Kraken @ Stars RECAP: Offensive Woes Hand Seattle 3-1 Loss, Dallas Central Division Title

Roll the Highlight Reel!

Game Notes

• Minor roster tweaks came with Logan Morrison, Shane Wright, and Ryan Winterton’s reassignment to the AHL on Friday, namely the return of Kailer Yamamoto and Tomáš Tatar to the fourth line. Vince Dunn did not travel with the team and is effectively shut down for the season, leaving Ryker Evans to round out the defensive corps for the 16th-straight game.
• To start, Seattle held their own structurally, doubling Dallas in shots and seizing a thin shot quality margin despite a quiet opening period. Explosive offensive opportunities were hard to come by but Matty Beniers, Eeli Tolvanen, Tye Kartye, and Jared McCann ripped pucks from the slot to give Seattle some attacking presence.
• A successful penalty kill fired Dallas up late in the period. While Philipp Grubauer saved a sneaky net-front attempt off the rush from Joe Pavelski, the home team’s momentum never wavered. Two seconds before the end of the period, Craig Smith delivered a well-executed tip-in to open the scoring.
• Seattle kept up their offensive pace through the second period and were once again unrewarded. Another eight shots (and the first five of the period) failed to reap anything on the scoreboard, although opportunities were present. Jaden Schwartz flew through the air on the power play in an attempt to sink a rebound catalyzed by Ryker Evans from the point. As it has all season, Seattle had little to show for their effort besides a relentless lack of finishing.
• Perhaps the most entertaining sequence of the game came early in the second period, when net-front chaos forced Will Borgen and Jamie Oleksiak to dive into the crease to keep Dallas from scoring. Desperate, Borgen illegally covered the puck with his glove, and Sam Steel’s ensuing penalty shot was saved without hassle by Grubauer.
• …And the worst sequence came at the end of the second period. Brandon Tanev drove the net and bowled over Jake Oettinger for a goaltender interference penalty that sent Seattle to a two-man disadvantage. Jason Robertson scored quickly to put the Stars up 2-0. Shutout concerns intensified.
• While the third period brought an offensive push for the Kraken– and a sign of life by way of a drought-snapping goal from Kailer Yamamoto– it was far too late to push for the win, and they succumbed 3-1.

Let’s Give a Hand To…

• Kailer Yamamoto, for scoring his first goal in 20 games.
• Jamie Oleksiak, for whatever he’d call this move to cover the puck in the second period.
• Jordan Eberle and Oliver Bjorkstrand, for hitting several posts in the third period and giving everybody watching a glimmer of offensive hope.

Three Stars of the Game

⭐️Miro Heiskanen (1G, 2A)

⭐️⭐️Jason Robertson (1G, 1A)

⭐️⭐️⭐️Kailer Yamamoto (1G)

And here’s tonight’s heat map of the game. Good to see Seattle’s only goal of the game come from exactly where it needed to.