Let’s watch some playoff hockey!
Scroll down to the comments to discuss Monday night’s game.
Western Conference
Seattle Kraken at Dallas Stars – 7 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Series is tied 3-3
Seeing as I have no specific team(s) of rooting interest in the NHL playoffs this year I’ve decided to watch as an agent of chaos and hope for as many Game 7s as possible, so thank you for that Dallas and Seattle.
The Kraken don’t chase match ups so much as they just roll their lines and try to beat you with their depth. It’s worked so far (obviously), as they’ve had 18 different players score at least one goal for them so far in the playoffs. Oliver Bjorkstrand was their surprise hero who helped send the Avalanche home, and tonight I’m keeping an eye on Eeli Tolvanen (who the Blackhawks could have/should have claimed off waivers for absolutely nothing, Kyle).
The Stars have a lot going for them as well. Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski lead Dallas in goals with eight each (and Hintz is second only to the recently ousted Connor McDavid in overall playoff scoring). For some reason Coach Pete DeBoer has a career record of 6-0 in Game 7s, and as far as I’m concerned Jake Oettinger is the best goaltender still remaining.
Historically there’s a distinct advantage to hosting Game 7 as home teams have an overall record of 112-81 (good for a .580 winning percentage) – but it would definitely be cool to see Seattle join the league’s other most recent addition (the Vegas Golden Knights) in the Western Conference Finals.