The Florida Panthers lost 6-2 to the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena on March 16, ending their three-game winning streak and starting their four-game road trip with a defeat. The Panthers now hold a record of 33-30-3.
Head coach Paul Maurice said after the game, “We’ve got to own it and deal with it because it was no good. Coach was lousy; players were equal. We’ve got to be a better prepared hockey team [in our next game] in Vancouver.”
Despite getting Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe back from one-game absences, the Panthers played without Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett due to injuries. Maurice said before the game that Bennett might return for Tuesday’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks.
Seattle took an early lead with goals from Ben Meyers and Berkley Catton before Vinnie Hinostroza scored for Florida just 15 seconds later. Jesper Boqvist said about Hinostroza, “I feel like he’s flying out there. A really good player.” However, Seattle regained control with additional goals by Ryan Winterton, Kaapo Kakko, Bobby McMann, and Jamie Oleksiak.
Eetu Luostarinen scored late for Florida and commented on the team’s effort: “I think we still tried, 100% obviously, even if we’re down. We’re just trying to keep the pace up at the end and just move on.” Boqvist also reflected on the loss: “I feel like the first little there, their goalie touched a lot of pucks and we couldn’t establish our game and our forecheck and stuff. We gave him a little too much time and space, and then they could play with the puck a lot.” Luostarinen added about Seattle’s performance: “They were fast, just faster. They won more battles. I think that’s what stood out more.”
Statistically, Anton Lundell led Florida in faceoff wins with twelve while Luke Kunin had four hits. The Panthers led in shot attempts at five-on-five play but struggled to convert those chances into goals.
Looking ahead, Florida will continue its road trip with three games in Canada beginning Tuesday against Vancouver.
