February 19th, 2017
The Kings are running out of time to get their act together, and let another opportunity slip by them Saturday night at Staples Center. The Florida Panthers started fast, then held on for a 3-2 win against the Kings.
Aleksander Barkov scored the game-winning goal 15 seconds into the third period, and Roberto Luongo made 33 saves, as the Panthers won their 4th straight game. It was also Florida’s 2nd win in a row in SoCal after beating the Ducks one night earlier.
The Panthers jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Jonathan Huberdeau beat Peter Budaj with a wrist shot, while the Panthers had a 6 on 5 advantage, as a delayed penalty was going to be called against the Kings’ Marian Gaborik for tripping. Jussi Jokinen made it 2-0 in the second period, taking advantage of a Kings defense breakdown, and beating Budaj from the top of the slot.
The Kings responded with two goals over the next six minutes, starting with Dwight King knocking the puck into the net during a scramble in front of Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo. The Panthers challenge the goal, claiming that Kings forward Nick Shore interfered with Luongo, but officials let the goal stand after a review.
Tanner Pearson tied the game with 8 minutes left in the second period, scoring his fourth goal in the last three games. However, Barkov put the Panthers ahead for good in the third period, as he redirected the puck into the net while stumbling near the goal line.
“We chased the lead again,” Kings Coach Darryl Sutter said. “You don’t want to be doing that all the time. It doesn’t work very well in this league. It’s nice to come back and tie the game. But then it’s not a great goal to start the third period.”
The Kings have now lost two in a row, four of their last five games. LA has just 25 games left, and remains two points behind the Calgary Flames for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
They’ll have a big game against the Ducks on Sunday night in Anaheim, where they hope to try and turn things around.