Matthew Tkachuk ended the longest goal-scoring drought to start a season in his career, and Nick Cousins netted the game-winner with 5:52 remaining to lift the Florida Panthers over the Seattle Kraken 3-2 on Saturday night.
Gustav Forsling also scored for the Panthers, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves. Florida (4-3-0) has now come back to win 13 games after trailing by at least two goals since the start of the 2021-22 season.
Jared McCann and Eeli Tolvanen scored for the Kraken. Joey Daccord made 35 saves for Seattle (2-5-2).
“I think we got a little harder on the puck,” Forsling said of Florida’s second-period surge. “We got it out when we needed to and we got a couple of lucky bounces. But I think we deserved it.”
McCann opened the scoring for the Kraken with a breakaway goal 7:58 into the first period. Tolvanen extended the lead by deflecting Jaden Schwartz’s shot past Bobrovsky 7:34 into the second period.
Then Florida began their trademark comeback. Forsling, Tkachuk, and Cousins all scored their first goals of the season, turning the tide for the Panthers. Forsling and Tkachuk scored just 11 seconds apart to tie the game, with Forsling’s goal coming on the power play shortly after Schwartz had given Seattle a 2-0 lead.
Tkachuk, who scored 40 goals last season, took until the seventh game of this season to net his first. In his previous seven NHL seasons, he had never taken more than four games to get on the scoreboard.
“He understands his game,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He is point-per-game with assists, which isn’t his normal rate, but he knew it was coming.”
Cousins secured the win with a goal into an open net after Daccord was caught off-guard by a bounce off the boards.
“It was on me. I should’ve stayed in the net,” Daccord said. “Late in the game, tie game, the stanchions here are pretty bouncy and it was an unfortunate bounce, but I should have just stayed in the net and at least given myself a chance to make a save there. I feel like I let the team down tonight.”
The Panthers also received positive news about their roster. Injured defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, who haven’t played since last season’s run to the Stanley Cup Final following shoulder surgeries, will join the team for practice on Sunday. Their return timeline has been moved up from mid-December to late November.
UP NEXT
Kraken: Visit Tampa Bay on Monday.
Panthers: Visit Boston on Monday.
