After Seattle blocked 21 Stars shots in Game 7, Vegas could pose an even bigger challenge

When the Stars escaped with a 2-1 victory in Game 7 against the Seattle Kraken to keep their season alive, one glaring statistic nearly got in the way of the triumphant victory.

The Kraken blocked 21 of Dallas’ shots Monday night — 13 of which came in the first period. Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson had a team-high six blocks, including four in the first 20 minutes.

During Dallas’ first-period power play, Seattle blocked seven shots and did not allow a single attempt on goal during the only man-advantage the Stars had that night, despite Dallas keeping the puck in their offensive zone for almost the entire two minutes.

Though frustrating, Dallas wasn’t fazed. It proceeded to take a lead during the second period on Roope Hintz’s goal and put the game away in the third with a score from Wyatt Johnston.

But as the Stars prepare to face the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals beginning Friday, blocked shots could once again be a determining factor.

Vegas led the NHL in blocked shots per 60 minutes this regular season with 17.94 a game. In the playoffs, it increased that average to 18.87, good for second in the league.

That’s a significant increase from the Kraken, which ranked 25th in the league in blocked shots in the regular season and fifth in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Dallas ranks 13th in the postseason in that same category.

As playoff hockey intensifies, the window to get off shots closes. Against a speedy Vegas team, finding those openings will be crucial for the Stars, head coach Pete DeBoer said.

“They’re going to block shots,” DeBoer told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t have a magic plan that we’re gonna go, and all of a sudden, they’re not gonna block a bunch of shots next game, but we’ve got to find a way to get enough through to win games.”

Stars forward Jason Robertson has specifically put focus on the number of his shots that have been blocked. Back in the 2021-22 season, he ranked 13th among NHL forwards with 107 of his shots blocked. He spent the offseason watching all 400 shots he took the season before, studying how to prevent those blocks from continuing.

According to statistical website Hockey Reference, Robertson ranked second on the Stars in the regular season in total shots and unblocked shots. In the postseason, he dropped to third in total shots and fourth in unblocked attempts.

MonkeyPuck.com’s advanced statistics have Robertson ranked second on the Stars in the regular season with 153 of his 565 attempts (27.1%) blocked. That number has risen slightly in the postseason with 23 of his 82 shots stopped by defensemen (28%).

The Stars also finished with the highest percentage of shots blocked as a team in the regular season at 28.18%. In the postseason, 29.65% of Dallas’ shots have been blocked, which ranks seventh.

Given Seattle’s ability to block 44 of Dallas’ shots over the last two games and Vegas’ success in that category, DeBoer said Wednesday that is one of his opponent’s strengths the Stars have identified heading into the series. But he’s confident how the team overcame the wall the Kraken put up in Game 7 will bode well for its success in the conference finals.

“That Game 7 we played against Seattle will translate to anybody we play the rest of the way here,” he said.

On Twitter: @Lassimak

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