'We were ready': Kraken bounce back, top Stars to force Game 7 - ESPN

SEATTLE — Needing a response to keep their season alive, the Seattle Kraken found exactly that in a 6-3 series-tying win Saturday against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of this Western Conference semifinal at Climate Pledge Arena.

A number of items allowed the Kraken to break out for six goals, prompt the Stars to pull star goaltender Jake Oettinger and ultimately force a Game 7 slated for Monday at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

For the Stars, a Game 7 win would see them advance to the Western Conference Final for the second time in four seasons. As for the Kraken, winning Game 7 would see the second-year franchise reach the conference finals for the first time in team history.

«We were ready tonight. I feel like the last couple games, they were the ready team at the start,» said Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen, who finished with a goal and three points. «I think that was the big key today. All four lines were ready to play and showed up.»

Gaining some sense of control was a challenge for the Kraken throughout their losses in Games 4 and 5. The Kraken struggled in 5-on-5 play, as they failed to even meet their averages in certain offensive categories such as shots per 60, scoring chances per 60 and high-danger scoring chances per 60.

That wasn't an issue Saturday. Having that control was how the Kraken staked themselves to what at one point was a three-goal lead. They held possession like a grudge with a shot-share percentage of 63.3 percent while owning at least a 10-shot differential throughout the latter stages of the first period.

Yanni Gourde gave the Kraken a 1-0 when he took a drop pass from Tolvanen and skated in for a point-blank chance that was initially stopped by Oettinger before Gourde recovered his