The Florida Panthers defeated the Seattle Kraken 5-1 on Saturday night. Florida climbs into the second wild card spot in the East, at just over the quarter mark of the season. Seattle continues their bounce-back season sitting at second in the Pacific Division.
Game Recap
The Panthers were the first to light the lamp, doing so exactly 13 minutes into the game. Carter Verhaeghe’s goal for the 1-0 lead was challenged unsuccessfully by the Kraken for goalie interference. Therefore, Florida obtained a power play for an unsuccessful challenge. Verhaeghe did not mind as he would score number two, 26 seconds into the man advantage. The Panthers saw one more power play chance prior to the conclusion of the first period. It would be unsuccessful, as they would head into the intermission up 2-0.
The middle frame opened quickly with some fight in the Seattle team. Jared McCann would KRAK the goose egg scoring off a rebound to minimize the Florida lead. Shortly after, two penalties by Vince Dunn on the same play, and a penalty by Verhaeghe gave the Panthers a power play chance. Tkachuk tipped the puck in on the power play for the 3-1 lead. Not long after, Seattle would see their own power play chance, but unlike the Panthers, they could not score. At the end of two, Florida would lead 3-1.
The final period only saw further damage inflicted upon the Kraken. Under eight minutes in, the game would become 4-1, with Aleksi Heponiemi’s second career goal. Later, an Adam Larsson penalty saw Florida capitalize on yet another power play. Gustav Forsling would slap one home from the blue line for the Panthers fifth and final goal. Seattle got one more power play chance to ignite a comeback, but once again it would be a worthless chance. In the end, Florida left Climate Pledge Arena victorious, 5-1.
FL Teams Star of the Game
The star of the game is not a player, but instead Florida’s special teams. The Panthers power play scored goals on three out of four power play chances. On the other hand, they allowed no goals on two penalty kills. Without their strong performance, this game could have an entirely different narrative.
Up Next
Florida departs from the Pacific Northwest back into Canada to end their road trip. They will meet the Winnipeg Jets at the Canada Life Centre on Tuesday, December 6th. Puck Drop is scheduled for 8:00 PM EST.