Sitting at 11-9-4, the Panthers enter tonight's matchup feeling reinvigorated and ready to rock following a 5-1 win at Vancouver on Thursday.
Hitting the ground running against the Canucks, Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling and Ryan Lomberg set a franchise record by each lighting the lamp within a 59-second span in the first period to give the Panthers a commanding 3-0 lead early on.
Continuing to build off their lead following that record-setting scoring spree, Sam Bennett added goals in the second and third periods for the Panthers. Assisting on both of those scores, Tkachuk registered his fourth three-point game of the season.
Making a dent on the scoresheet in 15 of 22 games, Tkachuk leads the Panthers and ranks tied for sixth in the NHL in scoring with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists). Tied for second on the team, Brandon Montour and Carter Verhaeghe have each tallied 20 points, including a team-best 12 goals for Verhaeghe.
"We played a full 60-minute game," Panthers forward Colin White said. "We really needed that win. It felt good to get it. It was a big emphasis point going into the third in the locker room [to keep building]. We really held onto it good there."
Earning his 30th career NHL win faster than any other goaltender in franchise history, Spencer Knight stopped 32 of 33 shots in Vancouver, including all 17 shots he faced in the third period.
Set to appear in his 50th career NHL game, Knight will return to the crease against the Kraken. In 13 appearances this season, the 21-year-old has gone 7-3-3 with a .919 save percentage.
"It builds that belief that you can," Maurice said of the success Knight has found early in his career. "Goalies, more than any other position in our sport, will have ups and downs and have to kind of fight through dark times when they can't get near it and they can't get a break. It all starts from your foundation, your base. He comes in and he feels good and he has that confidence that he knows he can win games."
With Anton Lundell (upper body) and Aleksander Barkov (non-COVID illness) both unavailable, the Panthers will ice 19 skaters in Seattle. Maurice said that Lundell's injury, which he sustained in Vancouver, isn't considered long term and that he should be ready for Tuesday's matchup in Winnipeg. As for Barkov, who has missed the last four games, Maurice said he's resumed skating and is making progress.
Taking a big step forward during its second season in the NHL, the Kraken has won each of its last seven games to climb up into second place in the Pacific Division with a record of 15-5-3.
Keeping its streak alive, Seattle came from behind in a 3-2 overtime win over the Capitals on Thursday. After Yanni Gourde tied the game with 2:27 left in regulation, Matty Beniers beat Darcy Kuemper on a breakaway just eight seconds into the extra frame to stun Washington.
During its streak, the Kraken has outscored the opposition 35-25.
An early-season favorite for the Calder Trophy, Beniers, the second-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, has logged 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 23 games. On a six-game point streak, the 20-year-old forward has produced five goals and seven assists during that stretch.
Andre Burakovsky leads the Kraken in scoring with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists), while Jordan Eberle is tied with Beniers for second with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists). Martin Jones has handled the bulk of the work in net, posting a 12-4-2 record with a .893 save percentage.
"They're playing good hockey," Montour said of the Kraken. "Obviously their record speaks for itself. Obviously they've got some jam over there. A lot of speed and obviously some skill. They've got some offense, so we've got to watch that and also take advantage of that."
