When the Dallas Stars and Seattle Kraken hit the ice for Game 1 of their second-round series, it was obvious that both teams were in prime playoff form.
The energy on the ice was high, and the energy in the crowd was even higher when forward Joe Pavelski, who was making his first appearance since leaving the Stars’ first-round series with an injury, scored the opening goal of the game.
This was the first game this postseason in which Seattle did not score first.
Seattle tied the game later in the period, then Pavelski tipped in a puck for his second goal of the game, which restored the Stars’ one-goal advantage.
The Kraken stunned everyone with their first-period goal-scoring.
All of a sudden, Seattle took over the period. The Kraken struck twice in 11 seconds, then added a third goal 41 seconds later. A 4-2 lead overall for either team was far from what anyone expected after the way both starting goaltenders played in round one.
The game settled down in period two as neither team scored a goal. The score remained 4-2 entering the third period, but Pavelski once again made his presence felt.
He cut the Stars’ deficit to one goal when he notched his second career playoff hat trick. Even that wouldn’t be the end of his scoring, as his fourth goal of the contest tied things up at four and sent the opening game of this series to overtime.
It took a little over half of the period for someone to score, but in the end, it was Yanni Gourde’s second goal of the postseason that gave the Kraken a 1-0 series advantage.
11 Seattle skaters recorded points in Game 1, led by two points from Jordan Eberle. Offense by committee is exactly what this team needs to win. For the Stars, Pavelski, of course, led the way with four points, while Max Domi ended the night with three assists.
One of my keys to this series was health, and I mentioned Pavelski’s injury and his questionable status. Well, he was ready to go in Game 1 all right, and this would have been a dramatically different game had he not been. Needless to say, Dallas will be glad to have number 16 back.
Seattle seemed extremely comfortable in the offensive end in this game. Whether they were on the forecheck or cycling the puck, the Kraken made life difficult for the Stars, and that contributed to them holding a lead for so long and ultimately winning the game.
Don’t expect every game in this series to be this high-scoring, but expect them to be just as entertaining. Game 2 of this series will be Thursday, May 4 at 9:30 PM on TNT.