Kraken gaining confidence, experience in run through Stanley Cup Playoffs

SEATTLE --The Seattle Kraken are in their second season in the NHL and their first run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. But at some point, you flip from inexperienced to experienced. You stop believing because you think you can do it, and you start believing because you've done it before.

Maybe Seattle has reached that point.

The Kraken staved off elimination with a 6-3 win against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Second Round at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday, forcing Game 7 at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

This was their 13th playoff game over almost a month. They had faced elimination before and overcome it. Now they will play their 14th playoff game in almost a month.

Game 7? They've been there and done that, and they've won, defeating the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round. Think they will be overwhelmed by the opportunity to make the conference final for the first time?

Asked how his team had grown in the playoffs, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol thought for a moment.

"I love the way our team handled today, so that probably speaks to it," he said. "We knew what was on the line. As a staff, we didn't have to say a whole lot. We went through some specific preparation but very simple preparation. We just felt like right from the get-go this morning our guys had a good focus. They were relaxed overall, and that formula has usually led to pretty intense starts for us, and it did."

Seattle had been outscored 11-5 over the previous two games -- a 6-3 loss in Game 4 and 5-2 loss in Game 5. There would have been no shame in a loss in Game 6. The Kraken would have exceeded everyone's expectations.

Well, everyone's except perhaps their own.

They've never been just happy to be here, and they jumped on the Stars in the first period, outscoring them 2-1 and outshooting them 16-5. They stretched the lead to 4-1 just 4:23 into the second period.

"We were ready tonight," Kraken forward Eeli Tolvanen said. "I felt like the last couple games, they've been maybe that ready team at the start, so I think that was the big key today. I think all four lines were ready to play, and we showed it straight off."

RELATED: [Complete Stars vs. Kraken series coverage]

Seattle wobbled at times but didn't panic.

After Yanni Gourde gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 8:59 of the first period, Mason Marchment responded for the Stars 31 seconds later.

After Tye Kartye made it 4-1 and chased Stars goalie Jake Oettinger at 4:23 of the second, Joe Pavelski responded for Dallas on the power play just 1:14 after that.

Pavelski and Jason Robertson each hit a goal post for Dallas early in the third. After Matty Beniers gave Seattle a 5-2 lead at 8:43 of the third, Joel Kiviranta cut it to 5-3 just 15 seconds later.

"Up and downs tonight, right?" Hakstol said. "We handled them, and we got through them. The first shift of the third period tonight, a little bit too much chaos there. But that's where we've grown.

"Guys on the bench just talked to one another, settling things down, making sure we get to the next shift and do it the right way. That's one of the biggest areas of growth, and that speaks a little bit to the belief that the guys have in themselves and the guys sitting next to them."

Another area of growth: paying the price defensively. The Kraken ranked 25th in blocked shots in the regular season (1,127). They rank first in the playoffs (240).

"I think we've grown as a team since the start of the playoffs, just the way we've been defending," Gourde said. "It's one thing to do it in the regular season, but we've been doing it in the playoffs and blocking shot lanes, having some composure and some poise in the [defensive] zone. You can see how much we've grown as a team, as a group, throughout this playoff, and it's been a lot of fun to see that out of everyone."

Yet another area of growth: going to the hard areas offensively. The Kraken struggled to get inside against the Stars in Game 4 and 5. That changed in Game 6. Their first two goals came on rebounds. Their third came at the side of the net.

"We were committed to doing that tonight, and that's a good step for us," Hakstol said. "We talked about trying to find ways to grow as a hockey team here as we go through a really challenging series, and that was an area that was better tonight and obviously is going to have to continue."

Asked about Game 7, Eberle started by saying, "We've obviously been through this as a group once."

The Kraken have experience now.

"We know the test," Hakstol said. "We know the challenge. It'll be a big one, but we'll be ready."