The Florida Panthers embarked on their longest journey of the season, flying all the way to face the Seattle Kraken. Head coach Paul Maurice was confident that jet lag wouldn't be an issue, remarking, “we’re pretty good at long flights.” Yet, something seemed off from the start.
Maurice even found himself questioning his pregame pep talk, admitting, “Clearly didn’t get the juices flowing.”
Sunday night was rough for the Panthers, who seemed to have left their A-game back in South Florida. Meanwhile, the Seattle Kraken, neck-and-neck with the Panthers in points, are battling fiercely for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, and they played like they wanted it more.
Seattle came out strong, dominating early and securing a 6-2 victory, which nudged them into the final wild-card position in the West. Eetu Luostarinen managed to squeeze in a last-second goal for the Panthers, but it was too little, too late.
Maurice summed up the night candidly: “We’ve got to own it, deal with it. Because it was no good.
The coach was lousy, the players were equal. So, we’ve got to be a better hockey team.”
The Panthers’ modest three-game winning streak came to a halt, and now they face a challenging road ahead. They'll continue their journey in Vancouver on Tuesday, before heading to Alberta for a doubleheader against Edmonton and Calgary starting Thursday.
ON DECK: GAME 67