The Seattle Kraken have gone 3-1 on their current five-game Eastern road trip. The final game of the trip will come at the Amerant Bank Center when they visit the Florida Panthers. The last stop on the Eastern road trip will find the Kraken against a Panthers team with a record of 4-2-2, thanks in part to the suddenly hot brother combo of Brady and Matthew Tkachuk.
It figures to be a challenge for the Kraken after so much time on the road, but also because the Panthers come into the game winners of their last two.
Tkachuk Duo Powering The Panthers
On Tuesday, the Panthers defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-3. Their impressive offensive surge was led by Brady, who led the team with three goals and one assist.
Moreover, the younger Tkachuk’s hat trick was of the natural variety, scoring all three goals in the second period. Interestingly, all of Brady’s goals were assisted, at least in part, by his brother Matthew. The Matthew side of the Tkachuk duo tied a club record with his five assists on the night.
It was an all-around dominant performance on the part of the Panthers. In addition to the lopsided victory, Florida outshot the Blue Jackets and landed 24 hits to the 6 landed by the Jackets.
More Tkachuk Power
Two days later, the Florida Panthers were victorious again, this time thanks to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Panthers were led by more Tkachuk firepower.
The contest with the Canucks saw Tkachuk record his second straight hat trick. This time, two of his goals came in the third period, and his third came in overtime, securing the win for the Panthers.
In keeping up with the Tkachuk theme, Brady’s first goal of the night was in part assisted by his brother.
Florida’s victory over the Canucks wasn’t as dominant as their win over Columbus. In fact, the game started with two goals from Vancouver in the opening period.
Liam Ohgren’s goal in the first was his second of the season. Elias Pettersson was responsible for the second goal, also his second of the year. Pettersson is off to a strong start to the season, leading the Canucks with nine points, in the form of two goals and seven assists.
Panthers In Net
Overall, the Florida Panthers have been balanced in net with regard to their record.
Jacob Markstrom has started the season strong statistically, recording a 2-1-1 record. His 2.03 GAA average is good for ninth in the NHL.
Of note, Markstrom is listed as day-to-day with what is being described as an undisclosed injury. The team is targeting a potential October 21st return for the netminder.
Akira Schmid has an identical record in net, matching Markstrom’s 2-1-1 start with his own. Schmid has a higher GAA at 3.25 and a save percentage of .876.
While still unconfirmed at the time of writing, Schmid is the expected starter for the game against the Kraken.
Whoever the Panthers put in net, if the Kraken want to finish their road trip with a victory, they’ll have to find a way to contain the Tkachuk firepower.
