Much has been said and written about the NHL All-Star Game, but for the time being, league games are still being played. Thursday night, the Los Angeles Kings travel to Florida for a meeting with the Panthers. Will the Kings book a surprise win, or will the Panthers keep the points at BB&T Center?
Florida Panthers: offense is on fire
For hockey enthusiasts, the games of the Florida Panthers might be the most fun to watch this season. The hockey team is one of the most productive teams of the NHL, but they are also allowing an average of 3.16 goals, placing them 28th overall. The Panthers are scoring an average of 3.6 goals per game, good for second in the NHL. Sergei Bobrovsky signed a lucrative contract with Florida last summer, but the Panthers still aren’t getting money’s worth with Bobrovsky. The experienced Russian is currently injured and this will give Chris Driedger another chance. The young goalie made a good impression during his first games for the Panthers.
Florida is in a fierce battle with the Toronto Maple Leafs for third place in the Atlantic Division. They are currently three points behind Toronto, but the Panthers still have two games in hand. The 8-4 victory in a direct encounter with Toronto last Sunday was therefore of great importance. After the first period the Panthers comfortably led with 3-0 and from then on they didn't look back. Backup goalie Driedger made a career-high 43 saves to beat the Maple Leafs
Los Angeles Kings: competitive without results
At the beginning of the season hardly anyone was really talking about the Los Angeles Kings, but now opponents are taking the Kings a lot more seriously. Los Angeles put up a fight against a lot of quality teams recently, but this wasn't reflected in the results in the end. Getting 41 points from 48 games is simply not enough to clinch a play off ticket. Los Angeles lost six of their last eight games, so coach Todd McLellan will have to get his team back on track, although he knows that the only thing can do from now on is play spoiler.
The big problem of the Kings is their lack of scoring. They average 2.5 goals per game, placing them 29th overall). If the goalies Jack Campbell or Jonathan Quick play a good game, they are often let down by their forwards. Anze Kopitar leads the team with 40 points (16 goals, 24 assists) and he is the one who has to carry the team in the offensive end, although of course he can't do it all by himself.
Florida Panthers win in regulation
The Panthers made a great impression in their last two games. They are sharpshooting right now and Driedger also proved himself as a solid goalie in his first games. The Los Angeles Kings have been missing offensive power all season and with five defeats in the last six games, they are back in a difficult phase. A visit to the BB&T Center will be the last thing you are waiting for in that case, so I expect the Panthers to win with relative easy tonight.
