The Dallas Stars evened up their series against Seattle 1-1 last night in Dallas. Their second round matchup is proving to be a must watch. The Kraken are showing they’re a force to be reckoned with. Before the series a few of the hockey writers at BackSportsPage gave a prediction for the series. I want to take a second to see how their predictions are doing.
Philipp Grubauer had an excellent series against the Colorado Avalanche, continuing his hot streak from April. However, he’ll be tested against a Dallas Stars team that has goal scorers left and right. This could go either way, especially since Seattle’s trying to make a similar run to the 2017-2018 Golden Knights. However, I’m leaning towards a Stars team that has a better build. Stars in 7
The Kraken are the first expansion team to beat the defending Stanley Cup Champions in the playoffs and did so with amazing depth scoring. While Colorado had to rely on one line to produce, Seattle was getting production from everyone in the lineup. Dallas will no doubt have their hands full with the Kraken but the x-factor for this series will no doubt be Jake Oettinger. With Shesterkin out, it can be argued that the best goalie remaining in the playoffs is Oettinger, and with McCann still injured, the Kraken may struggle to solve Oettinger to start the series. Grubauer will have to provide the same stellar goaltending as he did in round one against another highly skilled offense with a bit more depth this time. Dallas also isn’t afraid to get chippy and the series against Minnesota shows their ability to succeed against tough physical teams. Seattle has plenty of momentum going into this series, but for now, it feels like Dallas is still the more complete team with their depth and superstars upfront, on defense and in net. Stars in 6
Erin Sauceda –
Another shock was Kraken winning. A lot of people (including me) were betting on Avalanche to win. But in game seven, they won 2-1. The Stars are a safe bet but I think Kraken will shock and pull through again. Kraken in 6
You may want to take this prediction with a grain of salt. I am admittedly biased towards the Stars as I’ve been a fan for most of my life. As I said previously, I believe that the Stars are the team to beat. The Stars have a perfect mix of veteran leadership of Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn, mixed with their high scoring youth such as Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. Roope Hintz continues to play well racking up a staggering 12 points in the first round. Tyler Seguin has also been impressive as he racked up 6 points against the Wild. This offensive spark mixed with Jake Oettinger’s timely saves have made the Stars a tough out indeed. Stars in 6
