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Game 6 Essentials | Stars at Kraken (DAL leads series 3-2) | 4 p.m.

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Game 6 Essentials | Stars at Kraken (DAL leads series 3-2) | 4 p.m.


Time: 4:00 p.m. PT | Watch: ESPN | Listen: 93.3 KJR

 

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One: Keep the Faith – and Aggressiveness

Along with much noted Kraken scoring depth, one of the team’s pillars is to play aggressively in all zones, creating offense from forechecking, disrupting the rush in the neutral zone if not sooner, getting sticks and bodies in front of shots in the defensive zone, reducing Grade-A chances to “B” or “C” levels and winning puck battles along the full 200 feet of ice. Even in Saturday’s must-win game – and perhaps most importantly because it is the season-extender or breaker, Seattle needs to play the way that propelled the franchise to this magical season to date.

“You want to play aggressive, you want to play on your toes, you want to skate, that’s the way we want to play,” Jordan Eberle said in his most recent media scrum. “We want to be a quick team, but we have to be smart about it too. We can’t be diving in everywhere and giving them odd-man rushes and opportunities to score. It’s just having the smarts and veteran presence to know when to do that and when not to do it.”

“I think even if you’re 98 percent sure and two percent off, the two percent are the ones that end up in the back of your net … we have to try and find a way to continue to play aggressive without giving them grade-A chances.”

Dave Hakstol has preached staying with the Kraken’s style of play all season, with Colorado coach Jared Bednar crediting consistency of “winning pucks” as a big reason why the defending Cup champs were ousted in seven games by the second-season Seattle franchise. Hakstol said Friday he expects his squad to bounce back in front of a raucous home crowd at Climate Pledge Arena that has national broadcast media buzzing. 

“We’re a confident group,” coach Dave Hakstol said before the Kraken departed their Dallas hotel Friday. “We haven’t ducked reality or ducked the truth at any point in time through this year, and we won’t now. … The reality is, to win the series we have to win two in a row, but you can’t really worry about two right now. We’ve got to go home and get one.”

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Two: Looking for a Difference-Maker

When Jared McCann scored in Thursday’s Game 5 he became the 18th Kraken player to score a goal this postseason. A 40-goal scorer in the regular season, McCann looked more himself pretty much with each new shift in Dallas. There is every reason to project McCann as a potential hero Saturday night. Yanni Gourde, who has two goals and four assists in his last six postseason games, is another differentiator pick and big-game performer. 

 

Three: Talk Amongst Yourself, Take 2

Part of the fun of a playoff run is talking it over with fellow fans and friends. Some material for discussion Saturday:

  • Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer was chased from the Game 5 loss, giving way to Martin Jones to start the third period. But Dave Hakstol is clearly sticking with Grubauer in the Game 6 later-afternoon matinee: “I don’t know that there’s a bad goal [in Game 5]. Grubi’s been rock solid for us, he’s been better than rock solid. I wanted to get Jonesy in there. The score was stretched out, good opportunity to get Jonesy some minutes. We have all the confidence in the world in Grubi.”
     
  • Kraken D-man and 2022 summer free agent Justin Schultz is tied for third among NHL defensemen in postseason scoring with nine points (three goals, six assists). His nine points make the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs the second-highest scoring postseason of his career, trailing only 2017 when he had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 21 games during Pittsburgh’s 2017 second of back-to-back Cups. 
     
  • Schultz and his fellow Seattle defenseman have scored nine goals this postseason, tops in the NHL. 
     
  • In the second round of the playoffs, Kraken rookie Tye Kartye leads the league in hits with 29, including eight in Game 5. The 21-year-old clearly offers more to Dave Hakstol than just his scoring prowess and elite shot. 



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Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles FC LIVE STREAM (10/28/24): Watch MLS Playoffs online | Time, TV, channel for soccer game

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Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles FC LIVE STREAM (10/28/24): Watch MLS Playoffs online | Time, TV, channel for soccer game


Seattle Sounders faces Los Angeles FC in an MLS Playoff game on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 (11/23/24) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California.

