On the night last June Brandon Montour lifted the Stanley Cup, he knew he’d just played his last game for the Florida Panthers. On July 1, the Seattle Kraken signed the defenseman to a seven year, $50 million free agent contract. Through 29 games, Montour has paid that investment off with the same solid defense, heavy shot, and dynamic personality that made him a champion.
At a Panthers team dinner in Seattle Monday, Montour received his 2024 Stanley Cup ring. Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena, he faced his former mates for the first time.
If all that wasn’t enough, Montour, a Mohawk member of the Six Nations of the Grand River in Ottawa, took the ceremonial pregame faceoff on Indigenous Peoples Night.
Once the real puck dropped, Montour’s new team played a game they could be proud of against his old team. Dueling goals by Seattle’s Chandler Stephenson and Florida’s Aleksander Barkov were the only marks on the scoresheet through 60 minutes. Kraken goalie Joey Daccord’s amazing glove save on Aaron Ekblad while Seattle was on the power play helped get the home team to overtime.
Neither Daccord nor Sergei Bobrovsky would crack in OT, despite Montour setting up Shane Wright and Oliver Bjorkstrand on breakaways. Florida’s superior puck-handling skills proved the difference in a 2-0 shootout, making the champs 2-1 victors.
1st Period
Daccord, sufficiently recovered from the stomach bug that kept him out of Sunday’s lineup in New York, gets the net for Seattle. Bobrovsky is between the Florida pipes.
The Kraken’s first power play produces a bunch of zone time and one SOG, but no icebreaker. Florida does have excellent special team – 9th ranked PK, 4th ranked PP. Seattle’s special teams are nothing if not consistent, 21st in both categories. Daccord makes four saves on the Panthers first power play to keep the game scoreless.
It’s Seattle’s OTHER big offseason acquisition who breaks the ice. A fortunate carom off a Panther skate springs Chandler Stephenson on a breakaway. He beats “Bob” high glove for his 3rd of the season at 15:39 – just Seattle’s 4th shot of the period.
Florida raises Daccord’s heart rate late in the period, scrambling all over the crease. Mackie Samoskevich has Daccord swimming when he fakes a shot and carries behind the net. The goalie’s teammates come to his rescue to block Gustav Forsling’s empty-net bid. Daccord recovers at the right post when Samoskevich tries to tuck in a wraparound.
2nd Period
Florida doubled up Seattle in 1st period shots, 12-6. Not sure how important that is – New Jersey outshot Toronto in their 1st period tonight 16-1, and ended up losing 2-1. Of more importance, Daccord is working on a four-period Climate Pledge Arena shutout streak against the Panthers. Last December, he authored a 4-0 whitewash of the Cats.
Shane Wright may not score for a fourth consecutive game, but he might have prevented one when he absorbed the full brunt of an Aaron Ekblad drive from the right circle on his left arm.
Florida entered the Seattle defensive zone with 6:25 remaining in the period, and didn’t stop until Daccord finally was able to freeze the puck with 5:04 left.
Florida’s Anton Lundell commits what likely will stand as the most unnecessary penalty of the game, twisting Yanni Gourde down to the ice after a whistle. The best chance on the Kraken power play belongs to the shorthanded Panthers. Tomas Nosek on a 2-on-1 finds Ekblad, but Daccord sprawls and flashes his glove to make a magnificent save.
Ever been to the beach and seen a giant wave forming? That was Florida with 61 seconds remaining, four Panthers coming up ice in close formation. Aleksander Barkov finishes the play to forge a 1-1 tie.
Just prior to the Panthers assault on the Kraken net, Yanni Gourde’s breakaway was short-circuited by what appeared to be a slash on his hands by Nate Schmidt. The KHN screengrab at left shows the moment the Panthers defenseman raises his stick and makes contact with Gourde’s mitts.
While the Kraken bench howled for a call, the visitors scored. Injury to insult: Gourde suffered a lower-body injury and did not return.
To his credit, Seattle assistant coach Dave Lowry wasn’t using the clearly missed call as an excuse, saying in an intermission interview, “That’s the way hockey goes.”
Shots were 9-4 Florida in the period, 20-10 through 40.
3rd Period
Win or lose, the Kraken have acquitted themselves much better in front of the CPA faithful – against the defending champs, no less – than they did in their last two home outings. (Dispiriting losses to the Ducks and Sharks, for those needing reminding.) Don’t take my word for it:
Montour’s crushing check on Florida’s Samoskevich helps the Kraken kill a Jamie Oleksiak trip at 3:10 without allowing a SOG. Less than a minute after Oleksiak exits the box, the Panthers’ Nosek goes in for interference, but Seattle can’t capitalize.
Carter Verhaeghe had an open look at an open net from the left edge of the crease but couldn’t convert.
Florida had the better offensive chances during the second half of the period, tilting the ice as the Kraken desperately worked to reach the end of regulation. Wright did try to pick the top corner from the right circle in the final half-minute, but fired wide. Shots in the 3rd were 9-5 Florida, 29-15 through 60.
Overtime
Both goalies came up with sparkling saves. Daccord’s stop on Forsling ended 90 seconds of Florida puck possession. Bobrovsky beat Jared McCann cutting across the crease. Daccord then absorbed a Samoskevich blast. Beniers intercepted a pass headed to a breaking Sam Bennett.
Montour twice set up teammates on breakaways late in OT: Wright missed by inches, and moments later Bobrovsky reached out a toe to rob Oliver Bjorkstrand. Joey finishes with 32 saves, Bob 17.
Shootout
For Florida: Barkov and Sam Reinhart both scored, and made hard moves look easy doing it. For Seattle: Tolvanen missed, and Bjorkstrand’s shot was saved. Florida wins the shootout 2-0, and the game, 2-1.
Up Next
Seattle has a Wednesday morning practice scheduled at Kraken Community Iceplex. The four-game homestand, all against Atlantic Division foes, resumes Thursday at CPA when the struggling Boston Bruins provide the opposition. Winnipeg destroyed the Bruins 8-1 on Tuesday.