Panthers edge Kings 2-1 as Matthew Tkachuk scores winner; Brad Marchand leaves with lower-body injury

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Matthew Tkachuk scored the go-ahead goal 11:20 into the third period, and the Florida Panthers held on for a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday. The win gave Florida a 2-0-2 start as it wrapped up a four-game season-opening road trip.

Tkachuk’s winner came off a wrist shot from the left circle after Sam Bennett found him trailing in off the rush. With Florida leading for the remainder of the game, Jacob Markstrom made 19 saves to preserve the narrow advantage for the Panthers.

Seth Jones also scored for Florida in the second period, tying the game 1-1 at 3:49. Jones cut toward the net on a rush and beat Darcy Kuemper top shelf as Los Angeles defended during an extended sequence.

The game began with Los Angeles taking a 1-0 lead. Alex Laferriere scored at 19:00 of the first period, collecting a cross-slot pass from Erik Haula and shooting into an open net from the bottom of the left circle.

Markstrom’s goalkeeping came into focus in the middle stages as the Panthers worked through momentum swings and special teams. Florida killed a two-man advantage and then faced an extended power play that resulted from a Dmitry Kulikov double minor for high-sticking at 19:43 of the first.

While the teams traded chances, a key development late in the second period involved a loss for Florida. Brad Marchand sustained an apparent lower-body injury with 53 seconds remaining in the second after being high-sticked by Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke while driving the net.

Marchand was sent awkwardly into the right post and stayed down while holding his left knee on the ice. He remained down for a few minutes, received attention from a trainer, and was then helped off the ice by Brady Tkachuk and Niko Mikkola.

On the other side, Kuemper finished with 26 saves for Los Angeles in its home opener. The Kings dropped to 0-2-1 as Florida completed its road swing with the two points and a one-goal decision over its opponent at Crypto.com Arena.

The result left Florida in control of the matchup after Tkachuk’s third-period goal, but the immediate storyline for the Panthers is the status of Marchand following the late-second injury, which the league report describes as an apparent lower-body issue.