Miro Heiskanen scored the game-winner in overtime, giving the Dallas Stars a 4-3 win over the Kraken in Seattle in what was a potential playoff preview between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.

Stars 4, Kraken 3: Box Score

The Stars possessed the puck just twice in overtime with the Kraken dominating possession in the extra period, but shortly after a Max Domi faceoff win in Seattle’s offensive zone, Heiskanen beat Phillip Grubauer to give Dallas the win on Saturday night.

The Stars lead the NHL’s Central Division and entered the night with the second-best point percentage in the Western Conference. The Kraken, meanwhile, are third in the Pacific Division and fifth in the conference. By getting to overtime, the Kraken did get a point, keeping them a point ahead of Edmonton in the Pacific Division. The Kraken and Oilers face off in Seattle next Saturday.

Saturday was the first of three games the Kraken and Stars will play against each other in a three-day span, and the first of three against each other in 10 days. The two conference foes will play again in Seattle on Monday and in Dallas on Tuesday, March 21.

Jordan Eberle, Ryan Donato and Oliver Bjorkstrand all scored for Seattle while Cooper Hintze, Mason Marchant, Joe Pavelski and Heiskanen scored for Dallas.

After a scoreless first period, Hintze got the scoring started 4:51 into the second period, taking advantage of a big rebound of a Jason Robertson slap shot.

Eberle got the equalizer roughly three minutes later, getting a tip in on a Vince Dunn shot from deep. The assist extended Dunn’s point streak to nine games, tying both a career high – set earlier this season – and his Kraken franchise record.

Marchant then scored three minutes later for Dallas off a faceoff, giving the Stars a 2-1 lead heading into the third period.

Shortly after the Stars killed off a four-minute penalty, Donato tied things up at 2-2 10:03 into the third period, and Bjorkstrand gave the Kraken their first lead of the game with 3:25 to go on a Seattle power play.

Dallas pulled goaltender Jake Oettinger late and the Stars capitalized with just 1:10 to go as Pavelski tied things up as there was mayhem in goal for the Kraken with Grubauer struggling to regain his footing. Heiskanen then won it for Dallas in overtime.

Kraken Notes

• Saturday night was defenseman Jamie Oleksiak’s 500th NHL game. He started his career in Dallas, which made him a first-round pick (14th overall) in 2011. Oleksiak played with Dallas for six years before being traded to Pittsburgh, where he spent two seasons. He then returned to Dallas for three more seasons before the Kraken selected him in their 2021 expansion draft.

• Per Kraken PR, Dunn is the first defenseman to have two separate nine-game point streaks in the same season since Mike Green did so for the Washington Capitals in 2009-10. Dunn picked up two assists on Saturday.

• Wennberg’s assist on Bjorkstrand’s third-period goal was the 300th point of his career.

• Eberle was a game-time decision, but played the entirety of the game.

Kraken entering ‘magnified’ part of schedule with big playoff implications

Follow @TheBGustafson