On a goal from Joel Armia in the game's first period in the opening frame, the Los Angeles Kings (14-10-9) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on the scoreboard in Florida vs. the Panthers (18-13-2) on Wednesday night (Dec. 17) in the East on this three-game road trip late this week. Despite the Kings and head coach Jim Hiller jumping out to the 1-0 lead on the scoreboard on the power play unit in the first period, LA fell to the Panthers on the road yesterday in Sunrise at Amerant Bank Arena.
Jim Hiller and the Los Angeles Kings fall out of the top teams in the Pacific Division standings vs. Florida on Wednesday night
Hiller and the Kings collapsed under the constant duress the Panthers put LA under in the game's second period yesterday. Florida rattled off three straight goals on the scoreboard yesterday in the game's second and third periods in the final frame.
The Kings responded and cut the Panthers' lead on the scoreboard to one goal late in the final frame in the third period. But the Kings' physicality and effort offensively wasn't enough to get the lead on the scoreboard when the clocked showed zeros at the end of the third period yesterday on the road.
Hiller gave his thoughts and reactions to the media after the Kings blew a 1-0 lead in the first period in the one-goal loss to Florida on the road in Sunrise last night.
This team has now slipped out of the top three teams in the Pacific Division standings in the West with the fourth straight loss this past week this regular season.
Here's a look at everything Hiller said postgame following the Kings' close 3-2 loss in the third period on the road to the Panthers in Florida on Dec. 17.
Jim Hiller
On his thoughts from the loss to Florida yesterday
"It’s a competitive game. When you play those guys, you’re going to be challenged physically, and that’s not just, body checks, it’s puck battles, it’s trying to get to the net, it’s trying to keep them from the net. I thought we were toe to toe with them. We’re down by one in the end, when the whistle goes."
On how the team can improve in the standings to get on the right side of the win column more this regular season
"We hit three posts. We missed three breakaways, and there were some other chances from deflections, and we were around their net. We got a lucky bounce on Kevin’s but you would expect that one of those other six you might find a way to get to the back of the net. But what I really liked tonight, versus the Dallas game, which I thought we played well for 40 minutes, was our third period was probably our best period tonight.
So we didn’t go away. We came with some energy, with some compete. And if we can keep doing that, you just have to believe, I know we sound like a broken record. You just have to believe we’re gonna start scoring some goals."
On how Anze Kopitar and the Kings played in the opening frame in the first period
"He was really good on the faceoffs again, the Dallas night, he was big in the faceoffs. I thought we had everybody going. I really did, you don’t play a team like that, toe to toe, without having your whole team going well. There’s big moments, and you got to make a play in a big moment. In the end, we had some of those chances right, late in last five, six minutes the game, and we couldn’t do it. But give their goalie credit too, I mean, he played a pretty solid game."
On the goal the Kings scored on the power play on special teams
"Clarke did a nice job sliding in the middle. We got two big guys, you’ve got Perry and Armia. I thought Perry tipped it, but in fact, was Armia in the middle. You’ll take that look every time. Those guys got have good hand eye coordination. That’s the type of goal we need."
On how crucial the back end of the back-to-back games vs. Tampa Bay is late this week
"Well, critical. We got to get a rest. We got to shake this one off. We’ve got to get on the plane. We’ve got to do all this stuff to get ready to go play another good game, another good team tomorrow."