The Florida Panthers have been hoping to see this version of Spencer Knight on a consistent basis this season.
The Knight who is confident in net, aware of his surroundings, capable of making the big saves.
Knight did all that for the majority of the night Sunday, but it wasn’t enough for the Panthers to start their four-game West Coast trip on a high note.
Knight, the Panthers’ ballyhooed 20-year-old rookie who has struggled at points this season, stopped 35 of 37 shots that came his way but Florida fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. The loss snapped the Panthers’ five-game win streak, although Florida (40-13-6) did pick up a point.
But glimpses of Knight’s potential were at the forefront even given the final result.
“I thought he was really good,” interim coach Andrew Brunette said. “He made some big saves.”
A slew of those big saves came in the third period as the Panthers attempted to hold onto its one-goal lead.
With 12:22 remaining in the final frame, it was Knight stopping an Arthur wrist shot in front of the net that deflected off a skate.
With just over nine minutes left, it was Knight sprawling out to his right to stop a pair of shots by Trevor Moore.
And with just over a minute left, it was Knight making a poke check to clear the puck with the Kings having a six-on-four advantage while on the power play with an empty net.
“He’s not scared of the moment,” defenseman Brandon Montour said. “A young goalie might stay in his net or let the D men or forwards battle it out, but he wants to make plays.”
But Knight’s run of saves ended with 31.7 seconds left when Martin Frk’s slap shot from the right circle got past him to tie the game and force overtime.
Knight was a perfect six for six on saves in the five-minute overtime period, including a glove save on a Sean Durzi wrist shot with 1:45 left while the Kings had a power play to force the shootout, where Los Angeles (33-20-8) edged Florida 2-1 to get the second point.
His only other goal allowed in the game came with 8:10 left in the first period, when Rasmus Kupari slipped past the Panthers defense and fired a backhanded shot from the left circle that found the back of the net.
Knight has now put up back-to-back quality performances for the Panthers, with his start on Sunday following up his 29-save performance on March 7 against the Buffalo Sabres. This after he spent a little more than a month with the Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Eetu Luostarinen tied the game with a shorthanded goal 43 seconds into the second period with a wrist shot from the slot on a breakaway after getting a lead pass from Jonathan Huberdeau.
Three minutes later, Montour put the Panthers up 2-1 when he corralled a loose puck after an Aleksander Barkov shot attempt from the point and sent a wrist shot past Quick while crashing toward the net.
The score almost held until the Kings tied it in the final minute of regulation.
“I don’t really think we had a lot of energy all game,” Brunette said. “It was one of those games and credit to them. They clogged us up pretty good and we had to fight for ice and they made it hard on us.”
Bobrovsky update
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, serving as Knight’s backup on Sunday, was hit with an errant puck early in the first period. He returned to the bench in the second period with a decent-sized cut under his nose that he was seen icing. Brunette said he doesn’t believe Bobrovsky will be sidelined by the incident.
“He was on the bench,” Brunette said, “so he should be OK.”
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