SEATTLE KRAKEN NOTES:
TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
April 27, 2023: Recalled F Tye Kartye from Coachella Valley (AHL)
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Tonight’s matchup is the first of two consecutive games that will be played at American Airlines Center during the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
• A win tonight would make the Kraken the 10th expansion team to win their first-ever game in the second round and the seventh to do so while playing on the road.
• Entering play Monday, the Kraken were one of three teams to win three games on the road during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. A win tonight
would make the Kraken the third team to have a three-game road winning streak, joining Toronto and Florida.
• Seattle’s second round series against Dallas could feature the youngest and oldest 50-point players from the regular season. Matty Beniers (20 years old) had 57 points in 80 games and Joe Pavelski (38 years old) had 77 points in 82 games.
• The Kraken posted a 1-1-1 record against the Stars during the 2022-23 regular season.
• Entering play Monday Adam Larsson (37, second) and Brandon Tanev (31, eighth) both ranked in the top 10 in the NHL in hits this postseason.
• Jaden Schwartz recorded 11 shots on goal in Game 4 against the Avalanche, which is the most by a player in a single game this postseason. Entering play Monday, no other player had recorded more than nine shots on goal in a single game during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
— Entering play Monday, Schwartz was ranked fifth in the NHL with 28 shots on goal this postseason.
• According to Natural Stat Trick, when Carson Soucy is on the ice during 5-on-5 play, the Kraken are outscoring the Avalanche 6-1. Soucy’s six on ice goals for at 5-on-5 were tied for 10th among all NHL defensemen and his plus-5 goal differential was tied for fifth among blueliners according to Natural Stat Trick entering play Monday.
• Among goaltenders that have played in each of their team’s first six playoff games, Philipp Grubauer ranked third in both save percentage (0.919) and goals-against average (2.68) entering play Saturday.
• Seattle owned a 13-4-6 record against the Central Division during the 2022-23 regular season.
• 2023 marks the first trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs for five Kraken players: Matty Beniers, Will Borgen, Cale Fleury, Jesper Froden and Jaycob Megna.
• Nine veteran skaters set or tied their career highs in goals, assists and points during the 2022-23 regular season: Will Borgen, Vince Dunn,
Morgan Geekie, Adam Larsson, Jared McCann, Jamie Oleksiak, Daniel Sprong, Brandon Tanev and Eeli Tolvanen.
ROUND WON
• The Kraken set several records and milestones with their 2-1 series-clinching win over the Avalanche on April 30.
• It marked the team’s first playoff series win in franchise history and made them 10th expansion team to win their first-ever playoff series according to NHL Stats.
• The series win also made the Kraken the first team to defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champions in the first round since the Vancouver Canucks took down the St. Louis Blues in six games in 2020. Additionally, Seattle became the first expansion team to defeat the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in their first-ever playoff series according to NHL Stats.
— The Kraken handed Colorado their first, first-round exit since they lost in six games to the Nashville Predators in 2018.
— Seattle also became the 18th team in NHL history to eliminate the reigning Stanley Cup champion in a Game 7 according to NHL Stats.
• According to AP writer Josh Dubow, Sunday marked the second time since 2005 that two teams won a Game 7 while playing on the road on the same day
• Seattle joined the Seahawks, Mariners and Sonics as Seattle franchises to win their first-ever playoff series (or game, in the case of the Seahawks).
• The team finished the series with an 88.9 percent success rate on the penalty kill, which ranked second in the NHL entering play Monday. Seattle held Colorado to only two power-play goals in the series after the Avalanche finished the regular-season with the sixth-best power play (24.5 percent) in the NHL.
• Through seven games in Round 1, the Kraken were assessed 22 penalties for 44 penalty minutes, which ranked third and first, respectively, in the NHL entering play Monday.
• Of the seven series that had concluded by Monday, May 1, Seattle/ Colorado was one of the closest contested. The series finished with a plus-1 goal differential and a plus-0.14 goals-per-game differential (both favoring Colorado). Entering play Monday, the Kraken and Panthers were the only teams to advance to the second round after being outscored in their respective series.
DALLAS STARS NOTES:
SECOND ROUND SERIES SCHEDULE
Date Time (CT) DAL [C2] vs. SEA [WC1] Location TV/Radio/Result
Game 1 Tue, May 2 8:30 p.m. Seattle at Dallas American Airlines Center ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS/KTCK
Game 2 Thu, May 4 8:30 p.m. Seattle at Dallas American Airlines Center TNT, SN, CBC, TVAS /KTCK
Game 3 TBD TBD Dallas at Seattle Climate Pledge Arena TBD/KTCK
Game 4 TBD TBD Dallas at Seattle Climate Pledge Arena TBD/KTCK
Game 5 * TBD TBD Seattle at Dallas American Airlines Center TBD/KTCK
Game 6 * TBD TBD Dallas at Seattle Climate Pledge Arena TBD/KTCK
Game 7 * TBD TBD Seattle at Dallas American Airlines Center TBD/KTCK
- if necessary
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
April 2 – Recalled goaltender Scott Wedgewood from Texas (AHL) and loaned goaltender Matt Murray to Texas (AHL)
April 3 – Recalled defenseman Thomas Harley from Texas (AHL)
April 19 – Recalled forward Riley Tufte from Texas (AHL)
April 26 – Loaned forward Riley Tufte to Texas (AHL)
DALLAS STARS POSTSEASON NOTES
TONIGHT’S GAME: The Stars open their Second Round series tonight against the Seattle Kraken at American Airlines Center. (8:30 p.m. CT, TV: ESPN, SN, CBC, TVAS, Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM/1310-AM). Dallas is coming off a First Round series win over Minnesota, dispatching the Wild in six games. Seattle, meanwhile, earned a victory in Game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.