HOW TO WATCH: Fans can watch on Apple TV+, via a subscription to the MLS Season Pass.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: MLS game

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Who: Seattle Sounders vs. Los Angeles FC

When: Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 (11/23/24)

Time: 10:30 p.m. ET

Where: BMO Stadium

TV: N/A

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Live stream: Apple TV+

Here’s a recent AP story on MLS:

Seattle Sounders FC (16-9-9, fourth in the Western Conference during the regular season) vs. Los Angeles FC (19-8-7, first in the Conference during the regular season)

Los Angeles; Saturday, 10:30 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: LAFC -107, Seattle +271; over/under is 2.5 goals

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BOTTOM LINE: Los Angeles FC looks for its 20th win of the season when it faces the Seattle Sounders.

LAFC is 18-8-6 in conference games. LAFC ranks fourth in the Western Conference with 63 goals led by Denis Bouanga with 21.

The Sounders are 12-8-10 against Western Conference teams. The Sounders are 7-1-2 when they score a pair of goals.

The teams meet Saturday for the second time this season. LAFC won the last meeting 3-0.

TOP PERFORMERS: Bouanga has scored 21 goals and added 10 assists for LAFC. Kei Kamara has two assists over the past 10 games.

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Jordan Morris has 13 goals and four assists for the Sounders. Albert Rusnak has scored five goals over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: LAFC: 7-2-1, averaging 1.6 goals, 5.2 shots on goal and 6.4 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.1 goals per game.

Sounders: 5-1-4, averaging 1.5 goals, 3.8 shots on goal and 6.8 corner kicks per game while allowing 0.5 goals per game.

NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: LAFC: Lorenzo Dellavalle (injured).

Sounders: Cody Baker (injured), Jacob Castro (injured), Danny Musovski (injured), Jordan Morris (injured), Albert Rusnak (injured).

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Insider: What to watch from Seattle Seahawks' Week 12 opponent

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Insider: What to watch from Seattle Seahawks' Week 12 opponent


After a big win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks are set for another important divisional clash.

Macdonald previews Seattle Seahawks’ pivotal NFC West clash vs Cardinals

The Seahawks host the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals (6-4) with a chance to move into at least a tie for first place in the division. Seattle (5-5) is currently in a three-way tie for second place with both the 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams.

If Seattle can pull off the win and both San Francisco and Los Angeles lose, it would take over sole possession of first place via the head-to-head tiebreaker over Arizona. The Seahawks and Cardinals meet again on Dec. 8.

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The Cardinals, winners of four straight, are one of the surprise teams in the league this season. After finishing in a four-way tie for the second-worst record in the league last season, they’ve already surpassed their four wins from a season ago and have their latest division lead since being tied for first with the Rams in Week 15 of the 2021 season.

With Arizona on the docket for the first time this season, AZCardinals.com senior writer Darren Urban shared his insight on the Cardinals with Stacy Rost and Seahawks Radio Network analysts Michael Bumpus and Dave Wyman during The Huddle on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

Kyler Murray playing at a high level

Arizona has been much improved on offense with dual-threat quarterback Kyler Murray fully healthy, but that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.

With Murray out for the first nine weeks of last season, the Cardinals stumbled to a 1-8 start while averaging just 16.8 points per game. After his return, they went 3-5 while averaging 22.8 points.

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Murray is playing at a high level this year in his first full season since tearing his ACL in December of the 2022 season. He’s completing passes at a career-high 69.2% clip with 2,058 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding another 371 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.

“I don’t know if I’ll necessarily call it a career year yet. (We) obviously still got half the season to go, but he’s definitely in a different space than he’s been in before,” Urban said. “He might have had more gaudy numbers once upon a time, but he fits so well in the offense that they’re running here with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, and the fact that it’s kind of coming together at a perfect time, really kind of escalates how he looks and how he’s performing. Don’t get me wrong, Kyler is playing at a very high level right now. They just don’t always need him to be Superman like he once was.”

