Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Panthers drop tough defensive battle, fall 2-1 in Los Angeles
A tight, defensive battle went the way of the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night despite a valiant comeback attempt by the Florida Panthers.
Sam Reinhart had another goal for the Panthers, extending his remarkable scoring start to the season, but Florida lost for just the second time in regulation this month, 2-1 to the Kings.
It would be the home team that got things off to a fun start for the fans at Crypto.com Arena as quick transition play by the Kings in the opening minutes would lead to the game’s first goal.
Kevin Fiala led a quick forming 2-on-1 and cut to the middle of the ice before sliding the puck underneath Sergei Bobrovsky to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead 80 seconds into the game.
The goal was an apparent catalyst to an incredibly effective first period by the home team, with the Kings blocking nine shots and winning 60% of the faceoffs.
The tight-checking game continued through much of the second period. Florida didn’t record its tenth shot on goal until just past the halfway point of the game.
Not long after that, Kevin Stenlund was called for a defensive zone trip on Phillip Danault, and the Kings would ultimately make Florida pay.
Bobrovsky stood tall early in the penalty kill, making several point-blank saves, but Anze Kopitar found some space between the circles and one-timed a puck home to put the Kings up 2-0.
Florida did get a pair of power plays during the second period but failed to score on either despite generating plenty of zone time on both.
After coming up empty on three consecutive power plays, the Panthers finally broke through Kings goaltender Cam Talbot.
Reinhart deposited a quick feed from Carter Verhaeghe over the glove of Talbot to draw Florida within one at the 11:45 mark.
The Panthers would pour on the pressure for the remainder of the night, but Talbot stood tall, as did the Kings defense in front of him.
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Florida won’t have much time to dwell on the defeat. They’ll be right back at it on Friday night in Anaheim.
Here are some thoughts and observations from Thursday’s battle in Hollywood:
Josh Mahura suffered what a lower-body injury late in the first period. He briefly returned to the game midway through the second period but played just one shift before departing again and ultimately being ruled out of the game. Mahura has not missed a single game since joining Florida prior to last season.
Special teams did not do the Panthers any favors on Thursday. Florida went 0-for-5 on the power play while allowing LA to score on one of their two man advantages.
Talbot was extremely solid between the pipes for Los Angeles. He came up with several key stops in the second and third periods, but it wasn’t just the saves that stood out. Talbot was also excellent controlling his rebounds while really limiting what Florida could do around the net, particularly while up a man.
Reinhart now has 5 goals and 13 over his past six games. On the season, Reinhart is up to 13 goals and 24 points in Florida’s 16 games.
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