Seattle Kraken vs Calgary Flames prediction: Dustin Wolf steps into the fire against Seattle's hot finishers

Wolf back in the crease

Calgary's season has leaned on a goalie it may not have Friday. Devin Cooley left Wednesday's 4-0 loss in Edmonton after a first-period collision with Colton Dach, and he is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Coach Ryan Huska offered no update after the game.

That makes Dustin Wolf the probable starter, though the team hasn't confirmed it. The gap between the two has been stark. Cooley owns a 91.4% save percentage (saves per shot faced). Wolf sits at 83.9%, with a 4.81 goals-against average. He did steady things in Edmonton, making 20 saves in relief. If Cooley can't dress, Arseni Sergeev would be recalled from the Wranglers as the backup.

Seattle hasn't named its starter. Philipp Grubauer is listed as the probable, and he started Wednesday's 5-4 win over Toronto. His 89.7% save percentage tops Joey Daccord's 88.2%, and Daccord remains an option.

Finishing versus volume

Seattle wins games it arguably shouldn't. The Kraken take 25.5 shots per game, 26th of 32, and allow 31.0, 31st. Yet they score 3.69 goals per game, fifth in the league, because they convert 14.5% of their shots.

Calgary is the reverse. The Flames generate 28.8 shots per game, ninth, but finish just 8.1% of them, last in the NHL. Thirteen games is a small sample, and both shooting numbers tend to drift toward the middle. Friday, though, Calgary's misfiring forwards face a Seattle team that bleeds shots, and Seattle's snipers likely face Wolf.

The opening 20 minutes deserve attention. Seattle scores 1.31 first-period goals per game, second in the league, while Calgary allows 1.17, 29th.

A power play starved of chances

Calgary's best weapon is its power play, converting 29.0% of opportunities, fifth in the league. It lines up against a Seattle penalty kill that stops just 67.6% of chances, 28th.

The catch is access. The Flames draw only 2.58 power plays per game, 31st. Seattle draws 3.38, eighth, and Calgary's kill has held up well at 83.8%, ninth. Whichever team stays out of the box gains a real edge here.

Who's missing

Seattle lost Jared McCann to a lower-body injury, announced Oct. 25, for roughly 10 weeks. Kaapo Kakko moves up to the top line, and Jani Nyman, recalled as McCann's replacement, played his first Seattle game Wednesday. Defenseman Ryan Lindgren remains on injured reserve, and Jacob Melanson is out indefinitely.

Calgary's list is longer. Brennan Othmann left Wednesday's game early in the first period and is day-to-day. Jonathan Huberdeau hasn't played this season after hip surgery and, as of Oct. 24, was described as not close. Mikael Backlund was called "closer" in that same Oct. 24 update, with no word since. Sam Honzek is out week-to-week.

Where the market sits

Books barely separate these teams. Seattle is a -115 favorite on the road, Calgary is -104 at home, and the Flames carry the +1.5 puck line. The total of 6.5 hasn't moved since our feed first saw the game Thursday.

The trends pull in opposite directions. Seattle games have gone over 10 times in 13, while Calgary's have stayed under 7 times in 12. Calgary was the moneyline underdog in each of its last five games and won the first four of them, all at home.