Florida Panthers Hope to Get Back at Kings Tonight

The Los Angeles Kings are in town and have practically owned the Florida Panthers over the last several seasons.

Just last Wednesday, the Kings scored twice in the third to squeeze out a 2-1 win in Los Angeles.

It was only the second time this season that Florida lost when leading after two periods.

While the Panthers beat the Kings last season, that came on a Sam Reinhart goal with 0.7 seconds left in overtime.

Los Angeles has points in eight straight against the Panthers (7-0-1) and has not lost to them in regulation since January 20, 2020.

The Kings have not won since: Following the win over Florida, the Kings have lost in Columbus (3-2 in overtime) and were dropped 5-2 in Detroit.

Veteran Anze Kopitar is the leading sniper against Florida, with eight goals and 26 points in 27 games.

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Adrian Kempe is the hottest King right now, with 10 goals in his last 12 games. He is quietly on his way to another 40-plus goal season. He is the only Kings player to hit the 20-goal mark thus far.

The Panthers will likely face Darcy Kuemper again tonight.

Kuemper is among the league’s goaltending leaders with a .919 save percentage and a 2.17 GAA.

The 14-year veteran, who led Colorado to the Stanley Cup in 2022, is enjoying one of his best seasons.

Kings GM Rob Blake hit the jackpot with the offseason deal with Washington, which brought in Kuemper for Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Kuemper replaced Cam Talbot, who jumped to Detroit in a lucrative free-agent deal.
David Rittich is the quintessential journeyman backup.

He will likely face the Lightning tomorrow when the Kings complete their Florida back-to-back set.

Veteran defenseman Drew Doughty has been out the entire season with a broken ankle suffered in training camp.

Now in his 17th season, the former Norris Trophy winner could return as early as tonight.

Since Jim Hiller took over as coach of the Kings midway in the 2023-24 season, replacing long-time coach Todd McLellan, the Kings are a very respectable 47-27-7. That record places them 10th best in the NHL during that period.

Tonight should be a tight-checking game if coach Paul Maurice’s postgame analysis of the loss in Los Angeles goes to plan.

He was not particularly upset with the way the team played.

“Both (teams) defend first. They don’t cheat. There’s no cheating in either team’s game,” Maurice said.

“They both play a good brand of playoff hockey in the regular season. So, there is some skill there. Some plays to be made but not a lot … Both teams defend hard and they defend their role.

“They got a couple of breaks around their net. We couldn’t get our handle on a couple. That’s a good road game for us. I’m proud of the way we played tonight.”

The one significant difference in the lineup since the last game is that Aaron Ekblad is back.

He has played the past two games after missing seven straight and eight out of nine games with a suspected hand/wrist injury.

ON DECK: GAME No. 52

LOS ANGELES KINGS at FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.
• Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
• Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
• Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
• Betting Odds — Kings Favored: Money Line (-115); Puck line (-1.5, +195); Over/Under 5.5 (-105/-115)
• Last Season: Tied 1-1
  
• This Season (Kings Lead 1-0) — At Los Angeles: Kings 2, Panthers 1 (Jan. 22). At Florida: Wednesday.
• All-time Regular Season Series: Los Angeles leads 27-15-0, 3 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 1 p.m. (ABC)