Arizona is tied for 11th in scoring this season at 23.8 points per game with Murray leading the charge. Part of what’s made him so effective this year is his improved ability to take care of the football. He’s on pace for a career-low 1.1% interception rate.

“He’s done a really good job of taking care of the football,” Urban said. “When you add that in with the least amount of penalties the Cardinals have got – the Cardinals have the fewest amount of penalties of anybody in the NFL – that goes a long way in helping you try and win games. So Kyler Murray is in a good place right now. He’s 100% back from the knee injury from a couple of years ago. He looks like it when he moves around. He’s throwing the ball exceptionally well. And this offense is coming around.”

The ‘heart and soul’ of Arizona’s offense

While Murray’s play has been key, Urban described veteran running back James Conner as the “heart and soul of the offense.”

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“Since (head coach) Jonathan Gannon came in, they prefer to be a run-first offense,” Urban said. “(It) doesn’t mean they won’t throw, to the contrary, but in a perfect world James Conner is getting the ball a lot and they are grinding out yards on the ground.”

The 29-year-old Conner has been a versatile weapon for Arizona this season and is 11th in the NFL with 944 yards from scrimmage. He’s rushed for 697 yards and five touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry and added another 247 yards on 24 receptions. The Pittsburgh product has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in four games and produced at least 100 yards from scrimmage in six.

“The way he plays football feels very old-school. It feels very 1977 kind of feel to it as a running back, and you don’t get that a lot anymore. When he does well, it does seem to energize this entire team,” Urban said. “Not a lot of people know James Conner – most (do) from his years in Pittsburgh – but there’s no question that he has played his best football since he came to Arizona in these last couple of years. Even as he’s getting older as a running back, he seems to be getting better.”

The combination of Conner and Murray in the running game means this Cardinals squad is better suited for the chilly conditions it’s set to face Sunday in Seattle.

“If they’re playing the game that they want to play, they’re going to be able to control the ball on offense a little bit and they’re going to be able to run it,” Urban said. “One of the things that has always kind of … followed this team where it plays, if you go back to the heydays of the Kurt Warner Cardinals, is they can win if they’re not in a dome. … This team can do that.”

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Improving defense

After being among the league’s worst defenses last season, the Cardinals have resembled more of a league-average unit this season under second-year defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.

The biggest strides the unit has made have come against the run. Arizona was last in the NFL in rushing defense last season and is up to 19th in 2024. The defense also has been better at forcing turnovers, jumping from tied for 27th to tied for 16th with 11 so far this season.

The Cardinals are coming off two of their best defensive performances, allowing a combined 15 points and no touchdowns in wins over Chicago Bears and New York Jets.

“The last two games where they haven’t given up a touchdown, you’re playing at home, you’re playing against the Jets and the Bears – two teams that I’m pretty sure are not going to be going anywhere past the end of the regular season, so you have to factor in some context,” Urban said. “But this team was always defensively about doing a solid job and hopefully having the offense pick them up in spots.

“What has happened over this four-game winning streak in a lot of ways is the defense has done more than just hold its own, and that’s an important factor when you talk about a group that doesn’t have a lot of big names.”

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With that being said, the unit is still susceptible to give up yards. It’s just been good at limiting points in the red zone, ranking ninth in the league with an opponents’ red-zone touchdown percentage of just 48.6%.

“(The defense is) an area of the roster that I’m sure (general manger) Monti Ossenfort wants to continue to upgrade, but they are playing at a pretty high level and it’s kind of the epitome of bend but not break,” Urban said. “I mean, they’re going to give up some yards, but they’ve been keeping teams out of the end zone, and that’s gone a long way for them to win games.”

