Johnston, Seguin score goal, assist as Stars beat Kraken 4-2 in Game 2
DALLAS, TX MAY 4: Tyler Seguin #91 of the Dallas Stars celebrates a goal against the Seattle Kraken in Game Two of the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 4, 2023, in Dallas, Texas (Photo by Glenn James/NH
The Dallas Stars dominated play and took advantage of several mistakes from the Seattle Kraken in earning a 4-2 victory in Game 2 on Thursday night to level the best-of-seven series at a game apiece.
The Kraken took a handful of undisciplined penalties that gave a high-powered Stars power play multiple chances to seize momentum. Joe Pavelski scored a power play goal in the second period and Wyatt Johnston scored seconds after another Seattle penalty had concluded as the Stars used a dominant second period to springboard to an easy Game 2 win.
"We've got to take care of our discipline the last two power plays," head coach Dave Hakstol said. This is a team that came into the series at 37.5 percent (on the power play in the playoffs and feeling pretty good. And if they don't capitalize, as you saw tonight, they're going to generate momentum out of that."
It was perhaps the worst showing by the Kraken so far this postseason. Dallas out-shot Seattle by a 37-27 margin, which included a 19-9 advantage in a decisive second period effort.
Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves on 37 shots with many brilliant stops to help blunt a barrage of Stars chances. However, Dallas created 16 high-danger chances – per NaturalStatTrick.com – compared to just four from Seattle as they earned the victory to tie the series before a return to Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday.
Per MoneyPuck.com, Grubauer had 1.3 goals saved over expected in the game due to the number of stops he made on high quality chances for Dallas.
"He made big saves getting us the PKs. Grubi was good tonight," Hakstol said. "Go through the goals, I mean, he's done a nice job for our hockey team. He did that again tonight. We didn't give him enough support tonight."
Rookie Tye Kartye scored his second goal of the playoffs and Jordan Eberle added a late goal to cut the final deficit for Seattle. Jake Oettinger made 25 saves on 27 shots for the Stars in the victory.
"I think they played a lot more together than we did and that's where we saw ourselves get exposed," defenseman Vince Dunn said. "So we'll have to look at that and learn from it. I think we made the game a lot harder than it needed to be each other.
"Details weren't there completely as a group. Things we talk about all the time, we didn't really do every single shift and this time of the year when you don't do that, good teams will make you pay whether it's momentum shifts or goals in the back of the net."
Dallas pressured the Kraken much more effectively early in Game 2 than they did in Tuesday's series opener. After delivering just 19 hits in all of Game 1, the Stars matched Seattle with 13 hits in the opening period on Thursday and out-shot Seattle by an 11-5 margin.
Carson Soucy took his first of three penalties on the night late in the first period as a clearance attempt from the defensive zone sailed over the glass for a delay of game penalty. The Kraken needed Grubauer to come up big and he delivered as he stopped a Jason Robertson chance and a Max Domi slap shot. Seguin followed with a late tip on a Colin Miller slap shot that Grubauer also managed to deflect wide as Seattle killed off the penalty successfully.
They wouldn't be so fortunate in the second period.
Soucy was called for an interference penalty against Mason Marchment as the Stars forward threw himself to the ice to draw a call. While Marchment was also called for embellishment on the play, Soucy's ire over the initial call led to an additional slashing penalty that gave Dallas another power play chance.
Just seconds after the penalty expired, Wyatt Johnston worked to the front of the net to slip a Miller shot rebound underneath the left pad of Grubauer to give Dallas a 1-0 lead. Johnson got a tip on Miller's initial shot to redirect the puck and create the rebound chance.
The Dallas pressure on the Kraken continued as Grubauer kept facing quality chances. He eventually misplayed one as the Stars took advantage. Grubauer slid wide of the net as Evgenii Dadonov delivered a wraparound goal that snuck across the line for a 2-0 Stars lead.
Kartye finally sparked the Kraken attack midway through the period. A stretch pass from Dunn sparked a two-on-one chance for Kartye and Eberle with Kartye snapping a wrist shot over the blocker shoulder of Oettinger to make it a 2-1 game.
"It was just a great pass up and I just san an opportunity and shot it.," said Kartye of his goal in just his fifth career NHL game.
"The guys are really helping me out just trying to let me play my game and be myself. So just trying to help the team get some wins here."
Another poor penalty by Seattle soon followed as Will Borgen spun Dadonov to the ice for a holding penalty behind the Kraken net gave Dallas another power play opportunity. Just over a minute into the man advantage, Johnston threw a puck on net that Joe Pavelski managed to chip by Grubuaer as the Stars restored their two-goal advantage.
It's the fifth goal in two games for Pavelski against Seattle since returning from a concussion sustained in Dallas' first round victory over the Minnesota Wild.
Borgen got a trip of chances in quick successions under 14 minutes left to play and Jaden Schwartz had a follow-up chance as well, but all were turned aside by Oettinger. Soucy then had perhaps the best look of the night for Seattle off an Eberle pass that Oettinger managed to deflect off the left post and out to preserve the Stars' advantage.
"We didn't spend enough time in the offensive zone tonight to be honest with you in terms of generating opportunities," Hakstol said.
Tyler Seguin then managed to tip a Thomas Harley point shot through Grubauer's legs with 9:01 left to play as Dallas' lead extended to 4-1.
The Kraken finally got their only power play chance of the night with 6:52 left to play as Harley tripped Oliver Bjorkstrand. However, Seattle was unable to convert on the advantage with only a lone shot from Daniel Sprong.
After Miro Heiskanen's stick broke, the Kraken created a rush chance and Eberle managed to drive in and flip a shot over the shoulder of Oettinger with 3:28 remaining to cut the lead to 4-2.
With Grubauer on the bench and an extra attacker on, Seattle manged a few more shots on net over the closing minutes but couldn't get any closer.
"(Oettinger)'s a great goaltender and to score goals in the playoffs you're going to have to get some garbage goals to win games. Not every goal is going to be pretty," Kartye said.