Three thoughts on the Kraken’s Game 6 victory against the Stars
Here are three thoughts from the Kraken’s 6-3 win against the Stars in Game 6 on Saturday night in Seattle.
Do the Kraken have another Game 7 victory in them?
Geoff Baker: I don’t see why they wouldn’t. They’ve won two of their last four in Dallas the past seven weeks. They just beat the Stars rather convincingly at home and frankly, have enough veteran guys that can appreciate this moment. I’ve said before, it might take years for the Kraken to get this close to playing for a conference title again. They must seize this moment and play as if it’s their final shot at something big in their careers. And I do think Yanni Gourde, Jordan Eberle, Jamie Oleksiak, Adam Larsson, Philipp Grubauer and Justin Schultz are smart enough and old enough to have figured that part out.
I wrote at the trade deadline this team was capable of taking a run at the regular-season Western Conference title, so it’s not as if this opportunity appeared out of thin air. The Kraken are playing to the level they are capable of. Not all playoff teams figure out how to do that while balancing their energy level. And the Kraken still have another level to reach. They’ve yet to beat Dallas or Colorado in consecutive playoff games. They’ll need to do that against the Stars. The difference this time? There’s nothing left to conserve energy for if they don’t win. My guess is they drain the tank Monday and worry about the refuel once in Las Vegas or Edmonton.
Kate Shefte: That experience goes a long way, or at least we like to think it does. Confidence, while fickle, feels important here.
“It’s really just another game. It really is,” retired forward Justin Williams, known to fans as “Mr. Game 7,” told The Athletic last year. He had an 8-1 record in Game 7s and is the all-time Game 7 leader in points with 15.
“You have to want to be the guy and believe you can be the guy to make the difference and to be the one that wins the game for the team. Or to have the biggest impact. You can’t wait for anybody else to do it. That’s a lot of the advice I give — don’t wait for anybody else.”
Advertising
Maybe Game 6 was a last hurrah, similar to the Avalanche’s win last round at Climate Pledge Arena. Maybe the Kraken will catch Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger on another OK night, and Phillipp Grubauer will play lights-out like he did in the last Game 7. This series hasn’t been the easiest to predict. Another track meet benefits the Stars, I’ll wager. But if it’s as tight as it was last time, tipped by a goal or two, it’s anyone’s Western Conference Final berth.
How big was Saturday night’s win at Climate Pledge Arena?
Baker: That victory was immense. Going out in six would have been a letdown after this fantastic playoff run. For me, a Game 7 was the minimum if this is indeed the final Kraken series. I feel they’ve outplayed the Stars for the most part, even in that Game 5 defeat. They’ve also done serious damage to Oettinger’s playoff goalie rep. Getting that far only to lose in six after the epic Colorado series, again, would have seemed an anticlimax. This way, they gave Climate Pledge Arena fans a special moment to cherish in obviously the biggest home win in franchise history.
But I’ll be honest, to make this playoff run unforgettable — to where fans outside of Seattle remember it years from now — the Kraken need at least one more victory. Plenty of teams make the second round. Few make the conference final after two Game 7 victories. Do that, you’ll have the hockey world a lot more focused on Seattle to where the city and its hockey team isn’t sneaking up on folks anymore.
Shefte: If it ends tomorrow, they not only never relented but put on a helluva show for the home fans in that 6-3 … I mean, the score suggests “romp,” but no other word I’d use than game. The Stars were never out of it for more than a minute or so, which is a plus in my book. Fans who wanted to relax and vibe might have preferred the blowout.
The Kraken have provided an emotional, diverse playoff experience, and done what I suspect they needed to do to further endear themselves to the community. I said they needed to win one round — done. But they’ve gone the distance twice, hitting the maximum of three home games per round. And that included three wins in a home building they had a checkered past in.
They’ve gone to two overtimes and won both. Soon-to-be two Game 7s, we’ll see how the second one goes. It bears repeating that they knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champions. Some are still marveling that they’re “legit,” which is a little-brother compliment, but it’s temporary.
Advertising
They’re no Mariners marathon, but Game 4 of the Avalanche series and Game 6 against the Stars could be happy, discussed, where-were-you sports memories for a bit here. At least until they’re topped.
Who is your second-round MVP?
Baker: The Kraken won those big games at bigger moments, the Mariners didn’t. On the MVP, I’ll go with Eberle, who’s quietly amassed five goals and three assists this series, and while that’s nothing compared to ageless wonder Joe Pavelski of the Stars, it’s quite something for a Kraken squad known primarily for spreading the wealth around.
The calmness with which Eberle gathered in that loose puck, shifted to his backhand and flicked it into the net in Game 6 to put his team ahead to stay right before first intermission was a “goal-scorer’s” goal and something to behold. Tye Kartye scored what proved to be the winning goal, but for me, the ones that give a team the lead for good are always the most important.
Eberle has done his work this series coming off that jarring experience of inadvertently fracturing the neck of an opponent and ex-teammate right near the end of the prior round. It clearly affected Eberle at the time. He’s played this entire round with a brand new to the NHL level linemate in Kartye as well, with playoff rookie Matty Beniers also beside him and no Jared McCann as he’d gotten used to most of the regular season.
This is a big-time performance from a big-time player.
Shefte: From the overtime winner to his goal and an assist in Game 6 and all the badgering he did in between, the Kraken needed seemingly tireless Yanni Gourde in this round as much as ever.
That was a scary start where, despite a shot count that eventually ballooned to 14-2 against, the Stars were looking. The collective exhale when Gourde slid around that Dallas netfront like he owned the place and celebrated his goal, ever-so-coolly … it was palpable.
Gourde has registered a point in every game of this series except No. 4. He talks before and after almost every game, offering advice and analysis that hits the interwebs seconds later. Among the current Kraken lineup, he’s the most recent Stanley Cup champion. He’s looked to whether he has the ‘C’ stitched on or not, and worn it — or not worn it — well the last two weeks.
Source: The Seattle Times
