NHL Winter Classic 2024: Kraken vs. Golden Knights

I chip-in more Golden Knights coverage for the Winter Classic 2024 on Jan. 1. Check out my Winter Classic preview in Forbes with insight and outdoor hockey history plus Stanley Cup odds.

The Vegas Golden Knights (22-10-5) range from a -130 to -145 favorite over the Seattle Kraken, and the game total is 6 goals. I would lean under the total with the outdoor ice surface seemingly fine, but players noting the puck is not sliding as fast or clean.

Note, neither teams starting goaltenders are playing in the Winter Classic 2024 as injuries have sidelined Adin Hill of Vegas and Philipp Grubauer of Seattle.

“It’s cool to see how (the Winter Classic) started and where it’s gone to now. “It’s great for the league. It builds the game. And I think that’s what we all try to do.” – Seattle Kraken forward Jordan Eberle.

94 page Winter Classic program.

With a story from my press box seat neighbor @PaulDelos_. https://t.co/KbL9uMAaCi

— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) December 31, 2023

“The scenery is unbelievable,” Golden Knights Stanley Cup MVP Jonathan Marchessault said, noting the backdrop that includes a shipwreck and entertainment stage in the middle of the outfield. There is also 6,500 square feet of wooden docks throughout the park, three frozen ponds and a smaller rink for kids to play during the Winter Classic, and a boat house in left field that will house TNT’s pregame and intermission panels.

“This is a huge production, and it’s a lot of fun,” Olczyk said. “Everybody’s gonna be there. It’s a celebration of what we think is the greatest game in the world.”

As the third period is being played following a 3 p.m. ET start from Seattle and the MLB’s Mariners T-Mobile Park, the College Football Playoff kicks off with a semi-final game from The Rose Bowl in Pasadena between the Michigan Wolverines and Alabama Crimson Tide.

But check out the sites, sounds, incredible scenery and hockey game as the Knights battle the Kraken in the 15th Winter Classic and 39th outdoor game in NHL history.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images