The Seattle Kraken might want to stick to their game plan more consistently, especially since it has proven effective against the NHL’s top team, the Florida Panthers.
Mason Appleton scored his first goal in nearly two months just 26 seconds into the third period, Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves, and the Kraken secured a 5-3 victory over the Panthers on Sunday night.
“For some reason, we stick to the game plan when we play them,” said Seattle forward Yanni Gourde. “We don’t always do that against other teams. But tonight we did, just like last time. We were confident and knew what to do against this team.”
Marcus Johansson, Gourde, and Colin Blackwell scored during Seattle’s three-goal second period, while Calle Jarnkrok added an empty-netter in the final seconds. The Kraken have now won three of their last four games, and Grubauer continued his strong form despite two of Florida’s goals coming off unfortunate deflections.
Grubauer has won his last three starts.
“The biggest thing I see is his ability to shrug off a goal and move on to the next save,” said Seattle coach Dave Hakstol. “That’s been really important.”
Seattle swept both games this season against the Panthers, who entered the night tied with Tampa Bay for the most points in the NHL with 61. The Kraken previously beat the Panthers 4-1 on November 27 in Florida, ending the Panthers’ bid for a record-setting 12th consecutive home win to start the season.
Anthony Duclair, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Aleksander Barkov scored for Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky made 24 saves but saw his five-game win streak in net come to an end.
“We had to chase the game, and it’s tough to win on the road when you’re playing from behind,” said Florida interim coach Andrew Brunette. “We put ourselves in a tough spot.”
Appleton delivered the game-winning goal with a quick flick past Bobrovsky in the opening seconds of the third period, capping off a swift transition out of Seattle’s defensive zone. It was Appleton’s first goal since scoring twice on November 29 in a victory over Buffalo.
Grubauer made 12 saves in the third period, including key stops on Duclair and Huberdeau after Florida pulled Bobrovsky for an extra skater.
“I don’t think we deserved to win this game, but we had some good chances at the end to tie it,” Barkov said.
Duclair’s 18th goal of the season came in the first period when his shot was initially saved by Grubauer but deflected off Seattle’s Carson Soucy and into the net.
Huberdeau’s power-play goal cut Seattle’s lead to 3-2 at 12:32 of the second period, and less than 90 seconds later, Barkov’s shot deflected off Gourde and floated over Grubauer’s shoulder to tie the game at 3-3.
Seattle’s three-goal second period included two goals scored just 17 seconds apart, the fastest two-goal sequence of the Kraken’s inaugural season. Johansson tied the game at 1-1 off a great pass from Mark Giordano at 5:02. Although Seattle failed to convert on a 5-on-3 power play, Gourde’s slap shot shortly after the advantage ended put the Kraken up 2-1.
Just 17 seconds later, Appleton’s shot hit the post, bounced into the air, and deflected off Blackwell’s helmet past Bobrovsky, giving Seattle a 3-1 lead. It was Blackwell’s fourth goal of the season and perhaps his most unconventional.
Game Notes
Soucy left midway through the first period with a lower-body injury and did not return. … Forward Sam Bennett returned for Florida after missing the previous game in Vancouver. … Forward Patric Hornqvist missed his third straight game for the Panthers. … Defenseman Jamie Oleksiak missed his third straight game for Seattle. … Seattle forward Joonas Donskoi was scratched for the first time this season. Donskoi had been one of three players to appear in each of Seattle’s first 40 games. Alex Wennberg and Adam Larsson are now the only two players to have appeared in every game for Seattle.
UP NEXT
- Panthers: Visit Winnipeg on Tuesday night.
- Kraken: Host Nashville on Tuesday night.
