Verhaeghe scores twice, Panthers end Kraken winning streak at seven

SEATTLE --Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals 26 seconds apart in the first period, and the Florida Panthers ended the Seattle Kraken's seven-game winning streak with a 5-1 victory at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday.

Sam Bennett had three assists, and Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and an assist for the Panthers (12-9-4), who defeated the Kraken for the first time.
Spencer Knight, who made 35 saves, was playing in his 50th NHL game. His teammate, Sergei Bobrovsky, has played 604.
"50 games. Oh, it's not much. I sit next to a guy who's over 600," Knight said. "Whatever, it's cool."
"I thought [building on a lead was] strong, especially in the five-minute block after they scored," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "That's when you're really watching to see are you going to lose the momentum that you had built prior. We were good and solid right through it."
Jared McCann scored, and Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves for the Kraken (15-6-3), who had not lost since Nov. 13.

Knight made 12 saves in the second period, when the Kraken outshot the Panthers 13-2.
"[Knight is] unbelievable back in the goal and we're so confident in him," Verhaeghe said. "He makes great saves every night and it's automatic every night with him. He just continues to make highlight reel saves."
Verhaeghe scored at 13:00 of the first period to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. The Kraken challenged for goalie interference, but a video review confirmed the goal, resulting in a penalty for delay of game.
"I didn't think that was really the turning point," Seattle coach Dave Hakstol said. "[It] added frustration, and that's part of the game. You've got to make your decision (to challenge). Again, 20 or 30 seconds to make the best decision possible. In that case, I felt like we needed to set it up and have a chance to make that determination. On the other side, that's not up to me. So no, I don't carry too much of that."
Verhaeghe scored 26 seconds later on the ensuing power play when he got the rebound of his own shot, spun around and scored from the slot to make it 2-0.
The Kraken cut it to 2-1 at 1:53 of the second period when McCann swept in the rebound from Jordan Eberle's shot from the right circle.
Tkachuk gave Florida a 3-1 lead at 5:51 on the power play when Aaron Ekblad's shot from the right circle deflected off him in front of the net.
"After a response like that, especially on the road, it takes the wind out of their sails and in their crowd," Panthers defenseman Marc Staal said. "That line was making a lot of plays."

Knight made 12 saves in the second period, when the Kraken outshot the Panthers 13-2.
"[Knight is] unbelievable back in the goal, and we're so confident in him," Verhaeghe said. "He makes great saves every night, and it's automatic every night with him. He just continues to make highlight-reel saves."
Aleksi Heponiemi extended the lead to 4-1 at 7:49 of the third period with a backhand that trickled through Grubauer.
"Obviously, it's frustrating, but you can't focus on it," McCann said. "We have a lot of veteran guys here [which] kind of just calms us down and lets us play hockey."
Gustav Forsling scored on a one-timer from the high slot on a power play at 13:03 for the 5-1 final.
The Panthers, who were playing shorthanded with forward Anton Lundell being a late scratch, lost defenseman Radko Gudas (first period) and forward Patric Hornqvist (second period) because of upper-body injuries.
"They are both going to need to see a doctor," Maurice said.
NOTES: Verhaeghe is the fourth player in Panthers history to score twice in 26 seconds or less, joining Viktor Kozlov (seven seconds, Feb. 10, 2004), Colton Sceviour (23 seconds, March 30, 2016) and Jonathan Marchessault (26 seconds, March 23, 2017). … Ekblad's 201st assist tied Keith Yandle for sixth in Panthers history. … It was Heponiemi's second NHL goal and first since Jan. 30, 2021. … Florida forward Sam Reinhart had a five-game point streak end (two goals, five assists). … The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres are the only NHL teams yet to defeat the Kraken.