LET’S GET IT KRAKEN
- This is the first all-time postseason meeting between the franchises.
- There have been 289 unique series matchups in NHL history, including one in the 2023 First Round (SEA-COL). The Seattle-Dallas series will increase that number, as will the Vegas-Edmonton and Toronto-Florida series.
- The Stars/North Stars franchise has faced a club making its first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on two other occasions, both in the first postseason of the NHL’s expansion when the club itself was in the playoffs for the first time. In 1968, the North Stars defeated the Kings in the Quarterfinals (4-3 W) and then lost to the Blues in the Semifinals (4-3 L).
- The Stars went 2-0-1 against the Kraken during the 2022-23 regular-season and are 4-1-1 against them overall since they entered the NHL, including a 2-0-1 mark at home.
- Joe Pavelski has 11 points (5-6—11) in six career games against the Kraken, tied with LA’s Kevin Fiala for the third-most points against the club by any player behind Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Pavelski had five points (2-3—5) in his first-ever game against Seattle (Jan. 12, 2022).
STARS-KRAKEN SEASON SERIES IN REVIEW
March 11, 2023 – STARS 4 at KRAKEN 3 (OT)
Down to their final minute and change in regulation and trailing by a goal, the Stars found the equalizer when forward Joe Pavelski (1-0—1) buried a one-timer from beneath the left faceoff dot. Then, with under two minutes remaining in overtime, defenseman Miro Heiskanen (1-1—2) scored the game-winning goal to lift the Stars to a 4-3 OT victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. It gave Dallas victories in the first two games of a season-long six-game road trip that began with a 10- 4 triumph in Buffalo two nights prior. The Stars have gone 6-3-1 in their past 10 games and maintain first place in the Central Division with 85 points (36-17-13). Forwards Roope Hintz (1-1—2) and Mason Marchment (1-0—1) founded out the scoring for the Stars, while forwards Ty Dellandrea (0-1—1), Max Domi (0-1—1), Evgenii Dadonov (0-1—1) and defensemen Jani Hakanpää (0-1—1), Ryan Suter (0-1—1) and Esa Lindell (0-1—1) added assists. Goaltender Jake Oettinger made 28 saves on 31 shots, including 14 stops in the first period alone.
PP: 0-1 | PK: 3-4 | SF: 25 | SA: 31 | DAL TOI: M. Heiskanen (27:57 – game high) | Attendance: 17,151
Three Stars: 1. DAL – M. Heiskanen 2. DAL – J. Oettinger 3. SEA – R. Donato
March 13, 2023 – STARS 5 at KRAKEN 2
Led by three-point performances from captain Jamie Benn (1-2—3) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (0-3—3), the Stars defeated Seattle for the second time in a row at Climate Pledge Arena. Five different skaters lit the lamp for the Stars, who went 3-for-4 on the power play in the win. Forwards Joe Pavelski (1-1—2), Jason Robertson (1-1—2) and rookie Wyatt Johnston (1-1—2) rounded out the scoring with multi-point efforts for Dallas, which has won the first three games of its season-long six-game road trip. Goaltender Jake Oettinger earned his first career win against the Kraken, stopping 26 of 28 shots.
PP: 3-4 | PK: 2-2 | SF: 32 | SA: 28 | DAL TOI: M. Heiskanen (23:34) | Attendance: 17,151
Three Stars: 1. DAL – J. Benn 2. DAL – M. Heiskanen 3. SEA – V. Dunn
March 21, 2023 – STARS 4 vs. KRAKEN 5 (OT)
Down by two goals with less than 3:30 remaining in regulation, the Stars erased a two-goal deficit including the equalizer from captain Jamie Benn (1-2—3) with one second on the clock to earn a point in a 5-4 overtime defeat to the Seattle Kraken. Trailing 4-2 in the late stages of the third period, forward Joe Pavelski (1-1—2) cut the deficit in half with his 20th goal of the season. Then, at 19:59 of the third, Benn pounced on a loose puck in the slot to force OT. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen (1-1— 2) extended his career-best point streak to 11 consecutive games (tying the franchise mark for defensemen) and forward Wyatt Johnston (1-0—1) lit the lamp for the fifth consecutive game. Forwards Jason Robertson (0-1—1), Roope Hintz (0-1—1), Evgenii Dadonov (0-1—1) and defenseman Ryan Suter (0-1—1) added assists for Dallas. Goaltender Jake Oettinger made 22 saves on 27 shots in his 53rd start of the season.
PP: 1-4 | PK: 2-2 | SF: 29 | SA: 27 | DAL TOI: M. Heiskanen (29:56 – game high) | Attendance: 18,532 (sellout)
Three Stars: 1. SEA – B. Tanev 2. DAL – J. Benn 3. SEA – D. Sprong
POSTSEASON NOTES
- The Stars are in the postseason for a second straight year, 18th time since relocating to Dallas in 1993-94 and 35th time in franchise history. Dallas became the 10th team to clinch a berth in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
- Dallas have advanced past the opening round 19 times in franchise history and 11 since relocating to Texas. The Stars have required at least six games in 14 of their past 15 Stanley Cup Playoffs series dating to the 2007 Conference Quarterfinals.
