LOS ANGELES KINGS NOTES:
JAN. 27 vs. Florida Panthers – 7:00 PM ET (4:00 PM PT) // Venue: FLA Live Arena // TV: Bally Sports West // Radio: iHeartRadio
- The LA Kings visit the Florida Panthers for the second, and final, meeting between these two clubs this season (5-4 W on Nov. 5).
- The Kings aim to sweep the season series for the second consecutive season.
- Tonight’s game marks the fourth stop of a six-game road trip prior to the NHL All-Star Break (5-3 L on Jan. 21 at NSH; 2-1 W on Jan. 22 at CHI; 4-3 OTW on Jan. 24 at PHI; Jan. 28 at TBL; Jan. 31 at CAR).
WARM-UPS
1) Tonight is the first game of the Kings’ seventh set of back-to-backs this season. Prior to this weekend, the team is 6-3-3 in back-to-backs (4-2-0 in the first game, 2-1-3 in the second).
2) Anze Kopitar has 10 points (3-7=10) in his last six games against the Panthers, dating back to March 16, 2019.
3) Forward Rasmus Kupari skates into FLA Live Arena two games shy of 100 in his career. With two more games, Kupari would become the 24th skater from the 2018 NHL Draft class to reach such mark.
4) Samuel Fagemo tallied his second career goal Wednesday night in Philadelphia. He now has three points (2-1=3) in seven games this season.
5) Drew Doughty (29) needs one game-winning goal to surpass Rob Blake for sole possession of seventh place on the Kings’ all-time list.
vs. FLORIDA ALL-TIME:
All-Time Record: 24-14-3-0
Home: 16-6-0-0
Away: 8-8-3-0
OT: 2-0 (3 ties)
Shootout: 2-0
2021-22: 2-0-0
2022-23: 1-0-0
FRANCHISE LEADERS vs. FLORIDA:
Anze Kopitar* – 23 GP, 23 PTS (6-177=23)
Dustin Brown – 23 GP, 19 PTS (9-10=19)
Jeff Carter – 11 GP, 13 PTS (5-8=13)
Drew Doughty – 20 GP, 13 PTS (3-10=13)
Luc Robitaille – 11 GP, 10 PTS (3-7=10)
*-denotes active roster player
LAST MEETING vs. FLORIDA: Nov. 5, 2022 – LAK 5 vs. FLA 4
Venue: Crypto.com Arena
LAK Goals: Kupari (1), Moore (2), Arvidsson (3), Lizotte (4), Vilardi (9)
FLA Goals: Lomberg (2), Verhaeghe (6, 7), Luostarinen (4)
Goalies: LAK: Quick (W, 34 saves, 38 shots) FLA: Bobrovsky (L, 34 saves, 39 shots)
LAK PP: 1-for-6
LAK PK: 2-for-2
THE NEXT THREE:
Sat., Jan. 28 | at Tampa Bay Lightning | 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT) | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
The LA Kings look for the season series sweep versus the Lightning (4-2 W on Oct. 25, 2022).
Tues., Jan. 31 | at Carolina Hurricanes | 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT) | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
Blake Lizotte is riding a three-game point streak (2-1=3) vs. the Hurricanes.
Sat., Feb. 11 | vs. Pittsburgh Penguins | 7:30 p.m. PT | Bally Sports West | LA Kings iHeart Radio Audio Network
The Kings will honor former captain Dustin Brown with the retirement of his No. 23 to the Crypto.com Arena rafters.
INJURY & MGL REPORT
Player, Games Missed, Date(s), Status
F Alex Iafallo, 23 games, Oct. 18 – Dec. 3 (lower-body)
F Brendan Lemieux, 18 games, Nov. 14 – Dec. 20 (lower-body)
F Arthur Kaliyev, 15 games, Dec. 22 – Pres. (lower-body)
F Trevor Moore, 13 games, Dec. 27 – Pres. (upper-body)
F Quinton Byfield, 6 games, Oct. 27 – Nov. 5 (illness)
F Gabriel Vilardi, 5 games, Nov. 27 (lower-body); Jan. 19 – Pres. (undisclosed)
F Carl Grundstrom, 4 games, Jan. 19 – Pres. (lower-body)
F Viktor Arvidsson, 3 games, Oct. 13 (illness); Oct. 25 (illness); Jan. 11 (illness)
D Sean Durzi, 2 games, Nov. 19 – Nov. 22. (lower-body)
D Drew Doughty, 1 game, Dec. 11 (lower-body)
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 90
RECENT TRANSACTIONS (as of 1/26/23)
Jan. 15 – Rasmus Kupari (F) loaned to Ontario (AHL).
Jan. 17 – Rasmus Kupari (F) recalled from Ontario (AHL).
Jan. 19 – Tobias Bjornfot (D), Samuel Fagemo (F) and Alex Turcotte (F) recalled from Ontario (AHL).
Jan. 19 – Carl Grundstrom (F) placed on injured reserve.
