Final Buzzer: Big Win in Big 'D'

DALLAS - On a night when other wild-card playoff contenders secured needed wins, the Kraken rose to the postseason-seeking occasion themselves to outlast Dallas 5-4 in an overtime victory for the ages that kept all wild-card pursuers at the same distance with one less game to gain ground. Plus, the first win over the home Stars in three tries over the last 11 days pushed down Dallas to a first-place tie in the Central Division.
Joey Daccord starred in goal and the Kraken fourth line sparkled up ice with two goals from Brandon Tanev, a goal and assist from Daniel Sprong, and an assist and much-needed grit from Morgan Geekie. Defenseman and alternate captain Adam Larsson took an overtime pass from Jared McCann to finish a topsy-turvy night on the top.
"Sometimes we tend to get a little too emotional and too excited," said Larsson when asked post-game about the emotions on the Kraken bench when Dallas scored two late goals to tie it at 4-4, including one with 0.7 seconds remaining. "I thought tonight we stayed pretty even keel, even till the end."

Dave Hakstol admired McCann's and Larsson's work on the transition play and score at 1:52 of the OT period: "Those are the kinds of plays that you need this time of year to earn another valuable point. "The demeanor of our bench didn't change and that's a trait of our group. It's really important to just be able to take on the next task that's at hand, no matter the situation in the game, good or bad."
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High Energy and High-Wire Intensity

With the Central Division leader home squad trailing by two goals entering the third period, the game presentation crew dramatically requested high-decibel noise from the full-house crowd. It didn't quite work, but four minutes later Dallas rookie Wyatt Johnston, left unmarked to the left side of Joey Daccord's net, hammered in his 21st goal of the season. He's scored a goal in each of his last five games and six in his last seven.
That amped up the crowd noise for the rest of the period, which was a nail-biting, oh-no-not-again experience for Kraken throughout the Pacific Northwest and, as usual, a healthy number wearing Seattle jerseys here in Texas.
Even after the Johnston goal tightened the score, Daccord stayed loose in net, making solid saves (one example, a leg pad save on Dallas star Roope Hintz) during a minute of Dallas power play before Stars D-man Miro Heiskanen created a minute of 4-on-4 play (scary) and another minute of Seattle man-advantage (no shots on goal).
Brandon Tanev scored his second goal of the game with six minutes left to make it 4-2 mid-third period The high-energy pace and high-wire intensity of the third period continued with an apparent third Dallas goal challenged successfully as a no-goal due to goalie interference by Dave Hakstol and his video coaches, Tim Ohashi and Brady Morgan. Thirty-eight-old Joe Pavelski scored a 6-on-5 goal with Stars goalie Jake Oettinger on the bench. Then Jamie Benn scored a tying goal with 0.7 seconds left on the clock.
But the alternate captain and defensive stalwart Adam Larsson, who was flying all over the ice all night, scored the overtime winner. Kraken players were cheering, chortling, yelling, and high-fiving as they walked to their dressing room.

"Obviously, they have a lot of great weapons and they made it hard on us," said Daccord, smiling ear-to-ear. "But we just found a way and the 'Big Cat" ... He's sneaky, silky like that. It was cool to see him take advantage of that opportunity."

Into the Depths - of Scoring

There has been lots of season-long talk about the Kraken's depth scoring. The first period of this vital four-game road trip amplified the conversation. Goals from fourth-liners Brandon Tanev and Daniel Sprong provided a 2-1 lead that quasi-surprise starter in goal, AHL call-up Joey Daccord, preserved with a spectacular save on veteran Jamie Benn during a Stars two-on-one rush, then late-period holding off rookie Wyatt Johnston's close-in attempt by tracking the puck all the way despite Johnston and SEA center Morgan Geekie tangling up a bit.
In the game's third minute, Sprong outraced Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell to a puck deep in the Stars' zone. Sprong, setting the tone for the first period in the Kraken were clearly determined to get pucks on net and in traffic against Dallas star goaltender Jake Oettinger, and quickly placed a shot to the crease. Tanev was there to redirect the puck between Oettinger's leg pads for an early Seattle lead. It was the first time in the three-game series with Dallas that the Kraken scored first.

