Kings Escape Panthers

     The Los Angeles Kings got by the Florida Panthers 5-4 at Staples Center on Thursday night. The Panthers played their third game of the five-game road swing.
     Los Angeles(22-34-5) got up 1-0 as Gabriel Vilardi scored his first NHL goal on his first NHL shift at the 1:26 mark. Kurtis MacDermid pushed the puck ahead in the neutral zone. Vilardi crossed the Panthers blue line and released a wrist shot from the top of the zone past Sergei Bobrovsky.
     Florida(32-23-6) answered back at 7:03 to tie the game. Jonathan Huberdeau intercepted a cross-icc pass from Austin Wagner at the Kings blue line and carried it to the right of the crease. He dropped a  backhand pass and Alekander Barkov snapped a shot from the slot area by Jonathan Quick. Huberdeau now has a point in the last five games.
     The Panthers moved ahead 2-1 just 1:40 later as Barkov got his second goal of the game and 20th goal of the season. Noel Acciari brought the puck into the Los Angeles zone and angled a pass to his left. Huberdeau sent a cross-ice pass from the left circle and Barkov scored on a wrist shot from the high slot. It was the fifth straight season that Barkov has reached at least 20-goal plateau.
     The Kings evened it up 2-2 while on the power play with 4:48 left in the first. Drew Doughty made a pass from the blue line to Adrian Kempe above the top right circle and he returned it. Doughty blasted a slap shot for his first goal in 27 games. Anze Kopitar extended his assist streak to four games on that play.
     The Cats finally scored with the man advantage at the 3:19 mark of the second period and led 3-2. The Panthers snapped a scoreless streak on the power play after going 0-for-22. Evgenii Dadonov raced through the neutral zone, down the right wing to the goal line and backhanded a diagonal pass. Huberdeau received it at the top of the left circle and snapped a shot for the tally.
     It was tied by Los Angeles with 9:42 remaining in the second. Blake Lizotte passed from the right corner to the top of the zone. Doughty sent a wrist shot that was deflected in by Trevor Moore at the top of the crease.
     The Kings reclaimed the lead 4-3 with 1:18 to go in the frame. Matt Roy cycled the puck from the right point to Viardi on the end wall. He centered it with a backhand pass and Martin Frk scored on a one-time forehand shot.
     Florida scored 36 seconds into the third period on another power play to tie it up 4-4. Aaron Ekblad flicked the puck from the blue line to Huberdeau above the left circle. His cross-ice pass was deflected into the air and Mike Hoffman half-volleyed it in from the right circle for his 23rd goal of the campaign.
     Los Angeles regained the lead 5-4 with 7:15 remaining in the third. Kopitar put a square pass from the right point to Alex Iafallo. He advanced the puck to Ben Hutton at the right of the crease for a redirection and Hutton tapped in the rebound shot for a goal.