Backcheck
Recap · WPG at SEA

Kraken hold off the Jets

The Kraken earned it — the game and the expected-goals battle both.

By the ModelJul 11, 3:57 PMxG: xgboost-0.758Edited for clarity
Away
WPG
Winnipeg Jets
3
Home
SEA
Seattle Kraken
5
FINAL
Process vs result

The underlying story

2.55Expected goals3.60
59% share for the better side
26Shot attempts (SOG)18
3High-danger chances7
52Corsi (all attempts)47
Score-adjusted: 52% / 48%
Source · NHL play-by-play · XGBoost xG

The Kraken beat the Jets 5-3 with fewer shots—just 41% of the total—but far more dangerous ones. Their expected goals (3.60–2.55) revealed Seattle's superior quality of chances. P. Grubauer's 0.885 save percentage (23 of 26) extended this control; C. Hellebuyck's 0.765 (13 of 17) compounded Winnipeg's deficit.

The Kraken generated 7 high-danger chances against 3 for the Jets. Off the rush, Seattle scored 4 goals on 20 chances; Winnipeg scored 3 goals on 23 chances—still dangerous, but outpaced. Jordan Eberle's wrist shot from the top of the circles (P3, 18:25) was the turning point.

How the game was won

The danger ladder

shotsgoalsexpected
High dangerslot & crease
WPG1 / 3 · 0.81 xG
SEA2 / 7 · 2.05 xG
Medium dangermid-range
WPG2 / 11 · 1.04 xG
SEA3 / 10 · 1.13 xG
Low dangerperimeter & point
WPG0 / 38 · 0.70 xG
SEA0 / 30 · 0.43 xG

SEA went 3-for-10 from medium danger on 1.13 expected goals — 1.9 above expected.

Source · Backcheck xG model · NHL play-by-play
The luck layer

Finishing vs expected

expectedactual
WPG
3 G · 2.55 xG · +0.5
SEA
5 G · 3.60 xG · +1.4
0123456
Goalies · GSAx (goals saved above expected)
C. HellebuyckWPG
-0.4
P. GrubauerSEA
-0.4

WPG finished +0.5 against expected, SEA +1.4 — P. Grubauer (SEA) allowed 0.4 more goals than expected.

Source · Backcheck xG model
What they shot — and what went in

Shot diet

goalsshots
WPG
WRIST1/19
SLAP1/10
TIP IN1/6
SNAP0/4
DEFLECTED0/0
BACKHAND0/1
BAT0/0
OTHER0/12
SEA
WRIST2/22
SLAP1/3
TIP IN1/3
SNAP0/3
DEFLECTED1/2
BACKHAND0/0
BAT0/1
OTHER0/13
WPG
SEA
Off the rush
3 G on 23 · 1.98 xG
4 G on 20 · 2.50 xG
Off rebounds
0 G on 1 · 0.12 xG
0 G on 2 · 0.46 xG

Wrist shots carried the volume: WPG went 1-for-19, SEA 2-for-22. SEA scored 4 of theirs off the rush.

Source · Backcheck xG model · NHL shot types
Three stars · computed, not voted
V. Dunn
#29 · D · SEA
1 G · 2 A · 1 SOG · 21:06 TOI
M. Beniers
#10 · C · SEA
0 G · 2 A · 0 SOG · 24:07 TOI · +2
M. Scheifele
#55 · C · WPG
1 G · 1 A · 2 SOG · 21:17 TOI · -2
Ranked from the box score — points first · Backcheck
What the model flagged
  • WPG generated higher-quality looks than the shot total suggests.
  • SEA generated far more dangerous chances — 0.077 xG/shot vs 0.049. Quality over quantity.
  • SEA was lethal off the rush — 4 goals on 20 rush chances.
  • WPG was lethal off the rush — 3 goals on 23 rush chances.
Before the game — the model's pre-game read
Preview · WPG at SEA · 10:00 PM ET

Jets at Kraken: a genuine coin flip

By the ModelJul 11, 3:54 PMEdited for clarity
Win probability

The model's lean

51%
SEA
Model favorite
49%
51%
WPG50SEA

SEA by 2 points of win probability — effectively a coin flip. Projected score WPG 2.42.5 SEA; 19% chance it's tied after 60.

Source · Backcheck Poisson projection · season scoring rates
Season profile · edge from the spine

Tale of the tape

WPG← edge
edge →SEA
48.0%5v5 xG%46.0%
49.0%Corsi%45.0%
2.34xGF / 602.13
2.55xGA / 602.51
1.90Goals for / gm1.87
2.10Goals against / gm1.95
0.998PDO — luck, not skill1.011

WPG holds 4 of 6 process categories — and PDO (0.998 vs 1.011) says SEA has run hotter.

Source · MoneyPuck season tables · 5v5

The model projects a 2.4-2.5 goal game with the Kraken holding a 51% win probability—which is to say, you should flip a coin. Winnipeg and Seattle are close enough that the edge, if one exists, is invisible to the numbers.

Territorially, the Jets dominate. Winnipeg's 49.0% Corsi rate suggests they'll spend the night in Seattle's end, generating 48.0% expected goals. The Kraken counter with a 46.0% xG rate and a 45.0% Corsi share, meaning they'll be playing defensively for long stretches. Yet Seattle's PDO of 1.011 means they've converted their chances at a higher rate than deserved—a modest cushion that may or may not hold up when the Jets apply sustained pressure.

Winnipeg's own PDO of 0.998 sits almost perfectly at par, suggesting no luck is inflating their underlying quality. Over the last 10 games, though, Seattle has been underwater at -5 goal differential, a warning sign even as their season-long metrics remain respectable.

The goaltending situation adds noise. Both C. Hellebuyck and M. Murray are on back-to-backs, and either team could deploy a backup or risk a fatigued starter. That uncertainty is worth monitoring.

Winnipeg's scoring depth is the story here. Kyle Connor has 25 goals and 30 assists while shooting at 13.0%; he's generating 0.83 expected goals per 60 minutes and has two high-danger goals. Nino Niederreiter is even more dangerous in tight areas, with 0.87 xG/60, six goals, six assists, and three high-danger goals on an 8.6% shooting rate. Neutralizing either becomes the Kraken's central problem.

Seattle has weapons of its own. Shane Wright generates 0.77 xG/60 with eight goals, ten assists, and four high-danger goals—elite offensive instincts in confined space. Berkly Catton, at 0.68 xG/60, has six goals, eight assists, and five high-danger goals, a conversion rate suggesting he thrives when chaos is thickest. Both represent legitimate threats if the Kraken can win possession.

The matchup clarity comes down to this: Winnipeg controls the puck and geography; Seattle survives on precise finishing. One team will dominate stretches. The other will capitalize on scraps. Which finishes? The model says it's even odds—which is precisely what you should expect when two solid teams meet and neither has a clear edge.

Computed danger · scouting

Players to watch

WPG
Nino Niederreiter6G 6A
0.87 xG/60 · 3 HD · 8.6% sh
Kyle Connor25G 30A
0.83 xG/60 · 2 HD · 13.0% sh
SEA
Shane Wright8G 10A
0.77 xG/60 · 4 HD · 10.4% sh
Berkly Catton6G 8A
0.68 xG/60 · 5 HD · 8.8% sh
Source · MoneyPuck skaters