The historic nature of the Seattle Kraken’s series win over the Colorado Avalanche speaks for itself. An expansion team in its second season and first postseason knocking out the defending Stanley Cup Champions is shocking, right?
In hindsight maybe not so much, at least to one non-partisan viewer.
“When you look at the series, I don’t think it was an accident,” Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said on Monday. “I thought [the Kraken] were the better team for big stretches of some of those games. We have a lot of respect for them.
“It’s a big test.”
A test the Stars are happily willing to take, beginning on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. at the American Airlines Center. What should Stars fans keep an eye on in Game 1 and for the duration of the series against the Kraken? Here’s a look.
Home ice … advantage?
Stars center Max Domi watched Sunday’s Game 7 between Seattle and the Avalanche at home with one thing in mind: Would he have to start packing a bag for Denver, or if Seattle won, would he be able to stay at home for the beginning of the series?
“We love playing at home, we love playing in front of our fans in a great arena and a great atmosphere here,” Domi said. “So we’re going to try and use that to our advantage.”
The operative word being try, because so far this postseason home teams have tried and mostly come up short. Home teams went 18-31 in eight first-round matchups. Seattle went 3-1 on the road in Round 1. Dallas went 2-1 at home, though the one loss came in double overtime of the series opener.
“I think teams on the road are just playing hard together,” said Stars left wing Jason Robertson. “I think we took it for granted our first game.
“It’s definitely nice to have this but we have to take advantage of it and try to get a good start.”
A big boost
On Monday, veteran Joe Pavelski looked the part of someone preparing to play in Game 1 against Seattle. He practiced in the team’s second line alongside Domi and Mason Marchment at left wing. Fellow veteran Tyler Seguin, who was second on the team in goals (four) and points (six) in Round 1, skated with the first line.
Joe Pavelski was a game-time decision (concussion) for Game 6 of the first round.
Here he is skating today at Stars practice ahead of tomorrow’s round 2 opener against the Seattle Kraken. pic.twitter.com/OOha5DiyOF
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) May 1, 2023
“I thought [Seguin] did an unbelievable job jumping in that spot,” DeBoer said. “And I think if we can put [Pavelski] in another spot, that makes us better. If that first line can continue to play again the way they did against Minnesota, then I think that allows us to be a deeper team.”
That added depth with Pavelski back should be key against Seattle. Pavelski suffered a concussion on a big hit in Game 1 against Minnesota and didn’t play the rest of the series, though he was a game-time decision in Game 6.
In addition to working on the second line, Pavelski also worked with the team’s power play unit.
“That’s a given,” DeBoer said.
The next time Pavelski hits the ice will be for his 170th career postseason game. The 38-year-old has plenty of postseason experience, which adds even more value to his return.
“He affects every part of our game,” DeBoer said of Pavelski. “And not just on the ice. Leadership, between period messaging, on the bench messaging, power play or five on five, he makes every area of our team better.”
Where’s the power?
The Minnesota Wild accumulated over 20 penalties in six games against the Stars in Round 1. That resulted in nine of Dallas’ 21 goals.
There were plenty of power play chances. Against Seattle, however, that could be a different story. The Kraken averaged just 6:17 in penalty minutes per game in Round 1, which was the lowest average among all 16 teams.
“Minnesota, they were definitely a fantastic team, but they thrived on that physical style of play. Finishing their hits and doing everything physical. I mean, we all saw the series and we know what happened, but we took advantage of the penalties and the mistakes they made,” said Robertson, who scored both of his first-round goals on the power play. “We know Seattle is a lot faster and a lot cleaner in how they get up the ice. I think Minnesota’s style was to limit your chances in five-on-five and play hard. So hopefully in this series we can exploit some more opportunities five-on-five.”
The Kraken allowed two goals on power plays in the entire opening round.
A balanced attack
In his opening thoughts on facing Seattle, DeBoer was quick to point out Seattle’s depth.
“I think you guys have all seen that, how spread out their scoring is,” DeBoer said. “They get contributions from everybody.”
No kidding. The Kraken had six players with at least 20 goals in the regular season, including a team-high 40 from Jared McCann, who missed the last three games of the Colorado series with an undisclosed injury, and 24 from Matty Beniers, who is the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Seattle also has 13 players with at least 13 goals on the season. For perspective: Dallas has six with at least 13 goals.
The Stars have also been praised for their balance, and against Seattle that should be tested. There will be no breathers when goals could go from any player on any line at any time.
Throw it all out?
The Stars and Kraken have some connections, such as former Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak, who had a goal and an assist and averaged 21:44 ice time per game for the Kraken in the Colorado series. They also have some recent history. The two teams played all three of their head-to-head games in a 10-day stretch back in March. Dallas won two of those games and lost the last one by a goal in overtime.
That recent experience, however, was rendered irrelevant in the minds of the Stars when the schedule flipped from the regular season to the postseason.
“I think they’re a different team,” DeBoer said. “They had to play a really solid game to beat the Stanley Cup Champions, and you see that in their game. It was different than when we played them at the end of the season. So we’re getting a different team, and I’d like to think we’re a different team too.”
That metamorphosis between the regular and postseason has been on display across the league. The Boston Bruins went from the best regular season in league history to a first-round exit. All the defending champion Avalanche had to do was beat a recent expansion team to continue their pursuit of a repeat, but they couldn’t win at home.
“The Stanley Cup Playoffs are always wide open as far as I’m concerned,” Domi said. “Anybody can beat anyone on any given night. Seven-game series for a reason and it’s the hardest trophy in all of sports to win for a reason. We have to find ways to come to work every day, whether it’s a practice day or game day. Every single game, clean slate, no matter what happened the day before. That’s the approach you have to have. It’s cliché, and I’m pretty sure you’re sick of hearing it, but it’s the reality.”
On Twitter: @JoeJHoyt
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