Kakko has 3 points, Kraken score 6 to cruise past Panthers

Eetu Luostarinen and Vinnie Hinostroza scored for the Panthers (33-30-3), who had won three in a row. Daniil Tarasov made 19 saves.

“They were fast … they won more battles, I think, at both ends,” Luostarinen said. “I think that’s what stood out (the most).”

Meyers gave Seattle a 1-0 lead at 5:28 of the first period. Frederick Gaudreau’s snap shot from the top of the right circle got tipped by Winterton and bounced off Meyers at the top of the crease before trickling over the goal line.

“It almost hit (Meyers’) face,” Winterton said. “So, I would have been sorry, but I knew it went off him (and wasn’t my goal).”

Catton extended it to 2-0 at 11:52. Kakko took a feed from Oleksiak and stickhandled down the slot. Tarasov stopped two attempts from Kakko, but Catton chipped the second rebound over the prone goalie.

“(Oleksiak and Kakko) made two great plays and I just shoveled it in, basically,” Catton said. “That was a really great play by Kaapo, and luckily enough it just popped out in the right spot.”

Hinostroza scored 15 seconds later off a 2-on-1 rush to cut it to 2-1. He hustled to the left post and redirected Luke Kunin’s cross-slot pass into an open net behind Daccord.

“I feel like he’s flying out there,” Luostarinen said of Hinostroza, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on March 6. “He’s a really good player and it looks like he’s having a lot of fun.”

Winterton made it 3-1 at 18:24, finding the loose puck at the left side of the net and sweeping it into an open net behind Tarasov. Meyers’ initial shot off the rush hit the right post and caromed to Winterton in the crease.

“It hit me in the chest, so just right place, right time, I guess,” Winterton said. “I was lucky enough to bang it in.”