Kraken Bring Road Swagger to Florida
Seattle's travel-friendly record meets a Florida side missing Barkov and Marchand but riding Brady Tkachuk's hot hand.
Written before the game
The standings say Seattle has the edge. The underlying play says Florida has been the better team. That gap is the story of this one.
The Kraken arrive at 5-2-1 with 11 points, third in the Pacific and sixth in the West, and they have been at their best away from home at 4-1-1. Their last outing was an overtime loss in Tampa Bay. But they have been giving up a lot: over eight games they've allowed about 66 shot attempts a night while generating about 51. Their expected goals against -- how much the chances they allow are worth -- sits at 3.37 a game, above what they create.
The Panthers (4-2-2, 10 points, holding the East's first wild-card spot) have flipped that picture, out-attempting opponents roughly 64 to 49 per game and limiting chances to 3.06 expected goals against. They've won two straight, with Brady Tkachuk driving the attack after three-goal nights against Columbus and Vancouver, even with Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand out.
Seattle is without Brandon Montour and Ryan Lindgren. If the Kraken keep giving Florida the puck this often, their road magic will be tested.
