Sam Steel and Wyatt Johnston netted goals just 14 seconds apart late in the first period, while Casey DeSmith made 25 saves for his 11th career shutout in his Dallas debut, leading the Stars to a 2-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night.
This marked the Stars’ second consecutive shutout, as starting goalie Jake Oettinger blanked the New York Islanders the previous night.
Steel opened the scoring with 3:43 left in the first period, tapping in a cross-ice pass from Colin Blackwell behind Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer. Moments later, Johnston followed with a wrist shot after receiving a drop pass from Jamie Benn, putting the Stars up 2-0. Grubauer finished the game with 21 saves for Seattle.
Johnston, who led Dallas with 32 goals last season, now has points in all three games to start the new campaign.
Dallas also had back-to-back shutouts late last season, with a 3-0 win in Seattle on March 30 and a 5-0 victory over Edmonton at home on April 3.
Takeaways
Kraken: This was Seattle’s first shutout in three games under new coach Dan Bylsma. Last season, the Kraken were shut out seven times and ranked 29th in goals scored.
Stars: Dallas’s schedule is packed with nine games in 17 days due to an early November trip to Finland, and it is counting on DeSmith to make key contributions early on.
Key Moment
After Steel’s goal, Johnston won the faceoff and quickly converted his opportunity into a 2-0 lead just seconds later.
Key Stat
The Stars’ penalty kill was stellar, allowing only two shots on goal across four Kraken power plays. Dallas has killed 10 of 11 penalties so far this season.
Up Next
- On Tuesday, the Kraken wrap up their three-game Central Division road trip with a matchup against the Nashville Predators.
- The Stars will complete their three-game homestand against the San Jose Sharks.
