SEATTLES | Everything was set for another night of partying in Seattle. Wild fans as always, an overheated arena and the return of the Kraken’s top scorer. However, it’s difficult for the party to get going if the host doesn’t show up until the end of the party.
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Rather, it is the visit that has taken control of the home. The Stars won 6-3 and brought the series back to first place with two wins on each side.
The Kraken tried to show they were champions at home by finally gaining momentum in the third period with two goals from Jaden Schwartz and Adam Larsson. By this point, many fans had already decided to avoid traffic and hurry away.
When the score was 5:3, goalkeeper Martin Jones, who replaced Philipp Grubauer, was taken out of the game in favor of a sixth attacker with more than 3:30 minutes of play, but the strategy didn’t work out. Even former Habs Max Domi hit the nail on the head with his second goal of the night.
To be honest, that was just the logical conclusion for the Kraken, who deflected just 19 pucks to goalie Jake Oettinger. For 40 minutes the octopus was lifeless and frozen like the popular fish in the stalls of Pike Place Market.
“We were only in the third period of this game. They had a greater sense of urgency than we did at the outset. “They were the most aggressive team that was on our heels and we didn’t generate anything offensively,” summed up Schwartz, the author of two of the three goals of the losers.
Two different returns
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Defender Miro Heiskanen didn’t seem bothered by his full face protection and spent more than 31 minutes on the ice.
The story of that encounter is also that of two returns on either side who obviously didn’t have the same impact.
For the Kraken, the return of prolific forward Jared McCann, who had 40 goals and 70 points in the regular season, didn’t have the expected impact. He started the game on the fourth line of scrimmage with Ryan Donato and Brandon Tanev and ended up playing just 13 minutes and 11 seconds.
He had been on the sidelines since being slammed against the gang by Cale Makar in Game 4 of the first round series against the Avalanche.
“It’s not easy to come back after two weeks and suddenly start a streak with such intensity. I’m convinced that in his first performances he found that things moved quickly around him. We felt more confident as the game progressed,” said Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol.
On the contrary, the stars have reconnected with their blue line general Miro Heiskanen. He was hit badly in the face by a shot from Tye Kartye on Sunday night, walking away with a bloody face and the Stars defensive line looking dazed in their third game without him.
On Tuesday night, wearing a full face shield, Heiskanen proved he must be considered one of the best defenders in the league after spending a whopping 31 minutes on the ice directing traffic and scoring an assist on Jamie Benn’s first goal of the game.
He also helped reignite the Stars’ power play, which was limited to one goal on eight occasions. In addition to Benn, the indestructible Joe Pavelski also scored with man superiority.
“He’s an incredible athlete, he’s very competitive and he wants to do whatever it takes to win,” said coach Pete DeBoer Heiskanen. It was like that for us all year round. He’s a real warrior. I am convinced that he has eaten little and slept poorly since that throw, but he has played great minutes.
Even with a striker down, the Stars struggled as Mason Marchment left the game in his third appearance.
A controversial goal
With the Stars leading 2-0, Max Domi added to the cushion when he scored despite Jamie Benn appearing to have intervened on Philipp Grubauer. When replayed, the referees did not reverse the decision.
“It wasn’t explained to me, but my interpretation is that Grubauer was pushed to the point where he could never regain his position,” commented pilot Dave Hakstol, while Jared McCann was less diplomatic.
“I have no idea what the definition of goalkeeper interference is, and I don’t think anyone in this league has any idea either.” We thought it was guaranteed that if Grubauer touched the goal it would not be awarded. It seemed obvious and there’s nothing to add,” he cursed.
toward Dallas
This fourth game showed once again that when the cannons of the stars are roaring, it becomes difficult to stop this team. Joe Pavelski scored, Roope Hintz had a goal and an assist and Jason Robertson finally got his first point of the series.
Canadiens supporters will still be stunned to discover that one of their unloved exes, Evgenii Dadonov, contributed two assists to bring his 11-game total in the series to 10 points. Max Domi now has 13. No reason to complain, that’s the way it is!
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Back in the game, Jared McCann couldn’t stomach the Stars’ third goal.
Game 5 will be played Thursday night in Dallas. Maybe that’s not so bad for the Kraken when you think about it. Though the team loves its Seattle stronghold, it has a modest record of two wins and three losses at the Climate Pledge Arena in the playoffs and 20-17-4 in the regular season.
“We are a good club on the road and we have confidence in this position,” concluded Jaden Schwartz.