The early lead didn't last. With Will Borgen whistled off for holding an opponent's stick, Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was credited with a powerplay goal when his shot from the point caromed off the backboards (guess here is Heiskanen might have done so on purpose). The puck hit Daccord in the helmet, then went off his shoulder/back and in.
The bad-bounce score extended Heiskanen's point streak to 11 games. The Dallas D-man and Kraken leading scorer Vince Dunn both entered the game with double-digit point streaks, the first time in NHL history that two defensemen faced each other in the same game with double-digit point streaks. Dunn's streak ended at 12, but no doubt he's happy to take the two standings points of the road victory in exchange.
Just over 12 minutes in the opening period, Sprong struck again, this time gathering the puck on his stick in the neutral zone, then racing up the left side of the rink into the Dallas zone. Defenseman Adam Larsson, who earned an assist on the goal by moving the puck to Brandon Tanev behind the Seattle net, sprinted up ice to become a legitimate pass recipient from Sprong - at least Stars goalie Oettinger had to consider the possibility.

Larsson's presence and Sprong's presence were enough for the Kraken winger to score his 17th goal of the season with his elite quick-release shot zipping through Oettinger's leg pads. Tanev earned the primary assist but it must be said fourth-line center jammed up a Stars forward on the left wall in the defensive zone, allowing the puck to skitter to Sprong.

Eberle and McCann: Artisans at Work

They may not be sculptors, but linemates Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann carved up Dallas defenders to boost the Kraken to a 3-1 lead with a highlight-reel goal (top 10 of year nominee) 91 seconds into the middle frame. After good pressure by the Beniers line with those two veteran artisans on wings, a Kraken turnover was threatening trouble in the Seattle end.
But former Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak blocked the shot and rapidly moved the puck to Eberle. The Seattle alternate captain and playmaking maestro used his skating agility and hockey IQ to get the puck net-front where Jared McCann one-handed the puck home, beating defenseman Heiskanen for his 34th Seattle goal this season.

"You could watch that [replay] all night," said ROOT SPORTS analyst Eddie Olczyk. He's not wrong.

Joey and the PK Maintain Two-Goal Lead

Joey Daccord delivered big saves with the 3-1 lead and the Kraken PK doused Dallas' second power play of the night after the first man-advantage for the home squad resulted in the freak goal early in the game. A third Dallas power play quickly ensued before mid-period and with Daccord's stellar positioning to make close-in saves, the Kraken killed another dangerous two minutes.
A few shifts later, Matty Beniers' hustle drew a penalty call on Dallas captain Jamie Benn, but the Seattle power play generated zero shots. Instead, Benn streaked out of the penalty box, took a pass, and worked a mini-break on Daccord. Beniers' hustle yet again proved valuable as the rookie hurried Benn into shooting sooner than ideal. Daccord, whose style is decidedly active, was a good six feet outside the crease to cut down Benn's angle and available net to shoot at. The result was Daccord robbing Benn for a second time in the first two periods. Daccord made 12 saves in the middle 20 minutes.
"He made big saves at good times," said Hakstol about his young goalie's performance. "The ones that did go in are tough plays for him. I thought he did a nice job handling the puck. Subtly, those little plays back there make a big difference.
"I thought he showed poise all the way through the game, especially in a younger guy coming in, really, to continue what he's been doing in the American Hockey League. You look at his last five starts there, he had probably close to a .950 save percentage and he was 5-0 in his last five starts. And that win-loss category is most important."

Deciding on Daccord

When Joey Daccord was recalled from American Hockey League affiliate Coachella Valley on an emergency basis, the 26-year-old goaltender didn't have to fret about any travel arrangements. He jumped on the team charter from Coachella Valley since the Kraken had scheduled a team-bonding activity Sunday down in the desert and flew here to Dallas for Tuesday's road-trip opener.
Firebirds coach and two-time NHL head coach Dan Bylsma has praised his No. 1 goaltender all season long, recently saying "Joey is beating the door down of being an NHL goaltender."
"I've said numerous times that he's one of our best players, if not our best player and most valuable player for us," said Bylsma recently. "He's a great goaltender and a dynamic goaltender."