Final Buzzer: Going Longest

On a warm spring day not altogether different than the weather for the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, the Kraken accordingly heated up to push this second-round playoff series to a seventh and somebody's-gonna-advance game Monday night in Dallas. Seattle rookie Tye Kartye scored the game-winner to post a 6-3 final.

The Kraken rode a strong night from the Yanni Gourde line with winger Eeli Tolvanen picking up two assists and scoring the Kraken's third goal. Gourde scored the opening goal of the game and earned an assist on Tolvanen's score with third linemate Oliver Bjorkstrand getting the primary assist. All that and the usual high-energy, defensively-responsible effort from Gourde and his line. Bjorkstrand marveled this week at how Gourde inspires not just him and Tolvanen but the entire Kraken team with the alternate captain's relentless shifts.

Flipping the script, Gourde praised Tolvanen's play throughout this thrilling 13-game postseason to date with a second Game 7 in view. The start time will be 5 p.m. Pacific.

"He's physical," said Gourde when asked, without hyperbole, if Tolvanen is the best NHL waiver claim of all time. "He wins puck battles. He's got a tremendous shot. You see him lay down for a shot. He does the job and knows what it takes. It's been a lot of pleasure to play with him and it's been a lot of fun."

Third Period Not All Charming

The third period was not without its worrying moments. The Stars hit two posts early in the final 20 minutes and Gourde said Seattle didn't settle down until they got a shift that featured mostly Kraken puck possession time in the Dallas zone.

The Kraken had to kill a Vince Dunn penalty six minutes into the frame and did so to one of the biggest crowd roars of the night when the two minutes elapsed. Those deafening decibels were even louder when Matty Beniers took a sweet pass from Jordan Eberle, to finish off a successful two-on-one rush just 44 seconds after the Dunn penalty ended.

Trouble is, the Stars scored themselves just 15 seconds later to tighten matters back to a two-goal margin at a 5-3 scoreboard (and mar another public-address announcement of a Seattle goal). Third-liner Joel Kiviranta notched the goal, his first in Dallas' 12 playoff games to date this spring. Apparently too early to celebrate or savor another Game 7 in this wondrous postseason with roughly half a period remaining.

Dallas coach Pete DeBoer went to an empty net with more than three minutes remaining. It didn't work but certainly revved up an already happy mega-decibel crowd. Jordan Eberle iced it with just under a minute remaining. It was Eberle's second goal of the late-afternoon matinee.

Second Period Sizzles, Future is Now

After the feeling-out start to this game (see below), both teams ramped up the pace and the scoring in the middle period - with Kraken fans upping their game as well. You just have to believe there were hundreds of "Wow" texts flying among phones when Eeli Tolvanen one-timed a pass from linemate Oliver Bjorkstrand just a minute and a half into the second period to make it 3-1.

Three Seattle goals and three points for Tolvanen, who was claimed on waivers from Nashville in mid-December and cracked the lineup on Jan. 1, never looking back as he joined the already potent pair of Gourde (who also notched an assist on Tolvanen's score) and Bjrokstrand. On the day the 24-year-old Tolvanen, a 2017 first-round draft choice, was claimed, Predators fans disapproved of the news, posting on social media with a vengeance. Saturday's performance no doubt revived those affronts.

The fourth goal of the game for Seattle was a tantalizing look into the present and future for Seattle hockey fans. Matty Beniers (age 20) took control of the puck into the Dallas zone, dropping a past to fellow rookie and linemate Tye Kartye (age 21). Kartye wristed a longer-range laser of a shot, beating Jake Oettinger on the short side. Unbridled bedlam. It's getting difficult to identify which home goal of this postseason has generated the loudest reaction.

Kartye's third goal of the playoffs since being called up midway through the first round chased Oettinger from the game with perennial NHL backup Scott Wedgewood putting on his mask and goalie glove.

That's four players generating both a formidable lead and crazy-loud noise who were not on the inaugural season opening night roster that Ron Francis and his hockey operations group since acquired by the 2021 draft (Beniers), an undrafted prospect signing in March 2022 (Kartye), a trade over the summer (Bjorkstrand) and the waiver claim in December (Tolvanen). Good stuff.

Hakstol was asked about the play of the three goal scorers in that quartet, Beniers, Kartye, and Tolvanen.

"Just keep playing fellas, just keep playing," said a relaxed and clearly confident Hakstol. "They're playing their tails off and playing with a lot of confidence."

Hakstol reflected for a moment, then added perspective: "Things haven't always gone great for them. Matty's had his ups and downs with the responsibility we placed on him but he continues to show up the next day and battle and compete."

"Now we're going to another Game 7 and have the opportunity to show up and battle and compete again. Same for 'Karts.' Tolvanen, really over the last two games [Games 4 and 5], he looked like the gas tank was almost getting a little low. That switch flipped tonight."

"Kartye just continues doing what he's doing. I don't know how many hits he had tonight [four]. But he's not running around looking for it. He's taken what's there in every part of the game, whether it's offensive side or a little play he has to make or the physical side."

Grade-A Work from Grubauer

While the two combatants in this second-round zinger of a series notched three Grade-A scoring chances in the first period, perhaps a bit lost in the three-goal Kraken outburst and chasing standout Stars goalie Jake Oettinger was Philipp Grubauer giving up only a power play goal by, guess who, 38-year-old wonder Joe Pavelski.

Grubauer faced seven Grade-A scoring chances in the middle period alone, per Natural Stat Trick, prompting a steady stream of Gruuuuuu's that had to please every Kraken employee involved in signing the goaltender to a big contract on the first day of NHL free agency in late July 2021. Grubauer finished with 20 saves.

Feeling It

The first 20 minutes of this must-win game for the Kraken started with a feeling-out segment that lasted nearly half a period. Then the teams traded goals within 31 seconds of each other, with Kraken fan favorite and clutch performer Yanni Gourde opening the scoring on a prototypical second-effort goal by the Kraken alternate captain.

It helped that Gourde's in-close shot forced Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell to sprawl to the ice in an attempt to block Gourde's quick break to the net. With Lindell out of the play and his Stars teammate not aware, Gourde gathered his own rebound to swat it past goalie Jake Oettinger.

The raucous cheers were short-lived and, well, interrupted because the Stars' Mason Marchment tied the game just 31 seconds later. Veteran forward Tyler Seguin made the pass to set up the score to momentarily silence the Climate Pledge Arena fan decibels in the process of appreciating the opening goal by Gourde.

Powering Up

The Kraken outshot Dallas, 16 to 5, during the first period. For a good part of the frame, it appeared the shots imbalance might not tilt the scoreboard in the home squad's favor. But Seattle's second power play of the night, Jordan Eberle notched just the fifth man-advantage goal in 13 postseason games for the Kraken. Eeli Tolvanen earned his second primary assist of the period when he launched a shot on Jake Oettinger that pinballed to Eberle's stick. The veteran leader and forward stickhandled to space and staked his teammates to a 2-1 lead amid what is certainly the loudest Seattle power play goal on many levels.