The Seattle Kraken have gone cold, and their frigid play has put their shot at the playoffs in serious jeopardy.
Seattle (31-29-9, 71 points), which has lost three straight and seven of its past nine, visits the Florida Panthers (34-32-3, 71 points) on Tuesday night in Sunrise, Fla.
The Kraken are 0-2-0 on their six-game road trip and are 14-15-4 away from home. Set to play their 70th game, the Kraken would have to pass the Kings (73 points in 70 games) and Predators (75 points, 70 games) to make the playoffs for the second time in their five-year history.
“We’re a desperate team,” said Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour, a former Panther. “We’re even more desperate now.”
Jordan Eberle leads the Kraken in goals (22) and points (49). The 22 goals are the most he has had since 2017-18 (25 goals), and the 36-year-old forward is within six of tying his career high.
On the other end of the spectrum are two of Seattle’s young guns: Matty Beniers, 23, who has 18 goals and 44 points; and Kaapo Kakko, 25, who has 11 goals and 30 points. Both entered the NHL as the second overall pick in their respective drafts.
Defenseman Vince Dunn leads Seattle in assists (30). Montour is second among Kraken defensemen in assists (20), and those two have combined for 19 goals, including 11 by Dunn.
Meanwhile, the Panthers — the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions — are also having a rough season. The Panthers have lost three out of their past four and are unlikely to make the playoffs.
The Panthers trail six teams for a wild-card spot. With just 12 games left, Florida would have to make up 14 points in addition to leaping over all those teams.
Off since a 4-1 loss at Calgary on Friday, the Panthers open a two-game homestand and look to improve upon an 18-14-3 home record.
Forward A.J. Greer won’t play Tuesday after being suspended three games for shoving Calgary’s Connor Zary into the boards from behind on Friday. Greer, 29, is having a career year with 14 goals and 24 points in 68 games.
The Panthers will also be without defenseman Niko Mikkola, who suffered a knee-on-knee collision against Calgary and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
“He’s going to miss some time I believe,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He plays so hard for us every night. He’s been incredibly durable for us. You need those veteran guys leading. He’s played great for us, and we’re going to miss him.”
Injuries have sunk Florida this season. Mikkola is one of nine Panthers on the injured list, which includes standout forwards Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart and Anton Lundell.
The Kraken have three players on the IL, including forwards Jared McCann (another former Panther) and Jaden Schwartz.
Also, Seattle announced Monday that forward Ryan Winterton (family matter) is taking a leave of absence. He has four goals and 14 assists in 62 games.
Maurice, meanwhile, will coach his 2,000th NHL game. Scottie Bowman is the only other NHL coach to reach that milestone.
“It means I’ve been incredibly fortunate for a long time,” Maurice said. “And I’ve had special people around me.”
–Field Level Media
