LOS ANGELES \u2013 A third-period goal from Matthew Tkachuk and a 19-save performance from Jacob Markstrom helped the Florida Panthers close out their very successful season-opening trip with a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Crytpo.com Arena on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Despite some adversity, the Panthers now sit at 2-0-2 and lead the Atlantic Division.<\/p>\n
“It was 2-1 filthy tonight to finish off a road trip,\u201d said Tkachuk, who is tied for first on the Panthers with two goals this season. \u201cIf you would have told me going into the trip that we\u2019d take six of eight [points], I would have signed on the dotted line.”<\/p>\n
Even with the Panthers controlling much of the play in the first period, the Kings drew first blood when Alex Laferriere scored from the left side of the net to make it 1-0 at 19:00.<\/p>\n
At 5-on-5, the Panthers finished the opening 20 minutes leading 6-3 in scoring chances.<\/p>\n
Through their first four games, the Panthers have surrendered just two goals at 5-on-5.<\/p>\n
“I like our 5-on-5 game an awful lot,\u201d head coach Paul Maurice said. \u201cI think we gave up eleven even-strength shots tonight. They were battling and they’re dialed in. They’re not cheating the game. I’m very pleased with the road trip.”<\/p>\n
After getting into penalty trouble at the end of the first period, the Panthers were in a very difficult situation at the outset of the second, needing to kill 1:05 of a 5-on-3 power play.<\/p>\n
Instead of just surviving the sequence, they flourished.<\/p>\n
After giving up a meager two shots on goal to Los Angeles\u2019 power play, the Panthers went on the offensive just seconds after completing their penalty kill, with Seth Jones driving to the net and lifting a shot over\u00a0Darcy Kuemper\u2019s shoulder into the cage to make it 1-1 at 3:49.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked about a game plan [during the intermission], and just wanted to be aggressive, you know, make them make plays around us,\u201d\u00a0Jones said of the outstanding penalty kill and his ensuing goal. \u201cLars [Eller] made a great play on that goal. I saw a little bit of space against the forward playing defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Already losing superstar captain Aleksander Barkov for six to eight weeks due to a lower-body injury suffered during the second game of the season, the Panthers lost another key player when Brad Marchand was high sticked and then sent flying into the right post while driving to the net.<\/p>\n
Unable to put weight on his left leg,\u00a0Marchand was helped off the ice and did not return.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll get him looked at probably Thursday,\u201d Maurice said.<\/p>\n
Taking the lead for the first time in regulation this season, the Panthers went up 2-1 in the third period when Matthew Tkachuk took a pass from Sam Bennett and squeaked a shot through Kuemper\u2019s pads across the goal line from the left circle at 11:20.<\/p>\n
A brick house between the pipes all game long,\u00a0Markstrom stopped all 14 shots he saw in the second and third periods.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s been unbelievable,\u201d Jones said. \u201cGreat goaltender and a great person off the ice. He\u2019s blended with us chemistry-wise away from the rink perfectly and in the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n
In three starts on the road trip, Markstrom went 2-0-1 with a .927 save percentage.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good team in front of me,\u201d the veteran goalie said. \u201cThey’re making my life really easy.\u201d<\/p>\n
THEY SAID IT<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had to deal with that pretty much every single game last year. I know when I came back [from injury], I came back in mid-to-late January and literally it seemed like every game somebody was going down. So, when your name’s called, you get that tap on the back to just go out there and do a job\\\\\\.\u201d \u2013 Matthew Tkachuk on overcoming injuries\\\\\\<\/p>\n
\u201cHas he been good. He made some huge saves. A lot of those nights you play really hard and then you have a power play that gets in one and your goalie bails it out. We all get to be in a good mood for three days instead of not based on his play.\u201d \u2013 Paul Maurice on Jacob Marktstrom\u2019s performance during the road trip<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be fun to play in front of the home fans. We\u2019re away a lot this this first month, so it\u2019s going to be fun.\u201d \u2013 Jacob Markstrom on his excitement for Saturday\u2019s game in Sunrise<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone gets hit with injuries, right? We’re not going to have a victim mentality. It\u2019s next man up. That’s how it’s always been. We can’t think about the past or last year. Injuries happen. I think we have an extremely deep team. Everyone plays the exact same way, and I think that’s what makes us great.\u201d \u2013 Seth Jones on overcoming early-season injuries<\/p>\n
CATS STATS<\/p>\n
Matthew Tkachuk scored his ninth third-period, go-ahead goal as a Panther.
\nThe Panthers led 33-13 in hits, with five coming from Garnet Hathaway.
\nRadko Gudas blocked a team-high three shots.
\nLars Eller extended his point streak to three games.
\nThe Panthers led 18-11 in scoring chances at 5-on-5.
\nJacob Markstrom made three high-danger saves, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
\nFlorida has started the season on a four-game point streak for the sixth time in franchise history.<\/p>\n
WHAT\u2019S NEXT?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s finally time to play in front of the home crowd.<\/p>\n
Returning to South Florida, the Panthers will celebrate their Home Opener with a matchup against the Minnesota Wild at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET<\/p>\n