The NHL’s Conference Finals are nearly set. The Eastern Conference contenders have been known for the past few days, while the Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the third round Sunday night. All that’s left to be sorted out is who they will play in the Western Conference Final. 

Their opponent will be determined Monday night, as the Dallas Stars host the Seattle Kraken for a decisive Game 7 at the American Airlines Center. Seattle kept its championship aspirations alive with a convincing win on Saturday night. Now, the stakes are even higher as they travel into hostile territory to take on one of the best teams in the league.

Hurricanes vs. Panthers Series NHL Best Bets

Kraken @ Stars Game Information

• Location: American Airlines Center | Dallas, Texas
• Time: 8:00 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN, Sportsnet

Although it’s not reflected in the scores, Dallas has maintained its defensive integrity throughout this postseason. The Stars ended the regular season with a top-ten ranked defense, allowing the third-fewest goals and seventh-fewest high-danger chances, yielding the sixth-best expected goals-against. That standard has been on full display against the Kraken.

Seattle hasn’t spent much meaningful time in the attacking zone. The Kraken have been limited to nine or fewer high-danger chances in four of six contests, averaging 7.7 per game. Scoring opportunities have been even scarcer, with the Kraken attempting 21 or fewer in all but one of those matchups, averaging a paltry 18.8. That defensive shell will be harder to crack, with the Stars benefitting from home-ice advantage. 

Kraken @ Stars Odds on FanDuel

• Spread: Kraken +1.5 (-140) | Stars -1.5 (+116)
• Moneyline: Kraken +172 | Stars -210
• Total: OVER 5.5 (-128) | UNDER 5.5 (+104)

We haven’t seen the best from Jake Oettinger in this series, but we expect him to be on his A-game tonight. Oettinger’s save percentage has nosedived this round, falling to 0.865 over the past six games. That’s a substantial deviation from his regular season benchmark of 0.919. Moreover, Oettinger has reserved his best performances for after a loss. 

More NHL Best Bets from Kraken-Stars Game 7

The former first-round pick is a mind-numbing 22-1-3 following a loss this season, with a sterling 0.933 save percentage. Additionally, Oettinger and the Stars have yet to lose consecutive games in the postseason. Factoring in the impenetrable defense in front of him and his reputation for bounce-back efforts, we’re betting Oettinger shuts the door against the Kraken.

Kraken @ Stars Picks

• UNDER 5.5 +104 | 60-minute tie +380
• Roope Hintz Any Time Goal Scorer +165

Not surprisingly, with the aforementioned defensive metrics working in the Stars’ favor, we’re anticipating a low-scoring game on Monday night. The UNDER is generously priced at +104, and we’re not passing up that value. Still, there are two other plays to consider. 

Oettinger has been exceptional following defeat; however, there’s also been a noteworthy overtime trend. The Stars have required extra time in seven of the 26 contests following an Oettinger loss, representing 26.9% of their games. At its current offering, the 60-minute tie is priced at +380, carrying with it an implied probability of 20.7%. Consequently, there’s an advantage in backing the overtime prop in Game 7. 

Lastly, Roope Hintz has been the Stars’ best player this postseason. He leads his team with eight goals and ten assists, with metrics to back up sustained production. Hintz is the pacesetter in scoring and high-danger opportunities, yielding a team-best 66.3% expected goals-for rating.

Another NHL player prop from Stars-Kraken Game 7

The Stars have the added advantage of the last change and will deploy their top scorer under ideal circumstances at home. We’re not expecting Hintz to take his foot off the pedal in the biggest game of the season, and we’re backing him as an any-time goal scorer at +165.