Kraken can’t spoil Stars’ first trip back to Seattle since tense playoff series

SEATTLE – 

Back in Climate Pledge Arena for the first time since May 13, when they were on the other side of a feverish Game 6, second-round playoff victory for the Kraken, the Dallas Stars held Seattle down and got in a few swipes during Saturday’s 3-0 victory.

The game remained scoreless through 38 minutes, which was a group effort. Nineteen saves went to Seattle goaltender Joey Daccord, one to Ryker Evans and one to Oliver Bjorkstrand.

Rookie defenseman Evans saved a goal in the final minute of the first period. While Daccord was still in his crouch, checking behind him to see if anything got through, Dallas’ Matt Duchene was chasing down his own rebound. It had gone off the side of the net. Evans was tracking it too, and dived to the far goalpost to block Duchene’s wraparound attempt.

Winger Bjorkstrand pitched in a little over a minute into the second period, crouching and sliding through the crease on one knee behind Daccord. He blocked a sure goal. Jason Robertson had pulled the puck around Daccord’s skate, but Robertson’s shot clunked harmlessly off Bjorkstrand’s knee pad.

It was a motion often used to celebrate a goal scored, but Bjorkstrand repurposed it.

“Just kind of a desperation save,” Bjorkstrand said. “Lucky it hit me.”

The skater saves will go down as blocked shots, but they were no less impressive than what Daccord did — except for maybe the next one.

Kraken defenseman Brian Dumoulin wound up in the net as well, but in a less helpful capacity. He had his foot swept out from under him by a passing Dallas player and went skidding into Daccord, who landed on top of him.

The net shook, but somehow didn’t move off its moorings, so play continued. Daccord fumbled for his stick. Then, still sprawled on the ice, he snagged an incoming puck with his glove.

It was all working, barely, to keep the Stars off the board. But right off a faceoff with just under two minutes to go before the second intermission, Wyatt Johnston tipped a shot past Daccord for a 1-0 Dallas lead.

“I thought we kept it close, but obviously we’ve got to score,” Bjorkstrand said.

Nineteen seconds into the final frame, top Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson was handed a major penalty and tossed from the game. The call was initially boarding but changed to elbowing, of all people, Seattle winger Brandon Tanev’s older brother Chris, who was recently traded from the Calgary Flames to the Stars.

Larsson certainly hit Chris Tanev from behind, crunching the side of his body into Tanev’s. Tanev crumpled and headed straight down the tunnel while the play was reviewed and the call upheld. He later returned to the Dallas bench, then left again.

The point of contact wasn’t obvious on the overhead replay shown on the Jumbotrons, but Climate Pledge Arena voiced its displeasure.

“It’s tough to lose him in a tight game like that,” Evans said.

Within 10 seconds, Dallas’ Joe Pavelski had made it 2-0. Pavelski memorably scored all four Stars goals in Game 1 of the second-round playoff series between these teams last spring. Yanni Gourde scored in overtime for the Kraken, who went on to lose the series in seven games.

On a major penalty, that’s not the end of it. The Kraken trudged their way through another 4:52 of Stars power-play time without allowing another goal.

That was only the second penalty call of the game, a departure from Seattle’s penalty-heavy 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

In his third NHL game, undrafted American Hockey League call-up Logan Morrison came oh-so-close to tucking a shot around Stars goalie Jake Oettinger’s (18 saves) pads during the second period. It would have been his first career goal.

Daccord made 27 total stops. The Kraken pulled him for the extra attacker with about two minutes left and allowed an empty netter.

Play was more or less even in the first 10 minutes, then Dallas started playing like the top team in the Western Conference — which it is. Both of the teams Seattle played in the 2023 postseason will return this year, as the Stars clinched a playoff spot Thursday and the Colorado Avalanche punched their ticket Saturday night. The Kraken won’t be in their way this time, set to finish well short of a wild-card spot.