Kraken Suffer 3-2 Loss to Stars in ‘Game of Inches’
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Seattle Kraken forward Mason Marchment (27) skates agianst Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen (96) during the first period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images [/caption]
SEATTLE, Wash. - The Seattle Kraken followed coach Lane Lambert’s orders against the Dallas Stars at Climate Pledge Arena on Wednesday, but it wasn’t enough to get the result in a 3-2 loss that ultimately could have gone either way.
Seattle’s shot volume, or lack thereof, has long been an area of improvement Lambert desired for the team. After Tuesday’s practice, he spoke about the need for this team to shoot the puck at times when even a ‘Grade-A’ chance isn’t available, and that sometimes a ‘C’ shot can lead to an ‘A’ rebound.
The Kraken responded Wednesday by putting up 28 shots on goal, their highest single-game output since their last matchup against Dallas on November 9 (31 in a 2-1 loss). Not only that, but the chances were consistent over the course of the game, with a 10-shot second period sandwiched between a nine-shot first and third.
But the Stars and goalie Casey DeSmith (26 saves) did enough to fend them off.
“I thought we were better on our forecheck,” Lambert said. “Created some turnovers, created some opportunities, which led to shots on goal. I thought we hounded pucks better. Wasn’t a lot of space out there for either team, but certainly for the most part, I thought we defended well. … They got a good hockey team over there. They got some world-class talent. And it comes down to (a) game of inches, and we end up on the wrong side.”
In a game as tight as the Kraken play, simple mistakes and missed opportunities are often the difference between a win and a loss. In Seattle’s case, an 0-for-5 night on the power play and a costly turnover that led to the Stars’ second goal were among the big decisive factors.
The power play woes started early on when the Kraken squandered a four-minute power-play opportunity within the first five minutes of the game.
In his first shift back in action following a 17-game absence, Jared McCann received a high stick to the face from Stars defenseman Alexander Petrovic, giving the Kraken an extended power play opportunity just 49 seconds into the game.
McCann skated straight to the locker room after getting up from the ice, but made it back for a shift on the same power play, even getting a shot on goal and firing off another attempt. However, DeSmith made the saves he needed to, and Dallas killed off the penalty to hold Seattle off the board.
“Just try to battle for a puck and next thing I know, my tooth’s in my throat,” McCann said. “So it’s tough, but we got the power play out of it, and unfortunately we weren’t able to score, but it always kind gives some momentum.”
The Stars had to kill off three more penalties over the final two periods, including one in the final four minutes of the game with Seattle trailing 3-2, but the Kraken mustered just two total shots on goal across six minutes of power-play time, lacking the special teams boost when they needed it most.
“Entry-wise, I didn’t think we did a great job,” Lambert said. “We struggled to enter the zone. Give them credit, they’re a big team. They got long guys and big defensemen, but we could have done a better job there. And I certainly thought that we– From a battle standpoint, we could have won more battles, created some retrievals and got more shots.”
Just over a minute after Petrovic’s penalty on McCann expired in the first period, he helped put the Stars on the board, with Roope Hintz redirecting his shot from the point to make it 1-0 at 5:52 of the first period.
The Kraken tied it 1-1 at 9:06, with Brandon Montour converting a tight angle shot from the right corner, deflecting it off DeSmith’s back and in. Berkly Catton retrieved the puck outside the right circle and centered it to Montour, who skated in for a chance in the slot.
Shane Wright positioned himself on the left post for a backhanded rebound chance, and while it went wide, it rolled to Montour for a quick shot on net. A ‘C’ chance (or worse) resulted in a goal.
Carrying the tie into the second period, the Stars took advantage of an unforced error to retake the lead.
Moving the puck up through the neutral zone, Montour chipped the puck up to Tye Kartye at the Dallas blue line to set up zone entry. The defenseman trailed him towards the center of the ice, but Kartye dropped the puck back along the boards, allowing Dallas forward Jason Robertson to scoop it up and send it the other way.
The Stars quickly sent bodies up to converge on Daccord’s crease before Esa Lindell punched a puck through to give Dallas a 2-1 lead at 6:13 of the second period.
“I just can’t make that play,” Kartye said. “(...) I kind of thought he was behind me, but either I gotta put it on his tape or just make a different play, and it didn’t work out there.”
Seattle responded by outshooting the Stars 6-2 until the final 45 seconds of the frame, when Dallas rattled off three more shots, but Daccord made the necessary stops to keep the game within one.
Vince Dunn made that effort pay off early in the third, skating into the Stars’ zone and calling his own number to tie it 2-2 just 18 seconds into the frame.
“Usually when you come up on a forward that’s getting backwards, I try to at least just make one move and just put my head down and try to shoot as hard as I could,” Dunn said. “Honestly, I couldn’t see where it went in. I couldn’t really see where I was shooting when I was shooting around him, but the crowd was in it tonight, so I definitely knew it went in.”
The Kraken failed to convert on another power play when Dallas put too many men on the ice, and while the first 10 minutes of the third were low-event for both sides, the Stars finally jumped ahead when defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok rattled a shot past Daccord off the right post with 5:44 left in regulation.
That would prove to be the deciding tally after another scoreless Kraken power play and a last-ditch effort on net with Daccord pulled to create the 6-on-5. Montour had two long shots on goal turned away in the final 30 seconds.
“I definitely made some plays that I want back,” Dunn said. “Just to simplify, make plays under pressure, and we’re the guys that need to make those plays and we didn’t do it tonight. … It would have been nice to get a third one there for the team and try to get a big win here on Thanksgiving.”
Jaden Schwartz was ruled out after exiting in the second period with a lower-body injury, and while Lambert did not have a concrete update, he acknowledged the fact he didn’t return “isn’t a great sign.”
After taking off for Thanksgiving, the team will have Friday’s practice to regroup before a Saturday home matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.
