Kraken win streak ends at seven as penalty kill sputters against Panthers

The Kraken’s franchise-best, seven-game win streak reached its expiration date. Seattle couldn’t muster a comeback against the Florida Panthers and fell 5-1 Saturday night at Climate Pledge Arena.

Jared McCann’s team-leading 11th goal of the season made it 2-1 early in the second period. McCann stutter-stepped around the crease and got to Jordan Eberle’s rebound. McCann had pressed himself up against the net as he put the puck in, then shoved it off its moorings for emphasis.

Matthew Tkachuk restored the two-goal lead with the Panthers’ second power-play tally of the night four minutes later, however, and Seattle fell further and further behind after that.

“This was not one or two people that weren’t quite good enough,” Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. “We were all below the bar. All of us.” 

On the first goal, Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer slid well outside the crease and was reaching backward when Florida’s Marc Staal dropped in. Staal had just missed the tap-in on a 3-on-2 and clipped Seattle’s goalie, tumbling over him. The Panthers’ Carter Verhaeghe then sent the puck into an empty net.

The contact kept Grubauer from getting back into position faster than he might have, but it happened outside the blue paint. It looked as if Staal tried to avoid landing on him, at least. Seattle challenged, but after a quick review, the goal was upheld and the Kraken assessed a delay-of-game penalty. Twenty-six seconds into that power play, Verhaeghe doubled the lead.

“At the end of the day, that was not the difference,” Hakstol said. “Our team is fully capable of digging out of a 2-0 hole.”

Things got mouthy and grabby during the second period. Play was allowed to continue. Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn was tangled up with Verhaeghe and took matters into his own hands, pestering Verhaeghe down the ice. They drew matching roughing minors plus an extra two minutes for slashing to Dunn, which led to Tkachuk’s power-play goal.

There were a handful of other missed calls the Kraken appeared to take issue with.

“I think we’ve done a better job of late, kind of staying off the refs,” defenseman Carson Soucy said. “We’ve said that kind of attention needs to go against the other team, not them. It just drains us a little bit, gets us frustrated, and that’s not our game.”

Eberle found linemate Matty Beniers close-in for multiple promising chances. Beniers’ six-game point streak came to an end.

Though the Kraken put 35 shots on Panthers goalie Spencer Knight, they weren’t as dangerous as they had been lately.

“I think we were a little slow to pucks. We didn’t have any jam,” McCann said.

“We had a good streak going here, but it’s time to reset, time to refocus.”

Seattle’s penalty kill, fourth worst in the NHL heading into the game at 68.9% efficiency, gave up three more. Seattle has allowed at least one power-play goal in each of the past six outings and 11 in total during that stretch.

“We just can’t catch a break,” Soucy, who played 1:04 short-handed, said. “Shooting it wide of the net a couple games in a row now, where it hits one of us or one of them and goes in.

“We’re trying to do the right things. I think it’s going to come around.”

Hakstol pointed to a deflected power-play goal off a shin pad, but also what led up to it. The Panthers were able to set up their power play and maintain control for long stretches.

“We need to do a little better job in denying our blue line. We need to do a little better job in finding our pressure,” he said. “There were too many pucks that were going through seams tonight, which not only creates opportunities but maintains possession.”

In his second straight start, Grubauer (23 saves) made the initial stop on the Panthers’ fourth goal, but the puck was between his legs. As he clicked his heels together, he sent it into his own net. Gustav Forsling closed the scoring for Florida.

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