NHL playoffs | The Stars advance to the next round

All that was missing was a National Hockey League square aces team, and on Monday night in Dallas, it was the Stars who managed to advance to the next round.

It wasn’t so easy, but thanks to a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken, the Dallas club was able to advance to the third round of the playoffs, having won their second round series by four wins against three.

The Stars will now prepare to face the Vegas Golden Knights, who defeated the Edmonton Oilers the day before, in the Western Conference Finals.

The Stars’ final victory on Monday night was made possible by goals from Roope Hintz in the second period and Wyatt Johnston in the third period.

The Kraken’s reply came from Oliver Bjorkstrand, who netted Seattle’s only goal with just 18 seconds left in the game, which obviously wasn’t enough to extend the visitors’ night. .

The adventure of the Kraken therefore ends thus, an expansion club which, in only its second year of existence, has undoubtedly been able to thwart all the possible forecasts to arrive there, only five more victories from a presence in Stanley Cup final, a scenario that was unthinkable just last September. In the end, the Kraken was able to throw only 23 times during this match on Monday evening, which probably suggests that he had gone to the end of his resources.

The Stars, on the other hand, look a bit like the Carolina Hurricanes in the other association: nothing very spectacular (although Monday night, young Johnston’s goal alone was worth the price of entry), but a a well-run, close-knit club that plays an airtight style of play, a style that leaves very few chances to opponents. The overall play of the Stars largely explains their presence in the four aces.

This four aces, by the way, will be entirely made up of “new” teams, if you will, which do not rely on a rich past and which all come from markets that are not at all traditional hockey markets. Which could lead to a little more difficult ratings on the TV networks.

In the case of the Stars, none of that matters. The Texas team will be back in the West final, having last been on this stage in the summer of 2020. It should also be noted that the Stars have not lost two games in a row. since the beginning of the present series in the NHL.

This triumph is also that of goalkeeper Jake Oettinger, who had been taken out of the match during the previous meeting, after an erratic performance on his part. This time he did much better, with a night of 22 saves on a total of 23 shots he faced.