NHL odds, preview, prediction: Jets vs. Kraken for Friday, March 8

Jets vs. Kraken Odds

Friday, March 8, 10 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL odds here.

Winnipeg Jets

Will the Jets' roster look different by gametime? As of Thursday afternoon, Winnipeg's only trade move has been its acquisition of Sean Monahan from the Montreal Canadiens over a month ago.

That deal has worked out well. Monahan has eight goals in 13 games with Winnipeg and has helped shore up the team's center depth.

The Jets are 9-3-0 in their last 12 games, which includes an impressive comeback to beat the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh last Saturday and a solid 4-2 road win over the Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 17.

But some players on the team have been sick, including Connor Hellebuyck, the Jets' backbone, who took the loss against the Kraken on Tuesday. Defenseman Nate Schmidt also missed Tuesday's game, while Adam Lowry and Mason Appleton were absent from Thursday's optional practice along with Gabriel Vilardi, who has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury.

Coach Rick Bowness said Thursday he hadn't decided which goalie would start Friday. While Hellebuyck is currently the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy, Laurent Brossoit is also having a strong season with a .921 save percentage and 7.1 goals saved above expected.

The Jets also play Saturday in Vancouver, so the goalies will likely split the starts. Either way, Winnipeg should be well-covered in net.

One interesting item to note: While the Jets have had success in the win column over the last month, their puck-possession game has dipped. They're still controlling better than 50% of expected goals at 5-on-5 over the full season, but that number has slid down to an uncharacteristic 44.86% over the last 10 games.

Special teams were strong at the beginning of that 10-game set, including three straight games with two power-play goals. But over the last three games, Winnipeg is just 1-for-9 with the man advantage and gave up a shorthanded goal to the Kraken on Tuesday, while the penalty kill has been an underwhelming 4-for-7.

Seattle Kraken

Six points out of a wild-card spot heading into Thursday's games, the Kraken put on their seller's hat Wednesday, sending impending free agent Alex Wennberg to the New York Rangers in exchange for a pair of draft picks.

Jordan Eberle, Tomáš Tatar and Justin Schultz are also impending UFAs who might be on the move before Friday's deadline. There does seem to be a sense that the Kraken would like to work out an extension with Eberle, at least.

Seattle's other notable absence is do-everything defenseman Vince Dunn. He has been sidelined with an upper-body injury since being hit from behind in Calgary on Monday.

And while the Kraken are a long shot to claim a playoff spot, they have also been playing well over the past few weeks. They're 7-2-1 over the last 10 games, including two wins over Boston and one over Vancouver. Their special teams have been solid and they've been allowing just 2.3 goals per game — third-lowest in the league.

Those strong defensive numbers have been driven primarily by Grubauer, who is playing his best hockey since last year's playoffs. Over the last 10 games, he's 5-1-0 with a .943 save percentage and 1.64 goals-against average. His play has been crucial considering the Kraken's expected goals rate at 5-on-5 hasn't been much better than Winnipeg's at 48.81%.

Jets vs. Kraken

Betting Pick & Prediction

More deadline moves could come down before the puck drops in Seattle on Friday night. With that in mind, bettors should proceed with caution.

And while a win in the first half of a back-to-back set usually doesn't guarantee the same outcome in game two, the Kraken's home-ice advantage and Grubauer's strong goaltending puts Seattle in a good spot to repeat the feat against the ailing Jets.

You may want to wait until closer to game time before placing your wager. But as things stand on Thursday afternoon, there's good value in backing the Kraken at plus money.

Pick: Kraken Moneyline (+112 at FanDuel | Play to +100)