The Los Angeles Kings crushed the Florida Panthers by a 4-1 count in Saturday afternoon action from Staples Center, sending the goal-challenged Cats to their fifth straight defeat. Florida fell below .500 for the first time this season.
Despite getting outshot 10-5 in the first period, the Panthers took a 1-0 lead into the dressing room on Nick Bjugstad‘s fifth goal of the 2015-16 campaign. The Cats had a golden opportunity to add to the lead in the second period, but failed to convert on a 5-on-3 power play.
The Kings exploded after the kill, getting goals from Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty (PPG) and Anze Kopitar in a 4:18 span while finishing the middle frame with twenty shots to just four from the outclassed Panthers.
Florida mustered up a better effort in the third, but could not dent Jonathan Quick again to make a game of it. Milan Lucic completed the scoring at 8:37 with Carter adding the lone assist for his second point of the day.
Roberto Luongo made 31 saves and took the loss. Quick only had to make 18 stops to get the win.
The Panthers will return home to face the Calgary Flames at the BB&T Center on Tuesday night. For more on the Kings, check out Jewels From The Crown. If you want to get an early jump on the Flames game, Matchsticks & Gasoline is the place to be.
Check back in with us here at LBC for Kevin’s full recap of today’s game.