Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Brandon Pirri scored for a fourth
consecutive game, lifting the Florida Panthers to a come-from-behind win.
Pirri’s goal 16:55 into the third period gave the Panthers a 3-2 victory over
the struggling Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night.
He scored after collecting a loose puck in the left circle with three Kings
players in the vicinity.
It came after Nick Bjugstad tied the game 7:26 into the third period and
secured a win for Roberto Luongo, who made 29 saves.
Aleksander Barkov also scored for the Panthers, who have won two in a row and
three of their last five games.
“We had a great response, we stuck with it and we scored a couple of big
goals,” said Luongo.
The Kings fell to 0-3 on a five-game road trip and have dropped nine of their
last 10 on the road (1-7-2). They have lost 10 of their last 12 overall
(2-6-4).
Jonathan Quick gave up three goals on 20 shots, including two on just seven
shots in the third period. Jamie McBain and Marian Gaborik scored in the loss.
Gaborik’s power-play goal made it 2-1 2:19 into the third period and was set
up by Anze Kopitar, who picked up a rebound in front of the crease and passed
back to his teammate in the left circle for a one-timer.
But Bjugstad intercepted a lazy pass by Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin across
the slot and waited out Quick to tie the score just over five minutes later.
Earlier, Barkov gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 10:39 into the game on a 2-on-1
with Brad Boyes, whose pass across the slot to the right circle was one-timed
by Barkov past Quick.
The Kings tied it 5:09 later when McBain’s shot from the right boards made it
through traffic in front to beat Luongo.
Game Notes
Dustin Brown had two assists for Los Angeles … The Panthers snapped a three-
game losing streak to the Kings, beating them for only the second time in the
last 12 meetings … The Kings continue their road trip Saturday against Tampa
Bay … The Panthers play the second game of a three-game homestand against
Nashville on Sunday.
