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DALLAS — The plaque in the Seattle Kraken locker room held seven game pucks, signifying the first seven Stanley Cup playoff wins in franchise history.

There wouldn’t be an eighth. An equipment manager tucked the plaque under his arm after Game 7 against the Dallas Stars, packing it away once the Kraken were eliminated in a 2-1 loss Monday night.

But as veteran Jordan Eberle explained, not many believed the Kraken would even be a playoff team, let alone come one win away from the Western Conference finals.

“They didn’t expect us to make the playoffs. They didn’t expect us to beat Colorado. I’m sure no one had us getting to the seven here,” Eberle said. “As a group, this is the first time we’ve been through this. You’re got to learn how to lose first and then you’ll find a way to win.”

Seattle had a 40-point improvement in the standings from its inaugural season, making the playoffs in Year 2. The Kraken shocked the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the first round and pushed the Stars to a Game 7 after winning Game 6 at home.

It was a run that announced their arrival as a contender in the Western Conference; more importantly for the Kraken, it was the first time they felt like something more than a disparate collection of players on an expansion franchise.

“I think the group got tighter and tighter together. I think Matty [Beniers] said it: We played like a real team,” said goalie Philipp Grubauer. “Everybody’s playing for each other and that’s what made it fun. Unfortunately, we didn’t win that game today. But you need to go through those moments in order to get stronger. To feel that pain in the summer and get back at it for next season.”

Coach Dave Hakstol said that disappointment also helped strengthen the bonds between his players.

“Look at the pain of the veteran guys in that room,” he said. “When you’ve got guys that have won Cups and you’ve got guys that have been on playoff runs before, they understand how difficult it is to not only get into the playoffs but to get to the point where we’re one win away from being one of the final four teams.”

Hakstol said his first inkling that the Kraken could do something special was in training camp.

“There was a different feel to it,” he said. “I knew there was something there, but I had no idea exactly how or when we would be able to come together as a group. Did we grow over the last month? One hundred percent.”

“Guys kind of joke about it: Some players don’t even get a seven-game series in the first five years of their career. I’m already on my second.”

Matty Beniers

The Kraken had several players that won Stanley Cup championships and several more with palpable playoff experience — many of whom are signed through next season. But they also had some younger players on this playoff ride like forwards Tye Kartye and Beniers, who is a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year.

“Guys kind of joke about it: Some players don’t even get a seven-game series in the first five years of their career. I’m already on my second,” Beniers said.

Hakstol said having players like Beniers feel the sting of playoff elimination will also benefit them down the line.

“You see that pain in the veteran guys but for the young guys on the roster, the realization is there as well,” Hakstol said. “We’ll see the growth in those guys and the importance of the experience that they just went through.”

As Eberle said: “It took me seven years to get to the postseason. You don’t want to take it for granted.”

While forging bonds as teammates, the Kraken also forged an identity as a team. At their best, they were relentless on the forecheck and never folded in the face of adversity.

“It’s the culture. I think we grew as a team, as an organization, as a group,” said center Yanni Gourde. “Doing the right things night in and night out. Never cheating. We grew tremendously. That’s what we have to take away from this year.”

They didn’t have their best in Game 7. The Stars were a step faster and more aggressive on the forecheck. Grubauer, who had a redemptive postseason after two middling regular seasons in Seattle, made 26 saves to keep the Kraken in reach. They fought to the end, as winger Oliver Bjorkstrand scored with just over 17 seconds left in regulation to cut the lead to 2-1. But they ran out of runway.

“They’re an opportunistic team. You’ve got to give them credit,” Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. “I was really impressed with the job Dave Hakstol and his staff did, but also with how hard they played. They were relentless, right up until the final buzzer. They made us earn it.”

There were seven pucks in that locker room plaque. Three of them were from games played in Seattle, where the Kraken gave their fans a memorable first postseason ride. As much as the Kraken were put on the map with their play, Seattle was given its moment in the playoff spotlight with raucous home crowds.

“I think Seattle’s going to be a hot spot. Players are going to want to play there,” Eberle said. “It’s a great city, great facilities, great management, great organization and obviously we’re a great team. So it was awesome to give them some playoff hockey and give them the chance to see that.”

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Jays put Santander on IL with shoulder injury

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Jays put Santander on IL with shoulder injury

TORONTO — The Blue Jays put slugger Anthony Santander on the 10-day injured list Friday because of left shoulder inflammation and recalled outfielder Alan Roden from Triple-A Buffalo.

Santander is batting .179 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 50 games. The veteran switch hitter has missed a handful of games because of left hip and left shoulder soreness over the past three weeks.

Santander signed a $92.5 million, five-year contract with Toronto in January after eight seasons with Baltimore. He hit a career-best 44 home runs for the Orioles last season.

The outfielder had an MRI after Thursday’s 12-0 win over the Athletics, when he was 0 for 2 with two strikeouts and two walks, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. The team was still determining whether the next steps would include a cortisone injection or rehabilitation, the manager said.

“I think it just got to the point to where it was bothering him,” Schneider said before Friday’s game against the Athletics. “You can’t really put the work that you want to put in volume-wise, and we just think it’s best for him right now.”

Roden rejoins the Blue Jays after batting .178 with one home run and five RBI in 28 games for Toronto earlier this season, his first in the majors. Roden hit .361 with three homers and 12 RBI in 18 games at Buffalo after being sent down May 7.

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Twins reinstate Buxton after 11-game absence

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Twins reinstate Buxton after 11-game absence

SEATTLE — The Minnesota Twins reinstated center fielder Byron Buxton from the seven-day concussion injured list Friday before beginning a three-game series in Seattle, two weeks after he collided with shortstop Carlos Correa in pursuit of a shallow fly ball.

Buxton missed 11 games after the collision, which also sent Correa into the concussion protocol. Correa needed only the minimum seven-day stay on the injured list and missed five games.

To make room for Buxton, outfielder Carson McCusker was sent back to Triple-A St. Paul. Buxton was batting .261 with an .834 OPS and 18 extra-base hits, including 10 homers, before he was hurt. He also had 33 runs, 27 RBIs and 8 steals in his first 41 games.

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Tigers place pitcher Jobe (elbow) on 15-day IL

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Tigers place pitcher Jobe (elbow) on 15-day IL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Detroit Tigers placed pitcher Jackson Jobe on the 15-day injured list Friday because of a right elbow injury.

Jobe, a rookie right-hander, mentioned discomfort after leaving his last start, against San Francisco on Wednesday. The injury was described as a Grade 1 right flexor strain, and the move was retroactive to Thursday.

“He reported that he had a little bit of soreness,” Detroit manager AJ Hinch said before the MLB-leading Tigers opened a three-game series in Kansas City. “So we took him immediately to get evaluated. When the test came back and the doctors read it, they discovered this flexor strain.

“I try not to rush to any judgment until we see how his rest goes, and see how his rehab goes. We’ll listen to the doctors and the pitching coaches on that.”

The 22-year-old Jobe is 4-1 with a 4.22 ERA in 10 starts this season. He has 39 strikeouts and 27 walks in 49 innings.

Right-handed pitcher Dylan Smith was selected from Triple-A Toledo and will make his major league debut with the Tigers. To make room for Smith on the 40-man roster, right-hander Alex Cobb has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

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