ice Hockey
After Draisaitl, Grubauer also out of the NHL playoffs
Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) scores against Seattle Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer (31). photo
© Tony Gutierrez/AP
A day after Leon Draisaitl’s loss with the Edmonton Oilers, Philipp Grubauer also loses one game too many in the NHL playoffs with the Seattle Kraken and is out. He too could now go to the World Cup.
After Leon Draisaitl, Philipp Grubauer and his team were eliminated from the NHL playoffs and could theoretically travel to Finland for the Ice Hockey World Championships.
With the Seattle Kraken, the goalkeeper from Rosenheim lost game seven in the semifinals of the Western Conference 1:2 against the Dallas Stars. The Texans meet the Vegas Golden Knights, who defeated Draisaitl’s Edmonton Oilers in six games, in the conference finals starting Friday.
Grubauer made another strong game, but was largely powerless with the two goals conceded. At 1-0, Roope Hintz benefited from a puck loss in the third of the Kraken and raced towards Grubauer without an opponent. Wyatt Johnston made it 2-0 with a technical masterpiece and a shot from the near corner. Oliver Bjorkstrand’s goal with 17.6 seconds to go came too late. In just its second year, the Seattle Kraken had a successful season, having defeated defending champions Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs the previous round.
Whether Grubauer will travel to the World Cup, where the German team has lost three games despite good performances, is just as open as with Draisaitl. National coach Harold Kreis has released squad positions for both professionals.