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to The Huddle from noon-2 p.m. on Thursday’s before Sunday Seahawks games for two full hours of in-depth coverage on the team.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Rost: What Seattle Seahawks face vs Cards with NFC West lead in play
• Salk: Seahawks’ Macdonald just may be the ‘Shanahan tree killer’
• Why three rising Seahawks players are standing out to Daniel Jeremiah
• Bump goes inside JSN’s breakout stretch for Seattle Seahawks
• Seattle Seahawks make four roster moves as Week 12 preparation begins

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Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Prediction: Odds, Best Bets, Player News, Injuries, and Stats

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Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Prediction: Odds, Best Bets, Player News, Injuries, and Stats


Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Preview

The Arizona Cardinals are 6-4, and Jonathan Gannon should be the favorite for coach of the year. After a tough start to the season, the Cardinals have ripped off five straight wins. Their win over the Chargers is the most impressive of them all.

The Cardinals have been a good mix of solid passing performances and a well-balanced rushing attack, led by quarterback Kyler Murray.

They head to Seattle this week to take on Geno Smith and the 5-5 Seahawks.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Seahawks, and they are on a bit of a bad run, losing three of their last five games.

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Luckily, with the return of DK Metcalf, they should be a bit stronger on the offensive side of the ball.

The Seahawks have missed Metcalf’s production and ability to stretch the field and take the top off the defense.

The Cardinals are the only team without a conference loss, so they should enter this game as betting favorites and with a great deal of confidence.

Listen to the Bet the Edge podcast as hosts Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick provide listeners with sharp actionable insight, market analysis and statistical data to help bettors gain more information before placing their wagers. So, whether you’re targeting spreads and totals, looking for value in futures markets or circling player props, give their podcast a listen to give you that extra edge.

How to Watch Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Live on Sunday:

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  • Date: Sunday, November 24, 2024
  • Time: 4:25 PM ET
  • Site: Lumen Field
  • City: Seattle, WA
  • TV/Streaming: FOX

Latest Game Odds for Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – Week 12

The latest odds as of Friday morning, courtesy of DraftKings:

  • Moneyline: Arizona Cardinals (-110), Seattle Seahawks (-110)
  • Spread: Cardinals -1
  • Total: 44.5

The Seahawks enter this game as a 1.5-point favorite. Given the success of the Cardinals, the line has since moved in favor of Arizona, making them a 1-point favorite.

NBC Sports Bet Best Bets

NBC Sports analyst Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) is eyeing Seattle +1

Thomas: “This game is blah… If there were a skip button, it would be this one for me. Not that it won’t be a compelling game; I am just struggling to find a reason bet to take. Gun to my head, I would take Seahawks +1 at -105. With Metcalf returning, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has his full arsenal of talented weapons at his disposal.”

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Team Stats, Betting Trends

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  • The Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their last five games as a road underdog
  • The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Cardinals
  • The Seahawks have won five straight games against the Cardinals
  • The Cardinals are 2-0 against the NFC West this season
  • The Cardinals have won 5 of their last 6 games

Quarterback Matchup for Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

  • Cardinals: Kyler Murray returned to action in Week 10, showing flashes of his dynamic playmaking ability that he had prior to his injury. Murray has thrown for 2,058 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.
  • Seahawks: Geno Smith has had a turnover problem. He’s thrown for 2,781 yards and 11 touchdowns, so some may say he’s been good. However, it’s hard to ignore the 11 interceptions he has thrown.

Player News & Injuries

  • Cardinals:
    • S Jalen Thompson (ankle) is OUT
    • LB Xavier Thomas (back) is questionable
    • DE Darius Robinson (calf) is questionable
    • OT Jonah Williams (knee) is questionable
    • K Matt Prater is on the IR
  • Seahawks:
    • TE Noah Fant (groin) is questionable
    • TE Brady Russell (foot) is OUT
    • WR Laviska Shenault Jr (back) is questionable
    • OT George Fant (knee) is on the IR

Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest and tools for the NFL, including game predictions, player props, futures, and trends!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:





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