LOS ANGELES - The Florida Panthers close their season-opening road trip Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena, carrying a 1-0-2 record and a three-game point streak into a matchup against a Kings squad still searching for its first win of the season.
Defenseman Niko Mikkola is expected to suit up in his 400th career NHL game, a milestone for the 30-year-old who has spent four of his eight professional seasons in Florida. Since joining the Panthers before the 2023-24 season, Mikkola leads the team in hits (452) and blocks (297) and has posted 73 career points on 17 goals and 56 assists.
“I feel like he’s even faster. He’s getting faster every year. He’s playing great. He has been and is still one of the best [defensemen] in the league,” Mikkola said of teammate Seth Jones, who is averaging a team-high 28:26 of ice time per game this season.
Florida’s most recent outing ended in a 3-2 overtime loss in Anaheim, but the Panthers have surrendered just one goal at 5-on-5 through three games. Over 131:35 of 5-on-5 play, they lead the opposition 3-1 in goals and 53-38 in scoring chances. Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Florida’s 2.85 expected goals against at 5-on-5 is the lowest mark in the NHL.
“The 5-on-5 has been pretty good,” forward Sam Reinhart said. “We don’t give up a lot. That’s a positive. The goalies are playing great. That’s the hockey that we want to play, and to maybe generate a little bit more offense.”
The Panthers have also been the NHL’s most physical team early on, posting 34.62 hits per 60 minutes to lead the league. Twenty different players have recorded at least one hit, with Garnet Hathaway and Brady Tkachuk each leading the team with 12. Tkachuk brings added motivation against Los Angeles, having recorded 12 points - 2 goals and 10 assists - in 12 career games against the Kings.
Los Angeles enters at 0-1-1, including a 5-4 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks in its last outing. The Kings are also navigating a new identity after longtime captain Anze Kopitar retired at the end of last season following all 20 of his NHL seasons in Los Angeles.
“Yeah, it’s a little bit weird when I look the lineup,” Reinhart said of Kopitar’s absence. “But they still have really good guys, skills guys, and they can make a play. So, we need to be ready for that for yourself.”
Head coach Paul Maurice offered a direct assessment of the opponent. “They look fast. Pete does a real good job getting his teams to play at pace. They’re really, really aggressive. They look like Nashville did when he was there. They’re a strong team,” Maurice said of Kings head coach Peter Laviolette.
Darcy Kuemper is expected to start in net for Los Angeles. The 36-year-old veteran allowed eight goals on 29 shots in an 8-4 loss at Colorado on Sept. 30 in his lone start this season and carries a 4-7-1 record with a .917 save percentage in 13 career starts against Florida. Dmitry Kulikov needs two assists to reach the 200th of his NHL career.
Tuesday’s game at Crypto.com Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET and can be heard locally on 104.3 WQAM-FM and 560 WQAM-AM in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, 106.3 WESP-FM in Palm Beach, and 100.3 WCTH-FM in the Florida Keys.