The second-year Seattle Kraken were playing the same strong defensive game that allowed them to upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 in the first round.
But the Dallas Stars found a way around the shot-blocking machine on Monday night: Get a breakaway.
Stars forward Roope Hintz swooped in, stole a puck from Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak and broke in on goaltender Philipp Grubauer, beating him with a 20-foot wrist shot at 15:59 of the second period. That broke a scoreless tie and the Stars went on to win 2-1 in Game 7 and advance to the Western Conference final, starting Friday at the Vegas Golden Knights.
Wyatt Johnson also broke in alone on Grubauer in the third period to make it 2-0 Dallas.
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, who was pulled in Game 6, made xx saves to improve to 5-0 this postseason after a loss. He only allowed Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal with 18 seconds left.
What’s next for the Stars?
They head to the conference final for the first time in the 2020 bubble, when they lost in the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights, now led by Bruce Cassidy, are the team that fired Stars coach Peter DeBoer during the offseason. DeBoer had taken Vegas to the conference finals in 2020 and 2021, and knocked the Golden Knights out of the playoffs in 2019 when he was coaching the San Jose Sharks.
The Stars can throw a lot of offense at the top-seeded Golden Knights. Hintz is the top remaining playoff scorer with 19 points. Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski (eight goals in the second round), trade deadline acquisition Max Domi, captain Jamie Benn also have double-digit points. Miro Heiskanen plays big minutes and has nine assists.
What’s next for the Kraken?
The second-year franchise should remain contenders after a 40-point improvement from their inaugural season. There aren’t a lot of contracts to negotiate. Ryan Donato, who scored the franchise’s first goal, is an unrestricted free agent. So are backup goalie Martin Jones and defenseman Carson Soucy. Restricted free agent defenseman Vince Dunn will be due a big raise from this season’s $4 million salary after finishing second on the team in scoring with 64 points.
The Kraken managed to knock off the Avalanche despite missing Jared McCann and Andre Burakovsky. Their balanced scoring makes them a threat.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dallas Stars eliminate Seattle Kraken in Game 7