3 major takeaways from Dallas Stars’ 2-0 win against Seattle Kraken

The Dallas Stars got their second shutout win in as many nights, beating the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Sunday night at the American Airlines Center.

Wyatt Johnston and Sam Steel scored 14 seconds apart in the first frame to give the Dallas Stars a 2-0 lead they would not relinquish. Casey DeSmith stopped 25 shots to earn his first clean sheet of the season.

Here are three key takeaways from the Dallas Stars' 2-0 blanking of the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night.

3 major takeaways from Dallas Stars’ win against Seattle Kraken

#3. The Stars played their usual stifling style

The Kraken were no match for the Dallas Stars’ usual stifling style. The Stars shut down the Kraken’s offense through a combination of hard-hitting and structured defensive plays. Despite giving up five power play opportunities, the Kraken were unable to get much momentum going.

Additionally, the Stars controlled nearly 52% of the faceoffs throughout the game. They avoided high-danger chances, allowing DeSmith to make the saves he needed to make to keep the Stars ahead. While the win wasn’t particularly thrilling, it was a solid effort from the Stars on back-to-back nights.

#2. The Stars capitalized on the Kraken’s mental lapses

The Kraken fell victim to 14 seconds of mental lapses that led to the two Dallas Stars goals. The first goal started with a failed pass from Will Borgen to Josh Mahura that landed all the way back to the blue line. The Stars kept the puck in the zone with Thomas Harley getting the puck to the front of the net.

From there, Sam Steel camped out in front of the net as he got a pass from Colin Blackwell to make it 1-0. The lack of coverage from the Kraken allowed Steel to have the time and room to score the goal without hesitation.

In the second goal, the Stars won the faceoff with Jamie Benn skating across the blueline unimpeded. He dropped the puck back to Wyatt Johnston who buried the shot past Philip Grubaeur. Been screened Grubaeur as both Kraken defensemen collapsed on Benn, allowing the shot to get through traffic.

Ultimately, it was that brief 14-second span that made the difference, allowing the Stars to control the pace throughout the night.

#1. The Stars took advantage of a tired Kraken team

The Kraken played the night before, winning a thrilling 5-4 game in OT. Consequently, the Stars capitalized on a tired Kraken team that gradually ran out of gas as the game went on.

While the Stars also played yesterday when they blanked the New York Islanders, the game wasn’t nearly as taxing as the Kraken’s matchup on Saturday night with the Minnesota Wild. Credit to the Stars for effectively capitalizing on the circumstances they were presented with.

The Stars will look to go 4-0 on the season as they face the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night.