The Seattle Kraken snapped their three-game losing streak with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night, as Jared McCann’s go-ahead goal early in the third period proved to be the difference.
Seattle’s Kaapo Kakko opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the first period, while goaltender Joey Daccord turned away 26 shots to help the Kraken secure the win. The victory also allowed Seattle to split the season series with the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers.
With the game tied 1-1 in the third period, Seattle capitalized on an offensive push. Rookie forward Shane Wright carried the puck into Florida’s zone and delivered a well-placed pass to Adam Larsson, who quickly fed McCann on the left wing. McCann wasted no time, flipping a shot past Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky at 7:03 of the final frame to put the Kraken ahead for good.
The Kraken got off to a strong start when Kakko notched his 10th goal of the season just 6:32 into the opening period. Set up by Matty Beniers, Kakko skated in from the left circle and maneuvered to the crease before beating Bobrovsky short side.
Florida answered back in the second period as Eetu Luostarinen converted on a feed from Anton Lundell to even the score at 1-1. The Panthers nearly took the lead late in the period, but a potential go-ahead goal by Mackie Samoskevich was overturned after a Seattle challenge determined Evan Rodrigues had interfered with Daccord.
Seattle not only snapped their losing skid but did so against a strong Panthers team that had won nine of their last 12 games before the 4 Nations Face-Off break. Veteran forward Jordan Eberle made his return to action after missing 39 games due to a pelvic injury. He logged 14:03 of ice time over 16 shifts.
Florida had won five straight at home before falling to Seattle. Daccord’s 26 saves, combined with the Kraken blocking 15 shots, helped contain the Panthers’ offensive attack. Former Florida defenseman Brandon Montour, now with Seattle, contributed three blocks in his return to Sunrise.
Seattle will aim to build on this momentum when they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. The Panthers, meanwhile, will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they travel to face the Nashville Predators.
