Stars take 2 from Kraken

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When the Dallas Stars and the Seattle Kraken combined for three goals in the first 3:19 of last night’s game it seemed unlikely that starting goaltenders- Casey DeSmith of the Stars and Philipp Grubauer of the Kraken- would not allow a goal for the remainder of the game.

But that was the case.

Mikael Grandlund did add an empty-net goal to ice a 3-1 victory for the Stars but DeSmith stopped 35 shots and Grubauer had 31 saves in the Kraken net.

Wyatt Johnson was selected the game’s number one star but DeSmith was selected the number-two star and Grubauer, number three.

The Stars also posted a 5-1 victory over the Kraken on Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena, giving Dallas two wins in the `mini-series.’ With last night’s win, the Stars (49-21-4) went over the 100-point mark for the season. However, they’re still four points behind division leader Winnipeg in the Central Division. The Stars have the third best record in the NHL behind the Jets and the Washington Capitals.

Despite the loss, Seattle once again received a solid performance from Grubauer between the pipes. In four games since being recalled from Coachella Valley of the American Hockey League, Grubi has a 2.03 goals against average and a .925 save percentage (a quality NHL goaltender should have a percentage over .900). In his last game against Anaheim (a 6-4 loss) before being sent down, the veteran goaltender had a 5.05 GAA and a .773 save percentage in that game.

Kaapo Kakko started the scoring for Seattle at 3:02 of the first period. Jaden Schwartz found Kakko to the right of the net and he wristed a shot past DeSmith.

``We got off to a good start. On the second shift of the game the line of Matty (Beniers), Schwartzy and Kakko stepped up,’’ said Kraken coach Dan Bylsma. ``A great play in the offensive zone for the goal and they had several other shifts like that throughout the night.’’

``That’s something I think I need to do more – getting to the net,” said Kakko, who chalked up his career season high 41st point of the season. “I feel I’m outside and at the corners and behind the net a lot, but if you want to score more goals, you’ve got to get to the net more. I think that’s still something I can be better at.”

However, the Stars, who’ve won six consecutive games (7-0-2 in their last nine contests) responded with two goals in 45 seconds. Matt Duchesne tipped in a shot by Mason Marchment from the right circle and Johnson scored what would stand as the game winner when he slapped a shot past Grubauer.

``It was just two goals against, but (Dallas) two other breakaways they had playing long and getting a bounce when our D was down," said Bylsma, ``They had several other opportunities.''

In Saturday night’s game, the Kraken also took a 1-0 lead on Eeli Tolvanen’s 22nd goal of the season. The score was also 2-1 for Dallas after two periods, but the Stars notched three unanswered goals in the third period. Dallas also had two power play goals in the contest.

The Kraken (31-38-6) begin a five-game road trip at Vancouver, tomorrow night.

Scoring Summary

First Period

S- Kaapo Kakko (Jaden Schwartz 23, Adam Larsson 19) 1:02.

D-Matt Duchesne (Mason Marchment, Matt Dumba) 2:34.

D-Wyatt Johnson (Esa Lindell, Oskar Back) 3:19.

Second Period

No scoring.

Third Period

D- Mikael Grandlund (Esa Lindell, Marchment) EN, 16:53.

Shots on Goal- Dallas 31 (Oskar Back 5), Seattle 36 (Adam Larsson 5)

Hits- Dallas 11 (Liam Bischel 3), Seattle 29 (Eeli Tolvanen 6)

Penalty Minutes- Dallas 6, Seattle 6.

Faceoffs- Dallas 53.6%, Seattle 46.9%.

Blocked Shots- Dallas 12 (Matt Dumba 3), Seattle (Jamie Oleksiak 3)

Referees- Chis Lee, Mike Markovic. Linesman- Kiel Murchison, Travis Toomey.

Three Stars- 1. Wyatt Johnston, D. 2. Casey DeSmith, D. 3. Philipp Grubauer, S.


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