Panthers bounce back with 5-2 win over Kings – Hockey Writer – Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers come to Crypto.com Arena looking to bounce back from a tough loss to the Anaheim Ducks, while the Los Angeles Kings hope to build some momentum from their 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets just days ago.
The Kings’ self-inflicted mistakes and the Panthers’ ability to capitalize on them led to a 5-2 win over the Kings on Thursday night.
game review
The Panthers got off to a strong, up-tempo start, with Sam Bennett opening the scoring just over two minutes into the game. Bennett collected the puck in front of the net on a spot-up shot from Jeff Petry and then passed it to a flailing Anton Forsberg.
A minute after Bennett’s goal, Adrian Kempe found himself clear through with a chance to equalize, but Sergei Bobrovsky had other plans, reaching out to stop Kempe’s Forsberg-esque effort.
Midway through Game 1, the Kings got their second power play of the game, and they took advantage. Kempe’s long-range shot was recovered by Anze Kopitar, who scored his first goal of the season.
Less than two minutes later, the Kings scored again. Mikey Anderson from the Kings blue line broke through Corey Perry and he made no mistake about it. The 40-year-old scored his sixth goal in nine games, tearing through one side of his high glove.
The back-and-forth game continued for the remainder of the first quarter, with Brad Marchand tying the game at two late in the period. Forsberg was completely unaware of Marchand’s presence and was stripped of the puck behind the net before Marchand stepped in front and buried it.
The start was clearly a focus for the Panthers, and they once again set off with a goal. The difference in Game 2 was that they kept persevering throughout the game and eventually defeated the Kings 8-1.
After a lot of pressure and possession, Carter Verhaeghe found Sam Reinhart for his seventh of the season to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead heading into the third period.
Seven minutes into the third quarter, the Kings had their fourth power play opportunity of the night with a chance to tie the game at three. Instead, they gave up their second shorthanded drive of the night. This time, Anton Lundell scored to give the Panthers a 4-2 lead.
The Kings’ disturbing second half continued. At the blue line, an erratic puck bounced off Kopitar’s stick and landed on Marchand, who fired on Forsberg for his second of the night, extending the Panthers’ lead to three.
The Panthers will end their Southern California road trip with a visit to Shark Tank on Saturday, while the Kings prepare for a lengthy six-game road trip.
