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Johnston sends the Dallas Stars to the Western Conference Finals

By Brian Sweet |
May 15, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) and center Max Domi (18) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) celebrate after the Stars defeat the Seattle Kraken in game seven of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
May 15, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) and center Max Domi (18) and center Wyatt Johnston (53) celebrate after the Stars defeat the Seattle Kraken in game seven of the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

When the Dallas Stars needed someone to rise to the occasion tonight, one 20-year-old rookie phenomenon did just that. Wyatt Johnston’s game-winning goal gives the Stars a 2-1 win over the Seattle Kraken and a trip to the Western Conference Finals.

The Stars went out there last night and played true “Texas Hockey” to a T and never looked back. This will be the second time in four years that the Stars will be in the Western Conference Finals. I’ll get to the huge significance of the next series in the series preview coming out later this week. For now, let’s take a look at how the Stars won and ended up in the Western Conference Finals.

Dallas Stars vs Seattle Kraken Recap: 3. Smothered their power play

The Dallas Stars had some penalty kill issues in game 6 of this series and it looked like they fixed it last night. The Stars made sure that the Kraken didn’t take advantage of having an extra man on the ice. I believed the Stars killed the Kraken’s momentum for the remainder of the game after the only penalty kill of the night.

Dallas Stars vs Seattle Kraken Recap: 2. Johnston among the greats

Johnston joined an elite company scoring the game-winning goal last night. He became the youngest player to ever score a game-winning goal in a game 7 in NHL history. He joins the ranks of players like Jaromir Jagr and Jeremy Roenick. The other thing to point out is Johnston is he also scored the game-winning goal in the previous series against the Wild as well. Stars have a bright future with Wyatt Johnston on this roster. Credit to the scouting department for finding this kid.

Dallas Stars vs Seattle Kraken Recap: 1. Otter got over his demons

I was kind of worried memories of game 7 last year against the Calgary Flames would get into Jake Oettinger’s head before last night. Oettinger went out there and made sure there was no repeat of a game 7 loss. It stinks that he didn’t get the shutout for his efforts last night. I’m sure he doesn’t care about that and is happy the Stars are guarenteed four more games this season. Next stop on the playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights.

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