SEATTLE --Less than 24 hours after a hair-raising victory in San Jose, the Stars close out their four-game road trip in the Emerald City against the Seattle Kraken. This is the first visit to Climate Pledge Arena for the Stars, who hosted Seattle on Jan. 12, 2022 at American Airlines Center (5-2 victory).
The Stars are looking to sweep their road trip, which started with two victories over Anaheim on Tuesday and Thursday, and Saturday's win in San Jose. With 81 points and a 39-25-3 record, the Stars are in the second wild card by one point over Vegas. It's a game of leapfrog that's lasted weeks, but Dallas continues to hold the advantage because of games in hand. Those won't last much longer, as the Stars begin a hectic race to the finish line. However, with Nashville idle on the schedule Sunday, the Stars can surpass the Predators for the first wild card with a win against the Kraken.
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The Stars have gotten it done all season on home ice, but they're really making a statement on the road. They've won five consecutive games away from AAC, and have victories in six of their past seven (6-1-0) and 14 of their previous 19 (14-4-1) dating to Jan. 20. In their past six games overall, the Stars have gone 5-1-0 and have earned wins in six of their previous eight (6-2-0).
With Scott Wedgewood making the start Saturday in San Jose, Jake Oettinger gets the call in Seattle. The 23-year-old is 24-11-1 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in 38 appearances this season. He's also 1-0 against Seattle.
The Kraken enter Saturday's matchup with a 21-41-6 record (48 points). They've lost two in a row (both at home against Vegas) and have gone 4-5-1 in their past 10 contests. Jared McCann (24 goals, 15 assists) and Yanni Gourde (16 goals, 23 assists) co-lead the Kraken in points, with McCann also pacing the team in goals and power-play tallies (8). Philipp Grubauer has appeared in 49 games, posting a 15-28-5 record, 3.19 goals-against average and .888 save percentage.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.
