The Seattle Kraken had tremendous success against the Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2023 playoffs. Seattle took Dallas to seven games, losing the decider by a single goal.
The results in the regular season haven’t been as close. Wednesday at Climate Pledge Arena, the Stars got a tie-breaking goal from Vladislav Kolyachonok with 5:44 left to beat the Kraken 3-2. It was one of just two shots on goal for the visitors in the 3rd period, but it proved one too many.
Dallas has beaten Seattle in their last eight regular-season meetings, and 12 of 14 overall. The Kraken haven’t prevailed since a 5-4 overtime win in Dallas on March 21, 2023.
The Kraken got goals from defensemen Brandon Montour in the 1st and Vince Dunn, on a spectacular solo dash early in the 3rd. Joey Daccord made 18 saves.
1st Period
Jared McCann’s return from IR got off to a rocky start. 49 seconds after puck drop, he’s felled by an Alex Petrovic high stick, and heads to the dressing room for repairs. McCann quickly returns, snapping an in-close chance into the pads of Stars goalie Casey DeSmith.
Kraken goalie Joey Dacord provides the only other real excitement during Petrovic’s double-minor. Daccord skates beyond the right faceoff circle to retrieve a loose puck; his misguided rocket up-ice pass nearly catches coach Lane Lambert between the eyes on the Kraken bench.
Dallas apparently didn’t use up all its goal-scoring in an 8-3 thumping of the Oilers in Edmonton last night. Daccord can’t find Roope Hintz’s tip of a Petrovic blueline wrister through heavy traffic at 5:52.
DeSmith has been terrific early, none more so than when Tye Kartye gets a gift bounce off the rear boards. The goalie stones Kartye from outside the crease. He makes another grade-A stop on Jaden Schwartz, sniping with time and space from the bottom of the right circle.
But after defenseman Vince Dunn coolly intercepts the cross-ice pass on a Dallas 2-on-1, the Kraken tie with the help of puck luck. Brandon Montour, from below the goal line in the near corner, centers. The puck hits DeSmith and makes a 90-degree turn into his net. Montour’s fifth comes at 9:06.
Seattle! Kraken! GOAL!!!
Brandon Montour ties the game on a…
I…have no idea how this went in to be honest
But it’s tied all the same!#SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/o7OUbiUyFH
— 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨’ 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 (@DavyJonesLR) November 27, 2025
Vince Dunn’s trip of Hintz at 18:55 matches Dallas’ 2nd ranked power play (31.6%) against Seattle’s #30 penalty kill (71%). Daccord’s left arm shrugs aside Hintz’s slot drive to keep the game tied 1-1 after one. Shots were even, 10-10.
2nd Period
The stars were perfectly aligned – pardon the expression – for the Kraken to grab a rare regular-season victory from Dallas. Seattle was home and rested, having not played since Sunday’s 1-0 shootout loss on Long Island. The Stars, meanwhile, after cruising in Edmonton, had to travel, clear customs, and arrive at CPA for the second of back-to-back games.
At 6:12, the Kraken pay for not clearing Stars from Daccord’s crease. Esa Lindell gets the final whack that gives Dallas a 2-1 lead.
Seattle can’t take advantage of a Jamie Benn holding-the-stick penalty, now 0-3 on the PP. At the other end, Daccord makes a sparkling point-blank save to rob a 13th goal this season from super youngster Wyatt Johnston.
3rd Period
Here’s how much the Seattle Kraken offense missed winger Jared McCann. He returned to the lineup Wednesday against the Stars. Despite missing 17 games on IR, he retained his spot as top Kraken goal-getter, with eight (tied with Jaden Schwartz).
Dunn needs just 18 seconds to tie the game 2-2 on a scintillating solo effort. The defenseman took possession of the puck deep in his own zone, skated over all three lines, then shot across his body with three Stars surrounding him, beating DeSmith over the goalie’s left shoulder. Spectacular! McCann drew an assist.
Vince Dunn skating, ducking, weaving, dangling, shooting
SCORING!!!
Dunner with a spectacular goal ties the game!#SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/O9lCMoCEqA
— 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨’ 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 (@DavyJonesLR) November 27, 2025
With six minutes left, the Stars went into full Globetrotter mode, with a weave that saw almost every Dallas player touch the puck with Seattle having no chance to get close. Eventually, Kolyachonok sent a long-distance shot from the left point that found its way past Daccord for the winning goal at 14:16.
Oof. Vladislav Kolyachonok scores to take a late lead for Dallas. May have been screened, may have been deflected, but it’s definitely in the net. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/6BSORLCha2
— 𝘿𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙅𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨’ 𝙇𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢 (@DavyJonesLR) November 27, 2025
The Kraken couldn’t convert on a late power play or pulling Daccord for a sixth attacker. Seattle outshot Dallas, 29-21, holding the Stars to two SOG in the final 20 minutes.
Up Next
Turkey. Kraken-Stars was one of 15 NHL games the night before Thanksgiving, allowing the league to take the American holiday off (or as they call it in Canada, “Thursday”). Seattle is next in action Saturday at home against Edmonton, a 1 pm local time start. Then it’s another extended break, until the Kraken rematch with the Oilers at Rogers Place on Thursday, Dec. 4.