The need to know

• The time: 7:00 p.m. PT
• The place: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
• Place to watch: KHN, KONG, SCRIPPS, ESPN+
• Place to listen: Kraken Audio Network on KJR 93.3fm

Know your enemy

Matthew Tkachuk is the star of almost every Florida Panthers-related headline right now. There’s a lot to be said about Paul Maurice, who beat the San Jose Sharks behind the bench on Saturday and became the winningest head coach in Panthers history. Many are preoccupied with Florida’s recent wins, of which there are many – the reigning Stanley Cup champions have a record of 4-0-1 in their last five games and a record of 17-9-2 this season, according to a brutal 1-6-0 record in mid-November.

But the Panthers’ alternate captain is on a roll and the fanfare is easy to understand. A six-game point streak – including four consecutive multi-point performances – takes him to the bowels of Climate Pledge Arena, where he collected five goals and 15 points during that span. In three games in December, his shooting percentage is 29.4%. For his achievements, the NHL named him its first star of the week on Monday.

Tkachuk’s winning streak is emblematic of a larger trend on the Panthers’ roster: high scoring. Florida scored the second-most goals in all situations (105), the fourth-most in five-on-five play (64) and is tied for first in five-on-four play (25). They have scored 26 goals and allowed just 14 in their last five games, although Sergei Bobrovsky (.894 SV%) and Spencer Knight (.890 SV%) are not at their best.

Game preview

Seattle better hope Joey Daccord is well enough to play Tuesday night. He missed Sunday’s matinee due to illness, and when asked how long he might be out, Dan Bylsma replied that if Daccord “can hold down the food, he’ll be back soon.” Daccord maintains a .951 SV% and leaves average 1.52 goals against the Panthers. Daniel Sprong (healthy scratch) and Jordan Eberle (LTIR) are the only two skaters Seattle should be without at the time of publication, but Morning Skate will have more information.

Seattle’s last home game, a 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, was anything but the type of game Bylsma expected from his team. “The investment we are playing with in the game right now (…) is not where it needs to be to be successful night in and night out.”

With wins over the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders and New York Rangers – the first two in dominating fashion – and six points out of eight possible on the road, things have changed and the momentum is on the Kraken’s side. If past behavior is an indicator of future behavior, Tuesday’s game should be a solid contest. Seattle has a 4-2-0 all-time record against Florida.