Kraken reflect as breakout season, surprising playoff run ends - ESPN

DALLAS — The plaque in the Seattle Kraken locker room held seven game pucks, signifying the first seven Stanley Cup playoff wins in franchise history.

There wouldn't be an eighth. An equipment manager tucked the board under his arm after Game 7 against the Dallas Stars, packing it away once the Kraken were eliminated in a 2-1 loss Monday night.

But as veteran Jordan Eberle explained, not many believed the Kraken would even be a playoff team, let alone come one win away from the Western Conference finals.

«They didn't expect us to make the playoffs. They didn't expect us to beat Colorado. I'm sure no one had us getting to the seven here,» Eberle said. «As a group, this is the first time we've been through this. You're got to learn how to lose first and then you'll find a way to win.»

Seattle had a 40-point improvement in the standings from its inaugural season, making the playoffs in Year 2. The Kraken shocked the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the first round and pushed the Stars to a Game 7 after winning Game 6 at home.

It was a run that announced their arrival as a contender in the Western Conference; more importantly for the Kraken, it was the first time they felt like something more than a disparate collection of players on an expansion franchise.

«I think the group got tighter and tighter together. I think Matty (Beniers) said it: We played like a real team,» said goalie Philipp Grubauer. «Everybody's playing for each other and that's what made it fun. Unfortunately, we didn't win that game today. But you need to go through those moments in order to get stronger. To feel that pain in the summer and get back at it for next season.»

Coach Dave Hakstol said that disappointment also