LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Fiala had a goal and an assist, Anze Kopitar scored on the power play and the Los Angeles Kings halted the Florida Panthers’ five-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory on Thursday night.
Cam Talbot made 30 saves, and the Kings won in their own building for the second time in eight games.
Sam Reinhart scored for the third straight game, Sergei Bobrovsky allowed two goals on 26 shots, and the explosive Panthers were held to their lowest scoring output since being shut out at Minnesota in their season opener on Oct. 12.
Fiala, whose offensive production has been offset by his inconsistent puck-handling and mistakes on defense, beat Bobrovsky with a backhand off the rush 1:20 into the game.
Fiala kept up the positive play by feeding Kopitar for a one-timer on the power play and a 2-0 lead midway through the second period.
It was 13th assist and 16th point through 15 games for Fiala.
Even more impressive was the defensive effort by the Kings in shutting down the Panthers, who had scored at least four goals in every game during their win streak.
Florida struggled to generate truly dangerous chances, with most of its shots coming from the outside and easily turned away by Talbot.
Reinhart got his 13th goal on a wobbly shot from the slot that beat Talbot with 9:45 remaining in the third period.
Kings center Pierre-Luc Dubois sustained an apparent lower-body injury when he lost his footing on a breakaway and crashed into the post late in the third. He went straight back to the dressing room and did not return.
UP NEXT
Panthers: Visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.
Kings: Host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
