An Unstoppable Creature

It seems quite apparent that the Seattle Kraken aren't going to go quietly back to the depths of the sea in any game or round of this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Kraken, who earned their spot in the dance as a wild card team, shocked the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche with a seven-game defeat, leading them to a second-round series with the Dallas Stars. Dallas, who plays more physical than Colorado, was thought to be the team that would force the Kraken to retreat to the watery depths through their size and skill, but it seems the Kraken keep rising to the surface no matter how much hot water they find themselves in.

Some pundits had noted that Seattle scored first in all seven games against the Colorado Avalanche, giving them an advantage in every game they played as they got the jump on the champs. Perhaps things would be different, they said, if they had to make up a deficit. So Dallas decided to test that theory by scoring 2:25 into tonight's game to put the Kraken behind early. By the end of the first period, the Kraken led 4-2 en route to a 5-4 overtime win that saw the Kraken score three goals in 52 seconds to erase a 2-1 deficit. So much for that theory.

Pundits pointed at the Stars' roster in terms of talent and health. The Stars brought back one of their key players tonight in Joe Pavelski who has had his way against the Kraken in their short history. In six games against the newest NHL franchise, Pavelski has recorded five goals and six assists so the centerman was a welcomed addition to the Stars' roster for this series. Add in the likes of Tyler Seguin playing like he's 25 again, Roope Hintz establishing himself as a legitimate NHL star, Jason Robertson who scores in bunches, and Jamie Benn captaining this Stars squad, and the Stars look like the heavy favorites in this series.

Joe Pavelski was certainly ready to battle the Kraken as he recorded a four-goal game tonight, but it wasn't enough to keep all of the Kraken's arms from striking. Jaden Schwartz, Justin Schultz, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Jordan Eberle were the goal scorers who put the Kraken up 4-2 after one period, and it would be Yanni Gourde who delivered the winner at 12:17 of overtime as the Kraken's balanced attack outduelled the Stars' offensive weapons in Game One. So much for being underdogs.

There were questions entering the series about Philipp Grubauer's first-round series against Colorado where the former Avalanche netminder defeated the club who let him walk away. He erased those doubts after dispatching the Avalanche, but pundits were quick to point out that while Grubauer has looked solid, Jake Oettinger has been playing like there is no tomorrow, giving Dallas the edge in this series. After all, goaltending and defence wins championships, we're told, so if the pundits are right, Seattle seems doomed.

It was Grubauer who stopped 31 shots in this game - including ten in overtime - while Oettinger stopped 39 shots. Dallas also blocked 21 shots compared to Seattle's 20 blocked shots, so it seems that Seattle was better than Dallas in both the offensive and defensive zones when it came to generating chances and limiting chances. If Grubauer can go save-for-save with Oettinger, the goaltending becomes a toss up and it seems that Seattle's collective group can make up the difference in this series if they continue to play like they did tonight. If both goalies are playing well, that negates any edge in the crease.

Let's not forget that the Kraken are without the services of Andre Burakovsky and Jared McCann at this point, and they accounted for 53 total goals and 109 points scored in the regular season. Instead, the Kraken are getting goals by committee without two of their better offensive players as six players have two-or-more goals while 15 players have scored in these playoffs for the Kraken. The only player not to record a point on the Kraken roster is Jesper Froden, but he's only appeared in one game thus far. If a kraken is feared for its many tentacles, the Seattle Kraken should be feared because any player could be the scoring hero for them on any given night.

How do you defend against that? As the Stars found out tonight, you can't make mistakes. Joe Pavelski was otherworldly in his effort tonight, but the Stars needed their big guns to help him out because the Kraken simply come at teams in waves. They erode defences with their strong forecheck, their speed down the wings, and their havoc in front of the net. Forwards rotate back to cover for pinching defenders, and everyone seemingly double-times it on the backcheck. The Kraken is a 20-man roster that is entirely on the same page when it comes to executing their roles, and they're now three wins from playing in the Western Conference Final after their 5-4 overtime win tonight.

I don't think anyone would have imagined this in October outside of GM Ron Francis and head coach Dave Hakstol, but the Kraken are very much for real in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!