SEATTLE – The Florida Panthers will try to stretch their win streak to four games when they open a four-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday.
Pressing on in the face of adversity, the Panthers will take the ice without leading scorer Sam Reinhart, who remains back in South Florida while dealing with an undisclosed injury.
Listed as day-to-day, Sam Bennett did travel but might not suit up in Seattle.
“Everybody’s dealing with something,” head coach Paul Maurice said.
Sitting at 33-29-3, the Panthers enter tonight’s matchup looking to build off a 2-1 win in overtime against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Trailing 1-0, Bennett netted the equalizer for the Panthers early in the second period on the power play to eventually force overtime.
Back on the power play in the extra frame, Reinhart netted the game-winning goal.
Making his NHL debut, Mike Benning had the secondary assist on the winner.
“Learn from it, grow from it, and be better from it,” the 24-year-old defenseman said following his big game. “Hopefully I can keep it rolling and just playing good hockey.”
Speaking of rolling, Sergei Bobrovsky has been standing on his head as of late.
Surrendering just one goal for the second straight game, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner stopped 30 of 31 shots against the Blue Jackets, including making 11 high-danger saves.
“He was really the spark all game,” Bennett said.
While a starting goaltender won’t be known until Maurice addresses the media closer to puck drop, two key players are expected to return to action against the Kraken. After missing the win over Columbus due to injuries, Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe are both good to go.
If the Panthers stick with the lines from Saturday’s pre-trip practice, one intriguing trio against Seattle will be the line of Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Matthew Tkachuk.
Last seeing extended time together in 2022-23, that line led 6-1 in goals at 5-on-5 that season.
“We’ve had a different player there almost every year, and in each year, two or three times a different player, and they’ve all gone in and played well,” Maurice said.
On the second half of a back-to-back that began north of the border, the Kraken cruised to a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena less than 24 hours ago on Saturday.
Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the trade deadline, Bobby McMann earned first-star honors and led Seattle with a pair of goals against the Canucks. Also feeling good up front, Matty Beniers (1G, 2A) and Jordan Eberle (3A) produced three points in Vancouver.
With the win, Seattle improved to 30-26-9 and now sits just one point out of a playoff spot.
Averaging 2.83 goals per game, the Kraken don’t have a player that has surpassed 50 points yet this season. Eberle ranks first on the team with 47 points (22G, 25A), Beniers is second with 43 points (18G, 25A), and Chandler Stephenson sits third with 40 points (14G, 26A).
After backing up Philipp Grubauer against the Canucks, Joey Daccord is likely to man the blue paint against the Panthers. In 39 appearances this season, Daccord has posted an 18-16-5 record with a 2.92 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts.
Struggling over his last three appearances, Daccord has given up 13 goals in that span.
Yet to play each other this season, the Panthers and Kraken will face-off twice in a little over a week, with tonight’s tilt being followed by a rematch in Sunrise on March 24.
No strangers to a late playoff push, the Panthers know how their opponent feels right now.
“They’re going through what we went through,” Maurice said. “They had their four-game losing streak exactly like we had in March three years ago. The pressure that’s on all of those teams, especially when it’s their chance to fight into the playoffs, it’s immense.”
THEY SAID IT
“He went through it. It took a long time to heal. There was nothing he could do. It just had to heal. Obviously, you get in the collar bone and have a crack there, it takes a long time to heal. Hopefully we get the green light today.” – Paul Maurice on Seth Jones nearing the end of his rehab
“It’s different. Everyone is skating. Everyone is moving. Also, everyone is in good spots. It’s very detailed. These guys, they helped me out. It’s easy to find them. It’s my job to give them the puck. It was a good stepping stone.” – Mike Benning on his NHL debut
FIVE CATS STATS
- Matthew Tkachuk has tallied a team-high 10 points (3G, 7A) in March.
- The Panthers own a 6-2-1 record after having two days off in between games.
- Since Feb. 1, the Panthers rank seventh in the NHL on the power play at 29.7%.
- Carter Verhaeghe is tied for first on the Panthers with 37 even-strength points.
- Aaron Ekblad has blocked a team-high 97 shots.
PROJECTED LINEUP (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
Check back closer to puck drop.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- March 7: F Sandis Vilmanis and D Tobias Bjornfot loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
- March 6: Acquired F Vinnie Hinostroza from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for future considerations
- March 5: Acquired a conditional 2026 seventh-round draft pick from Minnesota in exchange for D Jeff Petry
- March 4: G Louis Domingue agreed to terms on a two-way, one-year NHL contract for remainder of 2025-26 season
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
When: Sunday, March 15 at 8 p.m. ET
Where: Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle, WA
TV & Streaming: WSFL, WHDT, WFTX, PanthersPlus.TV
Radio: 104.3 WQAM-FM/560 WQAM-AM (Dade/Broward); 106.3 WESP-FM (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 101.7 WCZR (Treasure Coast); Panthers GameDay App; SiriusXM App & Streaming 931
Cats on Tap: Find a Bar
