The flip flop nature of this series continued in Game 4 as this time it was the Stars turn to pour it on against the Kraken in an uneven affair. Grubauer has been excellent in the playoffs thus far but in Game 4 he was looking much more like the subpar goalie we saw through much of the season.

The Stars scored 5 goals on 24 shots (and the empty netter) while Seattle, despite getting their own good chances, couldn't seem to beat Oettinger in the early parts of the game. From NaturalStatTrick, the Kraken outchanced the Stars at 5 on 5, 21-19 as well as in the High Danger Department, 11-8. That is the good news. Seattle overall still played very well and continued to press the attack against the Stars, finally breaking through in the third period. The problem was a dreadful second period from Grubs already put the game away.

Rough nights are going to happen for goalies. We have seen it a couple times already from Oettinger who is one of the best in the game. What matters now is how the Kraken regroup and how their goalie performs for them in Game 5 in Dallas.

I've seen some suggest that Seattle should turn to Jones. I wouldn't give that even a thought. Grubauer is the guy who got you to this point and has been excellent for the most part. Grubauer deserves every opportunity to come back in and do what he can to help his team get the win. Throughout these playoffs we have seen goalies come back strong in games after they were pulled. Kraken fans will be hoping for that tonight.

Jared McCann played the second fewest minutes of any forward at 5 on 5 in that game, just above Brandon Tanev. McCann was slow to start but seemed to find his legs more as the game went on. It's clear he is still dealing with some lingering effects. Hopefully he can push for some more ice time tonight and find a way to get on the scoresheet.

That Pavelski Robertson and Hintz line is just feasting on the Kraken. I've thought the Gourde line has played them pretty well as it's going to be impossible to hold them completely off the scoresheet.

It boggles my mind still that a team that is so good at 5 on 5 like the Kraken can struggle so much on the powerplay. The Kraken have the worst PP% of the remaining teams in the playoffs. They're getting plenty of looks on the PP but they just can't seem to bury their chances. An early PP goal for Seattle in the game tonight would certainly help push things in their direction.

Seattle showed in the third period of last game that they will not go quietly away and I expect a far better performance from Grubauer tonight. A win tonight gives the Kraken a chance to eliminate the Stars at home in Game 6 on Saturday. It's going to be another track meet and fans on both sides should be prepared to watch a fun one.

Thanks for reading!

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