Watch, listen, live stream and view the latest stats on the matchup against Seattle
By Stars Staff
When: Monday, March 31 at 9:00 PM CT
Where: Climate Pledge Arena
TV: Victory+
Radio: The Ticket 96.7-FM, 1310-AM
Live Stats: NHL Game Center
Dallas Stars | Seattle Kraken | |
|---|---|---|
Record | 48-21-4 (21-14-2 Away) | 31-37-6 (17-16-5 Home) |
Rank | 100 Points (2nd in Central) | 68 Points (7th in Pacific) |
Power Play | 22.8% (50-for-219) | 19.2% (39-for-203) |
Penalty Kill | 84.5% (169-for-200) | 76.5% (130-for-170) |
Last 10 Games | 7-1-2 | 4-4-2 |
Five Points 5️⃣
- The Dallas Stars face the Seattle Kraken Monday night for the third and final time this season. Dallas won their previous two meetings against Seattle, defeating them 2-0 on Oct. 13 in Dallas and 5-1 on March 29 in Seattle. Entering Monday's match, the Stars are 48-21-4 while the Kraken are 31-37-6. If the Stars were to win on Monday, Dallas would have swept the Kraken for the second year in a row.
- Dallas is 9-1-1 all-time vs. Seattle, including a 4-1-0 mark on the road.
- The Stars have won their last five games played against the Kraken (5-0-0) and have earned points in their last nine games against Seattle (8-0-1) dating back to April 23, 2022.
- Forward Wyatt Johnston enters Monday's contest riding a two-game point streak against the Kraken, earning two goals during those games. Johnston has registered seven points (5-2—7) in his last seven games against Seattle.
- Forward Roope Hintz has recorded 12 points (6-6—12) in 11 career games against the Kraken, averaging at least a point per game against them (1.09). Hintz also recorded his 200th NHL career assist in Dallas' last meeting against Seattle on March 29.
Stats Against Opponent ✍
Active Streaks | Leading Scorers |
|---|---|
Mikael Granlund (1-7—8, 6 GP) | Mikael Granlund (2-10—12, 11 GP) |
Mikko Rantanen (3-4—7, 3 GP) | Roope Hintz (6-6—12, 11 GP) |
Sam Steel (1-1—2, 2 GP) | Jason Robertson (5-7—12, 11 GP) |
Wyatt Johnston (2-0—2, 2 GP) | Mikko Rantanen (5-7—12, 12 GP) |
Players To Watch 👀
Stars forward Rantanen has earned points in four consecutive games, totaling seven points (2-5—7) in those games. In 11 games as a member of the Stars, Rantanen has registered 11 points (4-7—11). He leads Stars skaters this season in points (81) and assists (50) while ranking second in goals (31). Entering play Sunday, Rantanen's 81 points are tied for 11th across the league. Rantanen enters Monday's matchup riding a three-game point streak vs. Seattle, earning seven points (3-4—7) in those games. In all, Rantanen had registered 12 points (5-7—12) in 12 career games against the Kraken.
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn has three points (0-3—3) in his last four games. Dunn leads Seattle defensemen in assists (24) while ranking second in goals (11) and points (35). Dunn has played in 267 games for Seattle leading the franchise in all-time assists (137) and sitting second in points (180). In his career against the Stars, Dunn has totaled 10 points (0-10—10) in 21 games.
First Shift 🏒
Pete DeBoer likes to use the phrase that he has an “honest team,” and no player might symbolize that better than Jake Oettinger.
The 26-year-old goalie has had his ups and downs in a five-year NHL career, but he’s usually the first person to talk about the weaknesses in his game and how he has to fix them.
In a six-week span starting in early February, Oettinger was in a 4-4-2 slump with a 3.39 GAA and .872 save percentage. Seeing as he was among the NHL leaders before February with a 26-11-1 record, a 2.32 GAA and a .912 save percentage, that was definitely seen as a problem. Oettinger dug in, did the work in practice with goalie coach Jeff Reese and backup goalie Casey DeSmith, and now seems to have exited to a very good place.
In his past three games, Oettinger is 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .964 save percentage. He is also on a five-game win streak.
“We have a good group and we help each other,” Oettinger said. “Casey helps me a lot. We push each other and we talk a lot with Reeser. We have a really tight room.”
In recent games, both Oettinger and DeSmith have helped the Stars earn wins when it looked like things could go awry. In games against Edmonton, Calgary and Seattle, the Stars easily could have gotten behind as the opposition has had dominant stretches of puck possession and shots on goal. In all three games, the goalies made a huge difference.
“Both of our goalies are amazing,” said Johnston. “When we’re not playing our best, they give us the opportunity to stay in every game, and that’s huge.”
During Oettinger’s “slump,” the team was also struggling to get the puck out of its own zone and often was losing the battle on the shot clock. Dallas has allowed the most shots on goal in the league in the month of March at 32.2 per game, and part of the solution to that problem going forward is better communication between the goalies and the defensemen in getting the puck out.
“We’re just trying to give D good passes so they can make quick plays and quick decisions,” Oettinger said. “It feels like whenever we make a good pass, or make a quick play, we have a good chance of getting it out of the zone. Breaking the puck out is so important, especially in the playoffs. It feels like every time I make a bad pass, we’re in the zone for a minute. If I make a good pass, and we then get it out of the zone, I feel like I helped make sure they didn’t get a scoring chance. That’s what I try to focus on.”
Oettinger is a rare netminder in that he already has 47 games of postseason experience at age 26. He has posted a 2.46 GAA and .915 save percentage, but he’s working to build on those numbers this year. The recent push is a reminder of just how much he means to the team’s success.
“I have worked over the past few weeks and have done things differently that I wanted to do, and it’s paying off right now,” he said. “I feel good about my game. I want to keep building on that and keep the momentum going into the playoffs.”
He said the work on puck possession is a good reminder just how much he and his teammates are intertwined, and also how one part of your game can help the other.
“It’s all connected, it’s all related,” Oettinger said. “Every part of everyone’s game has ups and downs and we’re going to get back to what we need to do to get ready for the playoffs.”
Key Numbers 🔢
8
The Stars’ top line has 8 goals in the past three games. Robertson has 4 goals and 3 assists, Hintz has 2 goals and 5 assists, and Rantanen has 2 goals and 4 assists.
21-14-2
Dallas has the fifth best road record in the NHL at 21-14-2, including 4-1-1 in its past six road games.
41
Dallas leads the NHL in first period scoring on the road with 41 goals in 37 games.
He Said It 📢
“As d-men, you skate as fast as you need to. There’s a lot of gliding involved, but you don’t really pace yourself. I think you go as needed.”
-Stars defenseman Thomas Harley on if he tries to “pace himself” in getting extra minutes. The Stars used seven defensemen on Saturday and Harley played 21:17, his lowest in the past 28 games.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.
Upcoming Games 📅
Opponent | Date | Time | Location | Stream |
Nashville Predators | April 3 | 7:00 PM CT | American Airlines Center | |
Pittsburgh Penguins | April 5 | 2:00 PM CT | American Airlines Center | |
Minnesota Wild | April 7 | 2:00 PM CT | Xcel Energy Center |
