Kraken’s Jamie Oleksiak knows Dallas Stars’ strengths all too well

DALLAS — The Kraken’s best source for second-round opposition research would prefer not to address the locker room, please.

“I’m not much of a talker,” defenseman Jamie Oleksiak said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “We’ve got lots of guys who will speak up in those rooms.

“If I have to say something, I will. But I think we do a good job of it.”

NHL playoffs Kraken vs. Dallas Stars

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Oleksiak had boots on the ground for most of a decade — cowboy boots, that is. He played parts of six seasons in Dallas from 2012-18, was traded to Pittsburgh, then dealt back to the Stars in early 2019 for two more full campaigns. Seattle took him from Dallas in the expansion draft in 2021.

He has recent history with American Airlines Center and many of the guys playing in it, who were set to face the Kraken in Game 1 on Tuesday night.

“They have depth. They obviously have some pretty deadly guys in their lineup,” Oleksiak said.

“We had a tough test last round. It’s going to be the same case this round. We’re ready to go.”

The Stars’ previous game was Friday, when they defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-1 to advance out of that first-round series. The Kraken had just one night off between Game 7 in Colorado on Sunday night and Game 1 in Texas.

“Honestly, we’re OK,” alternate captain Yanni Gourde said after Tuesday’s morning skate. “I feel like we’ve got a good routine, a good recovery time.”

There are different schools of thought here. Playoff rest and healing are critical while dealing with an uptick in physicality and an unforgiving schedule. But teams that are rolling are often able to keep rolling, and too long of a gap between games can lead to rust.

“It’s a quick turnaround for us, but sometimes that’s not a bad thing,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said Tuesday. “Make sure preparation is thorough, but a little bit simpler.

“Make sure our energy is good — that’s the biggest thing coming into [Tuesday’s] game. No reason to think it wouldn’t be.”

Others might crave a few days with their video-game console or golf clubs, but Oleksiak said this is his preference.

“I think it’s kind of nice, frankly, because you just get in a rhythm,” he said. “You’re just playing. You’re not dwelling on things, sitting down with idle time, it’s just kind of go, go, go.”

The Kraken got a better-than-average look at the Stars while they were rounding into postseason form. The regular-season schedule against Dallas was backloaded. Seattle didn’t face Dallas until March 11, then saw them three times in 11 days, going 1-1-1. Two of the games went to overtime.

McCann not with team

Kraken 40-goal scorer and top-line winger Jared McCann hasn’t played since Game 4 of the first round, when Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar shoved him into the boards after the puck had sailed out of play.

He’s officially listed as out due to “undisclosed” reasons and “day-to-day.” Hakstol didn’t comment on whether McCann would play in the second round, but effectively ruled him out of Games 1 and 2.

“He’s not with us on the trip,” the coach said.

Luck of the draw

The Kraken were set to have a harder time than usual in the faceoff dot, as the Stars’ win percentage was best in the league during the regular season at 54.8%. They lead the playoffs at 56.3%.

Dallas notably won 80.7% of its faceoffs against Boston in February, the second-best performance by any team since the NHL began keeping the stat in 1997 — and against a worthy opponent, as the Bruins were fourth best in the regular season in that category. The Stars lost in overtime.

“They’ve got a righty and a lefty on each of their forward lines that can take faceoffs,” Hakstol said. “A lot of those spots have been doing it for a long time. That’ll be a big challenge, a big test in this series for us.”

Top-line center Roope Hintz led the NHL playoffs in first-round points (12) and won 60.4% of his draws. Jamie Benn (68%) Luke Glendening (66%) Max Domi (58.8%) and Tyler Seguin (54.7%) were all up there.

The Kraken are putting themselves at a disadvantage with all these lost draws, but it hadn’t cost them too dearly entering Tuesday’s game. Like the Stars, they’re consistent, but in the other direction.

They were second to last in the regular season (45.3%) and then the first round with a 45% success rate — only Minnesota, the team Dallas just dispatched, was worse in the first round.