Pavelski Scores Four, but Stars Lose to Kraken 5-4 in Overtime

Joe Pavelski re-entered the Dallas Stars lineup tonight for Game 1 of Round 2 against the Seattle Kraken. After missing most of the first round due to a concussion, you would have probably assumed he’d take awhile to get back up to speed. Instead, he scored a “Joe Thornton hat trick” with a four-goal performance.

Sadly, it wasn’t enough for the win. After a disastrous first period that saw the Stars give up three goals in 52 seconds, all Pavelski was able to do was ensure the game went to overtime at 4-4. After twelve minutes of that, Yanni Gourde spoiled the comeback and gave Seattle the 1-0 series lead.

Unlike Dallas, the Kraken had each of their goals come from a different player. And despite the scoreboard, both Jake Oettinger and Philipp Grubauer looked sharp tonight, with many of the goals coming off of high-danger tips. Oddly enough, each one also came at 5-on-5, as the power play units went a combined 0-for-5 tonight.

While it was nice to see Dallas storm back late in the third and force overtime, at the end of the day, a loss is a loss. Hopefully, the Stars can repeat their performance from the first round, in which they responded to a Game 1 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild with a resounding victory in Game 2.

First Period:

In his first game back since Game 1 against the Minnesota Wild, Joe Pavelski made his presence known early. Three and a half minutes in, Domi forced a turnover as Seattle tried to exit the defensive zone, getting the puck across the ice to Mason Marchment. Marchment was then able to send it back across to a wide open Pavelski, who took his time before sniping one past Philipp Grubauer to open the sccoring:

Alex Wennberg almost answered back just a minute later, but Dallas was saved by the post. The two proceeded to trade chances, with the Stars seeming to have the slight edge in opportunities. They’d get their biggest one almost nine minutes in, when Morgan Geekie went to the box for tripping.

The top power play unit, now with Pavelski again, looked sharp to start, although they soon gave up a shorthanded rush to Seattle that Jake Oettinger was forced to stop. The second unit later had a couple looks, but ultimately the penalty expired without a goal. A couple minutes later, Jaden Schwartz was able to sneak one between Oettinger’s legs for the equalizer.

But the Stars wouldn’t stay behind; not on Joe Pavelski’s watch. Thomas Harley fired a shot from the blueline, and Captain America effortlessly deflected it past Grubauer to reclaim the Stars’ lead:

Sadly, the good vibes were not meant to last. With Five and a half minutes left, Justin Schultz was given the puck with plenty of space, giving him the time he needed to beat Oettinger far side. Eleven seconds later, Oliver Bjorkstrand got the rush and shot the puck, which then deflected off of Esa Lindell’s stick and into the corner of the net, giving Seattle the lead. About 40 seconds of game time later, after a commercial  break, Jordan Eberle tipped another one past Oettinger.

Thankfully for Dallas, that would be it for the first period, with the Stars heading to the locker room down by two.

Score: Dallas 2, Seattle 4
Shots: Dallas 11, Seattle 12

Second Period:

A little over three minutes into the second, Seattle would get the chance to extend their lead as Luke Glendening went to the box for hooking. Thankfully, the Stars were able to kill it, and even got a nice shorthanded opportunity in the dying seconds of the power play.

Still, if you were hoping for a sign of life from Dallas in the second, you’d were hard pressed to find it at first. It wasn’t until about halfway through that Dallas started putting pressure on Seattle in the offensive zone, culminating in a second power play opportunity as Adam Larsson went to the box for cross-checking. The Stars got a couple more shots this time around, but once again, they failed to capitalize.

With a little less than five minutes in, Lindell got called for hooking, sending Seattle back on the power play. But the best look came from Roope Hintz, who had a nice shorthanded opportunity on a one-on-one. Time wound soon wind down, and the second period would finish without a seventh goal scored.

Score: Dallas 2, Seattle 4
Shots: Dallas 20, Seattle 26

Third Period:

Dallas was saved by the post once again just over two minutes into the period, after a rough giveaway by Jani Hakanpää. Seattle then proceeded to spend what felt like an eternity in the offensive zone, only taking the occasional break to let Dallas think they’d make it past center-ice.

Seven minutes in, Mason Marchment got called for tripping, a call he most certainly did not agree with given he proceeded to cross check Geekie while he was down on the ice afterwards. Once again, however, special teams proved fruitless as the Stars’ penalty kill stood strong.

That proved to be just the break Dallas needed – less than a minute later, Jamie Benn fired a shot off the rush, creating a rebound opportunity for Joe Pavelski to earn the hat trick:

The crowd completely revitalized, the Stars began their last ten-minute push, generating multiple quality scoring chances. It was then, with six and a half minutes left, that Joe Pavelski made his former teammate proud, scoring a Joe Thornton hat trick off of an unorthodox deflection off the rush:

Jake Oettinger immediately made a save on the other end, and we entered what might as well have already been overtime. Wyatt Johnston almost sealed the deal for Dallas in the final minute, but the clock struck zero with a tied score.

Score: Dallas 4, Seattle 4
Shots: Dallas 31, Seattle 34

Overtime:

The Kraken had a great scoring chance early on into the extra inning, but a timely block by Hakanpää kept it away from Oettinger. A minute or so later, they got another chance on a 3-on-2, but the puck went went wide. Right afterwards, Seattle had another chance on the rush, this time with Oettinger himself keeping the puck out.

Dallas would soon have their own rush attempt stopped short, as Roope Hintz and Ty Dellandrea couldn’t get the puck past Grubauer. A little over halfway through the extra inning, a shot by Hakanpää almost bounced it’s way into the net.

But as time ticked on, it was clear that Seattle was generating more scoring chances. Sure enough, with eight minutes remaining in the first overtime period, Yanni Gourde was able to pounce on a loose puck and fling it past Oettinger for the win.

Final Score: Dallas 4, Seattle 5
Final Shots: Dallas 35, Seattle 44
Mood: