“I’m playing with my food here a little bit,” the Florida Panthers’ veteran coach said.

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season, leading the Florida Panthers to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday. Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists for the Panthers (30-19-3), who are 2-2-0 in their past four games, including a 2-1 loss at the Kings on Jan. 22.

With the Panthers earning nine seconds of a 5-on-3 power play early in the third period, Aleksander Barkov made the most out of that limited time by winning a faceoff draw in the offensive zone, going to the net and scoring to make it 2-0 at 4:43.

Revenge is best served cold and on the ice… at least in hockey.  Exactly one week after the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Florida Panthers 2-1 at Crypto.com arena in Southern California, the Panthers returned the favor,

Detroit scored four goals — including three times on the power play — before Bobrovsky was pulled late in the second period of the Panthers’ 5-2 loss to the Red Wings on Thursday to begin a quick two-game homestand at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Kings are heavy underdogs on the moneyline versus the Panthers on Wednesday night, but they’ve also had success against Florida in previous meetings. Is L.A. worth a flier as a road underdog in tonight’s Kings vs. Panthers matchup?

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) defends a shot on the goal by Detroit Red Wings center Joe Veleno (90) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky ...

The final NHL game on Wednesday's schedule will pit the defending champion Panthers against the Kings out on the West Coast.

The Florida Panthers played a full, 60-minute game in beating the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night. Celebrating Dmitry Kulikov’s 1,000th game, the Panthers put together a strong effort led by 29 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky in a 3-0 win which catapulted them into first place in the Atlantic Division standings.

Winning the Stanley Cup hasn’t been a burden to the Panthers. They’re sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference near the mid-season and having the regular season they wanted.

It’s time to fully admit the Kings are in a slump. The days of relying on exceptional defensive play to win are behind this group because in order to win, you have to score goals.