Credit the Seattle Kraken for at least not trying to sugar-coat the 8-3 shellacking they absorbed Saturday by the Florida Panthers to close an otherwise successful (3-1-1) road trip.
Even more than twin hat tricks by Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe, or even a 37-23 shots on goal edge, the lopsided nature of the contest was reflected in the shot attempts, which favored Florida 77-43. Honeybees couldn’t do a better job of swarming. The Panthers had 32 shot attempts in the 1st period alone. By the midpoint of the game, attempts favored the Cats by an absurd 43-18.
By themselves, the Tkachuck brothers, Matthew and Brady, combined for 11 shots on goal and five assists.
“I don’t know what to say, to be honest. Tough game,” said Freddy Gaudreau, who scored his 5th goal in just the ninth Kraken game of the season. “We got beat in every area,” said coach Lane Lambert. “What I needed to see? A lot more of everything.”
Following three straight wins to start the trip, the Kraken dropped an overtime decision Thursday to the Tampa Bay Lightning, then got manhandled by Florida on Saturday. Not coincidentally, these Sunshine State teams have won four of the last seven Stanley Cups.
“The last two teams are some of the best teams in the league,” said forward Shane Wright, who also scored against the Panthers. “That’s the level we want to get to, the speed, the intensity we need to get to.”
Lambert admitted his team looked “fatigued” after the loss to the Lightning. But the coach dismissed weariness for Saturday’s debacle, even though his team was wrapping up five games out of town in 10 days. “We just needed to be better, that’s all. We’re not going to use physical energy, the length of the trip as an excuse.”
Unhappy Homecoming For Kraken Trio
There wasn’t much worth remembering for the three ex-Panthers now with the Kraken. Defenseman Brandon Montour didn’t play, out with a lower-body injury. Defenseman Josh Mahura, pressed into greater service with Montour and Ryan Lindgren both unavailable, had good-looking individual numbers. He played 18:34 with one shot, two hits, and remarkably was on-ice for just two goals – on by Seattle, one by Florida.
Mackie Samoskevich, a former Panthers 1st round pick who played 156 games with the team, made his first return to Sunrise after being traded to Seattle over the summer. During a commercial break, fans saluted him (featured image above) with an ovation and he raised his stick in appreciation.
Earlier Kraken:
— Gutsy Kraken Comebacks Fall Short in 4-3 OT loss
Earlier Canucks:
— What The Tkachuk! Canucks Manage To Lose In OT
BONUS VIDEO: “Kraken Reaction” Recap – Injuries, trade talk, and 8-3 loss to Cats …
