle Kraken lost against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday, February 26 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle Kraken with a score of 5-1. The Seattle Kraken currently rank 4th in the Pacific Division.

Vince Dunn scored for Seattle (32-21-6), which has lost three in a row. Philipp Grubauer allowed four goals on 21 shots before being replaced by Martin Jones, who made 11 saves.

Dunn gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 3:47 of the first period, scoring blocker side from the slot after Jared McCann knocked down a clearing attempt. Mark Giordano tied it 1-1 at 4:58 when his shot from above the left circle beat Grubauer five-hole through a screen.

"Our response to the first goal against wasn't good enough against a team with good ability," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "Our energy and the start of our hockey game was good. As I said, we have to have a better response. … That goal goes in, we got to be stiffer, not just the next few shifts, with the rest of the period."

Toronto scored the remaining four goals of the game, making the final score 5-1.

"They put pucks into the scoring area and they've got a lot of good skill, but they've also got some heavy guys with hard sticks in there and they put pucks inside of there," Hakstol said. "For me, there's some of those struggles where we're reaching instead of getting in and getting under, being physical at the puck. When you reach against a team like this, you get yourself in trouble."

The Seattle Kraken have won three of their last 10 games.

The St. Louis Blues lost against the Pittsburgh Penguins last Saturday, February 25 at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri with a score of 3-2 in overtime. The St. Louis Blues currently rank 6th in the Central Division.

Jordan Binnington made 45 saves for the Blues (26-28-5), who have lost five in a row (0-3-2) and have been outscored 21-8 during that span. Justin Faulk had a goal and an assist.

"[Binnington] played great, especially that first period," Faulk said. "I think we gave up 25 shots, or whatever it was (21). He stood tall and gave us a chance, more than a chance.

"I thought in general we played more of a competitive hockey game tonight. Obviously, heavily outshot in the first, but I think we battled in the second and third. We had a little bit more there. We pushed the OT there, but (it) kind of becomes a little bit of a crapshoot once it gets there with 3-on-3 hockey."

St. Louis was looking for a better response after some harsh comments from coach Craig Berube following a 3-2 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.

"I thought that we got a good response tonight. Competitive," Berube said. "We were physical. Played hard. Just offensively, we've got to get more done. But overall, I was pretty pleased with the effort."

Pavel Buchnevich gave St. Louis a 1-0 lead 23 seconds into the second period when he redirected a wrist shot from Robert Thomas.

Evgeni Malkin tied it 1-1 at 6:59, finishing off a passing play with Rust after Pettersson won a loose puck in the neutral zone with Blues defenseman Colton Parayko.

Marcus Pettersson's first goal of the season gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 14:32 of the third period, scoring from the slot with a wrist shot off a rush.

Justin Faulk tied it 2-2 at 17:33 when he jammed the loose puck through a crowded crease after forward Alexey Toropchenko took it hard to the net.

"We were down and bodies laying down there, just kind of in a normal situation, you don't go in there and kind of sniff around for something being down one," Faulk said. "You just kind of went to the net and hope you can find it on the weak side. It just squirted free just enough to get a little bit on it."

Bryan Rust scored at 1:16 of overtime for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The St. Louis Blues have won three of their last 10 games.

Prediction

The Blues have torn it down. The Kraken are rising. Enough said. Kraken 5, Blues 2

Betting trends


Kraken are 13-15 after a non-conference game this season.

Kraken are 6-8 off a home loss this season.

Blues are 9-14 off an under this season.

Projected lines


Kraken:

Jared McCann -- Matty Beniers -- Jordan Eberle

Eeli Tolvanen -- Yanni Gourde -- Oliver Bjorkstrand

Jaden Schwartz -- Alex Wennberg -- Jesper Froden

Ryan Donato -- Morgan Geekie -- Brandon Tanev

Vince Dunn -- Adam Larsson

Jamie Oleksiak -- Will Borgen

Carson Soucy -- Justin Schultz

Philipp Grubauer

Blues:

Josh Leivo -- Robert Thomas -- Pavel Buchnevich

Brandon Saad -- Brayden Schenn -- Jordan Kyrou

Alexey Toropchenko -- Nikita Alexandrov -- Sammy Blais

Nathan Walker -- Logan Brown -- Tyler Pitlick

Nick Leddy -- Colton Parayko

Marco Scandella -- Justin Faulk

Torey Krug -- Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington

Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Seattle Kraken - St. Louis Blues prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NHL projections and previews.

Chuck Sommers

About the Author:

Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

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