I AM LEAVING: Dallas star head coach just announce that he we be leaving immediately after facing....

I AM LEAVING: The Dallas Star head coach just announced that he will be leaving immediately after facing…

The Dallas Stars hosted the Seattle Kraken at the American Airlines Centre in a Saturday afternoon matchup. The Stars emerged victorious with a 3-1 win in a game broadcast nationally on ABC and ESPN+, clinching the Central Division title for the first time since 2016. Dallas improved their record to 51-21-9, while Seattle dropped to 33-33-13.

The Stars’ starting lineup included Chris Tanev, Tyler Seguin, Esa Lindell, Matt Duchene, Mason Marchment, and Jake Oettinger in goal. Oettinger made 26 saves to secure the win, while Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer stopped 28 shots in a losing effort.

In the first period, the Stars struck first with a goal in the final seconds. Craig Smith redirected a shot past the Kraken’s netminder to give Dallas a 1-0 lead at 19:57, assisted by Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. Despite being outshot 8-4, the Stars held a 1-0 lead at the end of the period.

The second period saw action on both ends, with Radek Faksa drawing the period’s first penalty for the Stars. Taking advantage of a power play opportunity, Jason Robertson scored with a wrist shot late in the period to extend Dallas’ lead to 2-0 at 19:23, assisted by Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen. Despite being outshot 22-16 through two periods, the Stars maintained their 2-0 lead.

In the third period, Miro Heiskanen extended the Stars’ lead to 3-0 with a wrist shot at 12:23, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Thomas Harley. Although the Kraken managed to score a goal by Kailer Yamamoto at 14:11 to narrow the gap to 3-1, it was not enough to mount a comeback.

Despite outshooting the Stars 11-8 in the third period, the Kraken couldn’t overcome the deficit, resulting in a 3-1 regulation win for the Stars. Dallas finished with a 31-27 edge in shots after 60 minutes of play.