Seattle Kraken vs Florida Panthers Picks and Predictions for Saturday October 17 2026
The Seattle Kraken are heading into Florida on Saturday, and I’m looking at the betting line wondering if the sportsbooks have been watching the same hockey games I have. The Panthers are favored around -178, and I get it. They’re at home, they’ve won two straight, and they’ve got enough talent to beat anybody. But Seattle has been a pretty tough customer lately. The Kraken just took Tampa Bay into overtime Thursday before losing 4-3, and they’ve picked up points in four straight road games. These two meet at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on October 17, 2026, with the puck dropping at 6:00 PM ET. The total is sitting at 6.5 goals. I’m not saying Florida can’t win this game. Of course they can. But asking me to lay that much money against a Seattle team that’s been playing well? No thanks. Check out our free NHL picks for more NHL predictions throughout the season.
Seattle Kraken Have Been A Tough Bunch On The Road
Seattle is 5-2-1 overall and has picked up three wins and an overtime loss on this road trip. That’s not bad at all. They beat Detroit 6-3, Washington 5-3, and Philadelphia 3-2 in a shootout before losing 4-3 to Tampa Bay Thursday. And that Tampa game? Seattle gave the Lightning all they could handle. They were tied 2-2 in the third period, fell behind, and came right back to force overtime. Didn’t get the extra point, but they weren’t exactly pushed around either. Tampa hasn’t lost at home this season, so taking them to overtime is nothing to be embarrassed about. Seattle has been finding ways to stay in games, and I don’t see why that suddenly stops against Florida.
The Kraken have been scoring plenty, averaging better than three and a half goals per game, but they haven’t exactly been locking things down defensively. They’ve allowed three goals or more in several recent games, and that’s what makes this matchup interesting. Florida can score in bunches when it gets going. Seattle’s power play has been converting around 24% of its chances, and that’s a pretty decent number. The Kraken have also been doing a better job creating offense away from home. They scored six in Detroit and five in Washington, then managed three against a Tampa team that’s been pretty good defensively. What worries me is the number of chances they’re giving up. You can’t expect your goalie to keep bailing you out every night, especially against a team like Florida.
Seattle’s top scorers have been doing their jobs, and the Kraken have gotten some timely goals from the rest of the lineup, too. Their leading offensive players have been producing at better than a point-per-game pace, and that’s helped take some pressure off the goaltending. Seattle’s goalie made 31 saves against Tampa Bay Thursday, and without a few of those stops, that game wouldn’t have reached overtime. Brandon Montour is dealing with a lower-body injury, Ryan Lindgren remains sidelined with an upper-body problem, and Jacob Melanson is out with a chest injury. Those missing defensemen are a concern against Florida. The Kraken have enough offense to compete, but they’re going to need another good night in net.
Sign Up Get $30 Premium Picks Credit + Exclusive Offers
Subscribe Now
Florida Panthers Are Starting To Find Their Game
Florida is 4-2-2 overall, and the Panthers have finally put together a couple of wins after a rough stretch. They lost 4-1 to Minnesota and 5-3 to Buffalo, then went into Columbus Tuesday and won 7-3. Thursday against Vancouver was a completely different story. Florida trailed 2-0 after the first period and didn’t score until the third. They tied the game with 13 seconds left and won 3-2 in overtime. That’s a pretty wild comeback, especially considering Vancouver was desperate to snap a losing streak. Florida got the win, and that’s what matters, but I wouldn’t call it a convincing performance. You don’t want to make a habit of needing last-second goals to beat struggling teams.
The Panthers are averaging around three goals per game, but the offense has been all over the place. Seven against Columbus, three against Vancouver, one against Minnesota. Good luck figuring out which version shows up Saturday. Florida has been better at home, and they’ve got enough experience to handle a team like Seattle, but the defensive play hasn’t always been sharp. They allowed five to Buffalo and three to Columbus, and Vancouver had them down two goals Thursday. Their power play is converting around 17.5%, which isn’t anything special. Seattle has been scoring pretty consistently on this trip, so Florida can’t afford another slow start. The Panthers have been winning lately, but they’ve also been making things harder than they need to be.
Florida’s leading scorer has been carrying a pretty good share of the offense lately, including a couple of big performances this week. The Panthers have also gotten timely scoring from their defense, and that helped them get past Vancouver. But the injury list is getting crowded. Aleksander Barkov is out with a lower-body injury, Brad Marchand is sidelined with a leg problem, and Jonah Gadjovich is dealing with an upper-body injury. Radko Gudas and Jacob Markstrom are also listed with injuries. That’s a lot of experience missing or questionable. Florida has enough depth to survive some of it, but I don’t think you can just ignore those absences and assume the Panthers are going to roll over a Seattle team that’s been scoring goals on the road.
Seattle Kraken vs Florida Panthers Picks and Predictions
Seattle Kraken Moneyline (+163)
I’m taking Seattle here. Yeah, I know, Florida just won two straight, and the Panthers are a tough team to beat at home. But +163? That’s a pretty generous price for a Kraken team that’s gone into Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay and picked up points in every one of those buildings. Seattle has been scoring, and they’re not falling apart when games get tight. Florida needed a goal with 13 seconds left just to force overtime against Vancouver, a team that had lost five straight coming into that game. Now, I’m not pretending Seattle is perfect. They’ve been giving up too many chances, and Florida could absolutely make them pay. But the Panthers have some important players missing, and I’m not convinced their recent wins justify this kind of price. Seattle doesn’t need to be the better team over an entire season. They just need to be better for one night. At +163, I’ll take that chance.
Over 6.5 Goals (+117)
Give me the over, too. Seattle has scored at least three goals in all four games on this road trip, and the Kraken have allowed three or more in three of them. Florida just scored seven against Columbus and three against Vancouver, so it’s not like the Panthers have forgotten how to put the puck in the net. The one thing that could hurt us is Florida’s offense going quiet again. They managed just one goal against Minnesota, and Vancouver held them scoreless for two periods Thursday. That’s worth remembering. But Seattle has been playing games where both teams get their chances, and Florida has enough offensive talent to take advantage of that. I can see this turning into a 4-3 game either way. Maybe Seattle wins it 4-3 and we cash both tickets. Maybe Florida gets the fourth goal. Either way, I like our chances of seeing seven.
Final Picks: Seattle Kraken Moneyline (+163) and Over 6.5 Goals (+117)
This article was completed on October 16, 2026. Betting odds, starting goaltenders, injury reports, and other game information may change before puck drop.
Never Tried Picks and Parlays? Now Is Your Chance
- Get your first daily picks package for ONLY $1 using coupon code BUCK
- If the pick loses, we credit your account with 3 Flex Picks
- If the pick wins, we still give you 1 Flex Pick on the house
- Win or lose, you walk away ahead. One dollar. No catch.
Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win
New Users – Get $350 in Bonus Bets when you wager $5 for 7 days
New DraftKings Customers: Bet $5, Get $200 + 3 Months of NBA League Pass!
