Kraken Vs Stars preview: Seattle aims to end long skid as Dallas returns from Olympics
The kraken vs stars matchup brings the Seattle Kraken (27-20-9) to the American Airlines Center to face the Dallas Stars (34-14-9), a game shaped by Olympic layups, lineup scratches and a chance for Seattle to stop a long run of losses to Dallas.
Kraken Vs Stars: Olympic hangover and lineup moves
Seattle coach Lane Lambert scratched Kaapo Kakko and said he would gauge Eeli Tolvanen and Kakko after one-on-one conversations about jet lag and fatigue; those two had been at the Winter Olympics. On the Dallas side, six Stars players reached the Olympic semifinals and at least three are not expected to play. Finnish star forward Mikko Rantanen is out with a lower-body injury, centerman Roope Hintz is said to be ill, and Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger returned from Washington, D. C., but will serve as backup to Casey DeSmith in this game. The Stars also listed fatigue factors for Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley.
Seattle’s chance at American Airlines Center and recent history
The Kraken have struggled in Dallas: they are 2-10-2 all-time against the Stars and have dropped eight straight regular-season games to them since an Adam Larsson overtime goal three years ago next month. Seattle’s only regular-season win in this building came in March 2023 in overtime, and the teams met again two months later with Seattle taking an overtime victory in Game 1 of a second-round playoff series. Seattle comes off a three-week Winter Olympic break, during which the club had gone 15-6-3 before the layoff and returned with most players healthy; Lambert said he expects early NHL play to be a bit "sloppy" as teams resume games.
Game time, broadcast and what’s at stake
Scheduling entries differ: one listing shows the game at 5: 00 p. m., while a broadcast guide lists it at 8: 00 p. m. ET at American Airlines Center; the matchup is carried on +. The Stars sit third in the Western Conference with 77 points and the Kraken are seventh with 63 points, leaving Seattle tied for third in the Pacific Division with a tiebreaker edge over Anaheim and three points ahead of Los Angeles for the postseason dividing line. For the Kraken, a win would both halt an extended losing stretch to Dallas and help create breathing room in the tight Pacific Division race.
The game itself is the next confirmed event on both teams' schedules and will be played at American Airlines Center with broadcast available on +.
