Jared McCann broke a third-period tie with a clutch goal, and the Seattle Kraken held firm to edge the Florida Panthers 2-1 on Saturday night.
Kaapo Kakko also found the back of the net. Joey Daccord delivered a strong performance with 26 saves, helping Seattle snap a three-game losing streak while splitting the season series against the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers.
Florida, playing without star forward Matthew Tkachuk—who sustained a lower-body injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off—got its lone goal from Eetu Luostarinen.
With the score knotted at 1, Shane Wright carried the puck into Florida’s zone and connected with Adam Larsson, who fed McCann on the left wing. McCann fired a shot past Sergei Bobrovsky at 7:03 in the third, putting the Kraken ahead for good.
Seattle struck first on Kakko’s power-play goal at 6:32 in the opening period. After receiving a pass from Matty Beniers near the left circle, Kakko skated toward the crease and beat Bobrovsky on the short side for his 10th goal of the season.
Florida responded midway through the second period when Luostarinen finished off a setup from Anton Lundell to even the score.
Takeaways
Kraken: Veteran forward Jordan Eberle returned after missing 39 games due to a pelvic injury sustained on November 14 against Chicago. He logged 14:03 of ice time across 16 shifts.
Panthers: Florida’s five-game home winning streak ended with the loss. Before the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Panthers had won nine of their previous 12 games.
Key Moment
Seattle successfully challenged a goal by Florida’s Mackie Samoskevich late in the second period, which was overturned due to goaltender interference against Evan Rodrigues. The call tied the game and set the stage for McCann’s decisive goal.
Key Stat
Alongside Daccord’s 26 saves, the Kraken defense played a key role by blocking 15 shots. Defenseman Brandon Montour, playing his first game in Florida since signing with Seattle in the offseason, contributed three blocks.
Up Next
Seattle continues its road trip with a matchup against Tampa Bay on Sunday, while Florida travels to Nashville for a game on Tuesday.
