Tolvanen, Kartye providing lift for Kraken ahead of Game 7 against Stars

SEATTLE --How did the Seattle Kraken go from 30th in the NHL in their inaugural season to the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season? How have they had 18 goal-scorers in 13 playoff games and pulled within a win of the Western Conference Final?

A big reason is that they've kept improving the roster, and they've done that by continuing to find players who were undervalued elsewhere, the way they did in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft.

Three new additions made big impacts Saturday, when the Kraken staved off elimination with a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round at Climate Pledge Arena. Game 7 is at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

Eeli Tolvanen had three points (one goal, two assists), rookie Matty Beniers had two points (one goal, one assist) and rookie Tye Kartye had a goal.

Beniers was the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, Seattle's first shot at an elite talent.

That's one thing.

But Tolvanen was claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Dec. 12, and Kartye was an undrafted free agent out of junior who played in the American Hockey League this season and made his NHL debut in the first round of the playoffs.

"Keep playing, fellas," Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. "Just keep playing. They're playing their tails off. They're playing with a lot of confidence."

RELATED: [Complete Stars vs. Kraken series coverage]

The Predators knew Tolvanen had talent. They took him in the first round (No. 30) of the 2017 NHL Draft, and the forward was a highly touted prospect. But he never lived up to his billing for whatever reason.

He had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 40 games in 2020-21, 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 75 games last season and four points (two goals, two assists) in 13 games to start this season.

Nashville put Tolvanen on waivers hoping he'd clear so he could go to Milwaukee of the AHL. But Seattle scooped him up and he seized the opportunity. In his first eight games with the Kraken, he had seven points (five goals, two assists).

"Seattle's a team that plays a little bit differently than us," Predators general manager David Poile told 102.5 The Game in Nashville on Jan. 10. "They really rotate almost their four lines equally, and offensively they put him in a position higher than we have.

"So, this could be a mistake on our part. That's on me if he turns out to be really successful. But we thought we tried him in a lot of different areas and different places."

Tolvanen finished with 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) in 48 games with Seattle in the regular season.

The 24-year-old has eight points (three goals, five assists) and 43 hits in 13 games in the playoffs. Hakstol said it looked like his gas tank was getting low in Games 4 and 5 of this series, but he must have filled up before Game 6.

"He's physical," said center Yanni Gourde, his linemate. "He wins puck battles. He's got a tremendous shot. He does the little things right. You see him lay down for shots. He goes out there, he does the job, he knows what it takes, and it's been a pleasure to play with him."

Asked if Saturday was the high point in his journey from Nashville to Seattle, Tolvanen said with a laugh: "Yeah, I guess. I don't know. It's been a lot of fun. Going to Dallas for Game 7, I think that's going to be really fun."

The Kraken signed Kartye to a three-year, entry-level contract March 1, 2022.

Kartye had 79 points (45 goals, 34 assists) in 63 games for Soo of the Ontario Hockey League in 2021-22, plus nine points (seven goals, two assists) in 10 playoff games.

He had 57 points (28 goals, 29 assists) in 72 games for Coachella Valley this season to lead AHL rookies in scoring, plus two goals in three playoff games for them.

After forward Jared McCann was injured in Game 4 of the first round, Kartye was called up and replaced McCann on a line with Beniers and forward Jordan Eberle for Game 5. He scored in his NHL debut, a 3-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver on April 26.

Kartye has stayed on that line even though McCann, who led the Kraken in goals (40) and points (70) in the regular season, returned in Game 4 of this series. The 22-year-old has five points (three goals, two assists) and 40 hits in nine games, while Beniers has seven points (three goals, four assists) and Eberle has 11 points (six goals, five assists), each in 13 games.

"Oh, it's awesome," Tolvanen said. "I don't know. Was 'Karts' playing juniors last year at this time? You know, undrafted. So, I think it's a good story."

Takes one to know one.