SUNRISE, Fla. — At the back of the Florida Panthers’ power play, Brandon Montour begged for help as he stared down the inevitability of a 2-on-1 rush for the Los Angeles Kings. The Panthers’ best chance to pull off a rare comeback in the first period Friday was about to spell doom. Blake Lizotte coasted across the blue line and zipped a pass to his right, where Adrian Kempe was waiting to take an uncontested snap shot. The Kings doubled their early lead and, right there, effectively dashed any chance at a Panthers win.
Florida lost its penultimate game of the first half, 4-3, in Sunrise and remains the only team in the NHL without a win after trailing by multiple goals at any point after a furious comeback effort fell short.
The loss, the Panthers’ third in a row, keeps Florida (23-22-6) five points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the eighth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference, with just one game left before the 2023 NHL All-Star Game. The Panthers will close out the first half with another game Saturday in Florida against the league-best Boston Bruins — their second back-to-back set of the week.
