Kraken eliminated from playoffs after playing from behind too often

The Seattle Kraken were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Dallas Stars, losing 2-1 in Game 7 of the best-of-7 Western Conference Second Round on Monday.

The Kraken (46-28-8) were the first wild card from the West. They qualified for the playoffs for the first time in their history after finishing 30th in the NHL last season, their first in the League.

Seattle defeated the Colorado Avalanche, who won the Stanley Cup last season, in seven games in the first round.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Ryan Donato, F; Joonas Donskoi, F; John Hayden F; Jesper Froden, F; Carson Soucy, D; Martin Jones G

Potential restricted free agents: Morgan Geekie, F; Daniel Sprong, F; Vince Dunn, D, Will Borgen, D; Cale Fleury, D

Potential 2023 draft picks: 10

RELATED: [Complete Stars vs. Kraken series coverage]

Here are five reasons the Kraken were eliminated:

1. Playing from behind

The Kraken were down 4-0 in Game 4 before they scored. They faced a 2-0 deficit at 5:35 of the first period of Game 5 that grew to 3-0, just 35 seconds into the second period. In Games 2 and 7, they allowed the first two goals, and lost each of those four games.

The Kraken had balanced scoring, but the deficits put extra pressure on them to produce. And it always takes extra energy to come back, right? As Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson said following their 5-2 loss in Game 5, "it's hard this time of the year to come back from two goals."

2. Couldn't contain Stars top line

Dallas left wing Jason Robertson, center Roope Hintz and right wing Joe Pavelski were a thorn in the side of the Kraken throughout the series, either individually (Pavelski's four-goal performance in Game 1) or as a line (the three combined for eight points in Game 5).

In Game 7, it was Hintz who made his mark once again. His ninth goal of the postseason, which came 15:59 into the second, wasn't the game-winner but it got the Kraken chasing and unable to catch up one last time.

3. Didn't get to Oettinger enough

The Kraken chased Stars goalie Jake Oettinger from two games in the series (Games 3 and 6). That's no small feat, and they did it by getting inside and getting high shots against him.

But in the games they lost, they struggled to do those things, especially in Game 7. Credit the Stars, they bottled things up. But the Kraken just couldn't get to Oettinger enough in the end.

4. Struggling power play

The Kraken had a tremendous penalty kill (82.9 percent; ranked fifth) in the playoffs. Their power play (14.3 percent; 14th) didn't have quite the same effect. They were 2-for-14 against Dallas. In a tight series you need every bit of scoring you can get. Seattle didn't get it here.

5. Pace

Failing to keep up to the Stars' pace was something coach Dave Hakstol cited as an issue, specifically in Games 5 and 7.

"When you're not efficient with the puck and you can't get up ice, all of a sudden you're chasing, right, because you don't have any pace to enter the zone," Hakstol said Monday. "You don't have any pace on your forecheck, where you need numbers and speed, especially against a team that breaks out as well as Dallas does."