SEATTLE — For their first enterprise into the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Seattle Kraken are giving their followers fairly the thrilling, but nerve-racking expertise.

Two playoff collection. And now, a second Game 7.

“That’s all you can ask for These games are what makes playoff hockey fun,” Seattle’s Jordan Eberle mentioned.

Eberle scored twice, Eeli Tolvanen had a objective and two assists, and the Kraken beat the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Saturday night time to pressure a deciding Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinal collection.

Tolvanen’s objective within the opening minutes of the second interval gave Seattle a 3-1 lead. Rookie Tye Kartye scored his third of the playoffs beating Jake Oettinger with a wrist shot lower than three minutes later, and the Kraken withstood a number of pushes by the Stars to ship the collection again to Texas.

“We were ready tonight. I feel like last couple games they’ve been maybe the ready team at the start,” Tolvanen mentioned. “That was the big key today. All four lines were ready to play.”

PHOTOS: Eberle scores 2 as Kraken outshine Stars 6-3, ship collection to deciding Game 7

Matty Beniers and Yanni Gourde every added a objective and an help for Seattle, which is headed to the second Game 7 within the its brief playoff historical past after ousting defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado with a 2-1 win within the deciding recreation of the opening spherical. The Kraken are the sixth staff in league historical past to go to a Game 7 in every of the franchise’s first two playoff collection.

Philipp Grubauer stopped 20 photographs for the win.

“We had a goal in mind. We wanted to make sure that we were still one of the six teams alive when we woke up tomorrow morning and have the opportunity to go and play a Game 7,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol mentioned. “We know the test. We know the challenge. It’ll be a big one, but we’ll be ready.”

Mason Marchment, Joe Pavelski and Joel Kiviranta scored for Dallas. Oettinger gave up 4 targets on 18 photographs earlier than he was pulled 4 1/2 minutes into the second interval. Scott Wedgewood got here on and stopped 9 of the ten photographs he confronted.

Game 7 might be Monday night time in Dallas.

“I mean, their lives were on the line. They played desperate hockey and played a good game,” Dallas captain Jamie Benn mentioned.

The Stars final performed a Game 7 within the second spherical of the 2020 playoffs within the NHL bubble in Edmonton when Dallas beat Colorado 5-4 in time beyond regulation. This might be first Game 7 in Dallas for the reason that second spherical in 2016, when Stars misplaced 6-1 to St. Louis after giving up three first interval targets.

Pavelski scored his 72nd profession playoff objective and his eighth of the collection when he redirected Miro Heiskanen’s shot type the purpose throughout an influence play within the second interval. Pavelski is tied with Alex Ovechkin for probably the most playoff targets amongst lively gamers.

And he might have had extra. Pavelski almost added a second objective within the opening seconds of the third interval, however his shot hit the put up and Heiskanen’s rebound try slid huge of the objective mouth. Moments later, Jason Robertson’s shot from the slot hit the identical put up and ricocheted away from hazard.

Seattle appeared to place a wrap on the win when Beniers completed a 2-on-1 off a go from Eberle together with his third playoff objective at 8:43 of the third interval following a key penalty kill by the Kraken. But 16 seconds later Kiviranta tipped Thomas Harley’s shot from the purpose previous Grubauer to drag the Stars again to 5-3.

It created a unnerving ultimate couple of minutes for Seattle till Eberle’s empty-netter with 58 seconds left.

“We had nothing to lose, obviously backs against the wall,” Eberle mentioned. “So we’re going to have the same effort in Game 7.”

Grubauer was wonderful in objective for Seattle, particularly within the second interval when Dallas made a push. He had 11 saves within the interval.

Oettinger was pulled after giving up Kartye’s objective and his 24 minutes, 23 seconds time on ice was the shortest begin of his profession.

Gourde gave Seattle the beginning it wanted, following up his preliminary shot and beating Oettinger at 8:59 of the primary interval. Marchment scored 31 seconds later to drag the Stars even, however Eberle’s power-play objective at 16:46 of the interval restored Seattle’s benefit.

“When the other team is hungry like that in an elimination game and you’re on the road, you got to be at least be the smarter team with the puck,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer mentioned. “I felt we compounded mistakes and fed their energy in the first period.”

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