LA KINGS TEAM NOTES:
BATTLE OF THE SPECIAL TEAMS
The top two power-play units in the league since the New Year face off against one another tonight. The Kings’ power-play has been active on the scoring sheet since the flip to the new calendar year, scoring nine power-play goals in 31 man-advantage opportunities for a power-play percentage (PP%) of 29.0%. LA’s 29.0 PP% ranks second in the league behind the Florida Panthers (41.5%), who have scored 17 on the man-advantage in 41 opportunities since Jan. 1:
Best PP% since Jan. 1, 2023
Team GP PP%
Florida Panthers 13 41.5% (17-for-41)
LA Kings 10 29.0% (9-for-31)
Edmonton Oilers 11 28.6% (10-for-35)
Minnesota Wild 11 27.3% (9-for-33)
New Jersey Devils 12 26.7% (8-for-30)
The Kings have scored power-play goals in five of their last six games against the Panthers (6 PPG). LA’s penalty killing units have also been consistent as of late, allowing just four power-play goals in 28 shorthanded situations since Jan. 1 for a penalty kill percentage (PK%) of 85.7%, tied for the fifth-best in the league. The Kings down a man on the road has proven to have a higher succession rate, allowing only one goal in nine shorthanded situations (88.9 PK%) for the fifth-highest road PK% in that time:
Best road PK% since Jan. 1, 2023
Team GP PK%
Calgary Flames 6 93.3% (14-for-15)
Chicago Blackhawks 4 92.9% (13-for-14)
Boston Bruins 7 90.9% (20-for-22)
San Jose Sharks 7 90.5% (19-for-21)
LA Kings 4 88.9% (8-for-9)
TAMING THE CATS
The Kings enter tonight with four consecutive wins over the Florida Panthers, the longest active winning streak against the Panthers among any team in the league. The team can extend their winning streak vs. Florida into a fifth game with a victory tonight. The last Western Conference team to establish a winning streak of five or more games against the Panthers was the Chicago Blackhawks set from March 23, 2011 to Dec. 8, 2013.
FLORIDA PANTHERS NOTES:
BAPTIST HEALTH INJURY REPORT
- F Anthony Duclair | Games Missed: 49
- F Patric Hornqvist | Games Missed: 24
- F Eric Staal | Games Missed: 3
- G Sergei Bobrovsky | Games Missed: 3
- F Sam Bennett | Games Missed: 1
Total Man Games Lost Due to Injury: 153
LAST GAME
Panthers 6, Penguins 7 [OT] – Jan. 24 – PPG Paints Arena
FLA Goals: Reinhart (16), Tkachuk (25-PPG), Verhaeghe (24), Ekblad (8-SHG), White (6), Verhaeghe (25)
PIT Goals: Rakell (18), Heinen (4), Letang (3), Crosby (23-PPG), O’Connor (3), Malkin (17-PPG), Letang (4-PP/OT)
FLA Goalie: Lyon (OTL) – 42 Saves
PIT Goalie: DeSmith (W) – 33 Saves
FLA Shots: 39
PIT Shots: 49
Notes: Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals, extending his goal streak to three games and his point streak to a career-long six games (6-2-8)…Verhaeghe’s 25 goals are a new single-season career high…Aaron Ekblad matched his season high with three points (1-2-3)…Aleksander Barkov notched two assists, extending his point streak to nine games (4-9-13) which ties his career long…Brandon Montour logged an assist for the fifth consecutive game, extending his point streak to a career-long seven games (1-6-7)…Matthew Tkachuk produced two points (1-1-2), extending his point streak to four games (3-3-6)…Sam Reinhart posted two points (1-1-2)…Alex Lyon’s 42 saves were the most by a Panthers goaltender this season…Florida blocked 28 shots, their most in a game this season and tied for fourth-most in franchise history…FLA PP: 1-3, FLA PK: 3-5
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
- Jan 23: G Spencer Knight recalled from Charlotte (AHL) | G Mack Guzda loaned to Charlotte (AHL)
PANTHERS vs. KINGS
ALL-TIME vs. LAK: 14-22-3-2
ALL-TIME HOME vs. LAK: 8-7-3-1
2022-23 vs. LAK: 0-1-0
COUNTDOWN TO ALL-STAR WEEKEND IN SOUTH FLORIDA
The Panthers and FLA Live Arena will host the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend from Feb. 3-4, the second time in franchise history the Cats have hosted the all-star festivities (2003). Matthew Tkachuk, who leads the Panthers in goals, assists, and points, will represent the Cats at All-Star Weekend.
CATS AND KINGS
The Panthers face off against the Kings for the second and final time in 2022-23. In their prior matchup Nov. 5 at Crypto.com Arena, Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals, but the Cats fell to the Kings, 5-4. Over their careers against Los Angeles, Aleksander Barkov has recorded 15 points (7-8-15) in 13 games and Matthew Tkachuk has logged 12 points (5-7-12) in 19 contests.
POWER UP
The Panthers have scored a power-play goal in each of their past five games and in 11 of their past 13 games since the turn of the calendar. Since Jan. 3, the Panthers have converted on 16 of their 37 power-play opportunities for a league-leading 43.2% success rate. Florida’s 17 power-play goals in January are seven more than the next-closest teams over that span (EDM & OTT, 10 each), from Jan. 1-Jan. 25.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Since Jan. 3, 2023, the Panthers own a 7-3-2 record and their 16 points over that span rank tied for fourth most through games played Jan. 25. Their 47 goals scored over that span rank second among NHL teams. Matthew Tkachuk’s 19 points (8-11-19) tied for the league lead over that span with David Pastrnak (12-7-19).
