Facing the Dallas Stars for the final time this season – and second time at home in three days – the question for the Seattle Kraken is not really whether they could win the game. The better question was, could they score?
As Seattle knows all too well, Dallas sports the league’s 3rd stingiest defense. When the teams first met back in October, Stars goalie Casey DeSmith didn’t allow a goal for all 60 minutes as Dallas won 2-0. In Saturday’s 5-1 Stars victory at Climate Pledge Arena, Jake Oettinger pitched a shutout for the final 58:33, making 35 saves.
Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko did score early in Monday’s rematch, but the Stars countered with two goals on their first three shots before the first TV timeout. The scores by Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston held up in a 3-1 Stars victory.
Seattle went scoreless on three power play chances, finishing 0-11 with the extra man in the season series against the Stars. Over the last two losses to the Stars, the Kraken managed two goals on 73 shots. DeSmith stopped 36 of 37 Kraken shots Monday, while Philipp Grubauer rallied to make 28 saves in a strong if losing effort.
1st Period
One stat in the Kraken’s favor: they’ve dominated the second minute of their last two games against Dallas. Saturday, Eeli Tolvanen scored 87 seconds in; tonight, Kaapo Kakko lights the lamp after 62 seconds.
@Jennthulhu_Photos
Kakko left the puck for Jaden Schwartz, then skated into the slot; after circling the net, Schwartz found Kakko for his 14th goal.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
That concludes the home team good news, as Seattle and starting netminder Philipp Grubauer surrender the lead with two Dallas goals in 45 seconds. First, Matt Duchene ties the game 1-1 at 2:49. Then Wyatt Johnston, apparently irked that Duchene tied him in goals with 29, scores his 30th – adding to his 3rd period tally Sunday – to give the visitors a 2-1 lead at 3:19.
Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Grubauer did come up big on Mason Marchment’s breakaway, shutting the five-hole.
The Kraken give up their mandatory shorthanded breakaway against, forcing Brandon Montour to negate a power play by tripping Roope Hintz. Montour exits the box in a shooting mood on a 2-on-1, but DeSmith makes the save. Shots finished 15-11 Dallas.
2nd Period
Ryker Evans becomes the second Kraken defenseman forced to take a penalty to thwart a Dallas breakaway. But this time it’s Seattle with a shorthanded break. Jared McCann saucers a pass to Tolvanen, but DeSmith blockers away Tolvanen’s wrister. Grubauer makes a fine blocker save of his own on Thomas Harley as Evans’ penalty expires.
Grubauer, looking sharp after a stumbling start, stops a Matt Duchene try from in close, then stones Marchment flying down left wing. Flying and crashing, actually; Marchment knocked the net off its moorings.
Matt Dumba and Lian Bichsel take Dallas minors which overlap by nine seconds late in the period. Despite nearly four consecutive minutes of extra man advantage, Seattle can’t tie the game. During the power play, McCann gets dumped. He remains on his back in the corner long enough for the referee to come over – presumably, so Jared can ask why another penalty wasn’t called.
Seattle outshot Dallas 16-10 in the period, 27-25 through 40.
3rd Period
I know it’s Climate Pledge Arena, but the Kraken and Stars shouldn’t be forced to recycle the script from their last game. Just like on Saturday, Seattle scored real quick, Dallas got the next two, the middle period was scoreless, the home team is loading up on shots, and the Kraken power play has fired blanks.
Nothing changed in the period, as the Stars played keep-away, the Kraken took more fruitless shots on goal, and Mikael Granlund added an empty net goal.
Up Next
As the calendar turns to April, the Kraken depart on their last road trip of the season. The five-game excursion begins Wednesday in Vancouver, followed by stops in San Jose, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.