The Seattle Kraken and Florida Panthers meet Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, with puck drop set for 6 p.m. ET. This Kraken vs Panthers preview comes with Seattle carrying a 5-2-1 record into the first meeting of the season between the two clubs, while Florida sits at 4-2-2 after Brady Tkachuk’s hat trick powered a 3-2 overtime win over Vancouver on Thursday.
Seattle Kraken Vs Florida Panthers Game Information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, Scripps Sports, KONG, KHN, Prime Video (Local)
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
How Have Both Teams Played Lately?
Seattle is 4-1-1 on the road this season and has won three of its last four games, including a 6-3 win at Detroit, a 5-3 win at Washington and a 3-2 shootout victory at Philadelphia. The Kraken’s only recent setback came in a 4-3 overtime loss at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Seattle has outscored opponents 31-23 on the year, a plus-8 differential.
Florida is 1-1-0 at home and has split its last four decisions before Thursday’s overtime win against Vancouver, which followed a 7-3 road win over Columbus and a 5-3 loss at Buffalo. The Panthers also lead the NHL with 41 total penalties, averaging 5.1 per game, a discipline issue that has put Seattle’s power play in position to capitalize if it continues.
Who Is Expected To Start In Goal?
Joey Daccord is the probable starting goalie for Seattle, while Akira Schmid is projected to start for Florida with Jacob Markstrom unavailable. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said Thursday that Markstrom and Gudas were targeting a return for Oct. 21, telling reporters, “Both making improvements. Jake was back on the ice [this morning]; Radko might get to a point where he can play Saturday, but we’ve got three days on the other side of it so it may make more sense to get him right.
He’s purely day-to-day. He’s walking around and he’s just fine,” according to NHL.com.
What Is The Injury Picture For Each Team?
Florida is missing several key pieces. Brad Marchand remains on injured reserve with a left leg injury and is expected to miss six weeks, according to NHL.com. Aleksander Barkov is out with a left lower-body injury, and Jonah Gadjovich is sidelined following upper-body surgery. Radko Gudas, who returned to Florida on a six-year free agent deal in the offseason, is day-to-day and has posted 13 hits, 11 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating through seven games this season.
Seattle’s injury report is shorter. Defenseman Brandon Montour is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Ryan Lindgren (upper body), Jake O’Brien (lower body) and Jacob Melanson (chest) remain on injured reserve, per FOX Sports. Seattle previously provided an update on Melanson’s injury that kept him out indefinitely.
By The Numbers
- Goals: Seattle 31, Florida 22
- Points: Seattle 86, Florida 58
- Shots on goal: Seattle 215, Florida 227
- Shooting percentage: Seattle 14.4%, Florida 9.7%
- Save percentage: Seattle .911, Florida .890
- Goals against average: Seattle 2.88, Florida 2.75
- Power play goals: Seattle 6, Florida 7
- Faceoff percentage: Seattle 50.0%, Florida 47.6%
- Penalty minutes: Florida 107, Seattle 102
Key Matchup: Seattle’s Offense Vs Florida’s Short-Handed Goaltending
Seattle enters with the better scoring punch, converting at a 14.4% clip compared to Florida’s 9.7%, and the Kraken’s plus-8 goal differential reflects a team scoring more and allowing less than its opponent so far. Florida will counter with Schmid in net as a projected starter, filling in for Markstrom, who is targeting an Oct. 21 return alongside Gudas. How Schmid handles a Seattle lineup that already has three wins away from home this season, paired with Florida’s league-leading 41 total penalties, could determine whether the Kraken get enough power-play chances to test a Panthers penalty kill operating without several regular contributors.
What To Watch
Florida’s discipline stands out as the biggest variable. No team in the NHL has taken more penalties than the Panthers’ 41, a number that works against a roster already missing Barkov, Marchand, Gudas and Gadjovich. Seattle, fresh off consecutive road wins over Detroit, Washington and Philadelphia before Thursday’s overtime loss at Tampa Bay, will look to carry its 4-1-1 road record into Sunrise.
The Kraken’s next game follows this matchup, while the Panthers continue to monitor the recoveries of Markstrom and Gudas ahead of their targeted Oct. 21 returns. For more on Seattle’s recent road stretch, see the Kraken vs Lightning preview and the recap of Seattle’s shootout win over the Flyers.
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