LA Kings at Florida Panthers Preview: Projected Lineups, Key Points, and More

The Los Angeles Kings begin the annual state of Florida back-to-back with another matchup with the defending champion Panthers.

Look Back at the Last Meeting:

The Kings and Panthes met a week ago, with LA grabbing a 2-1 victory. The Kings scored twice in the third, with Samuel Helenius tying the game on his first NHL goal. Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 of 28 shots in the win.

Key Points Against the Florida Panthers:

1. Drew Did It

At long last, Drew Doughty will make his season debut tonight.

Ever since it was announced he returned to the ice in late December, Kings fans have been waiting to see Drew Doughty on the lineup sheet, and tonight is that night. Doughty is expected to be paired with Jacob Moverare and get PP1 minutes for LA.

This feels like the perfect time for Doughty's return. With LA going through a rough patch, they get their energy back with the loudest and happiest defensemen around.

If Kevin Fiala plays, the Kings will go 12/6 and Brandt Clarke will be the healthy scratch.

2. Potential lineup changes up front?

With the offense struggling to click since the calendar flipped to 2025, Jim Hiller opted to shake up his lines in the third period against Detroit. The biggest line difference was the swapping of Phil Danault and Quinton Byfield, putting together a very scary offensive line for the Kings. When looking at the Detroit game and the road trip overall, it is hard to find three Kings forwards who have played better than Alex Laferriere, Kevin Fiala, and Quinton Byfield. With a combined seven points, they have led the charge offensively.

Unfortunately, Kevin Fiala may be unavailable tonight. The forward is reportedly battling an illness and is a game-time decision.

We will have to see closer to puck drop what tonight's lineup will look like.

3. Struggles in Sunrise

While their overall record is good, the numbers show the Panthers are actually better away from Amerant Bank Arena this season. The defending champs sit at 13-9-2 on home ice, but what is the most concerning for them, is their exactly zero goal differential.

A main contributor to this has been the struggling performance of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Across 17 home starts this season, the Russian-born goaltender carries a winning record of 9-6-2, but has a .889 save percentage and 3.04 goals against average. When going back a season, Bobrovsky was much better at home, going 19-9-1 with a save percentage of .910.

Look for the Kings to hopefully get their offense rolling against a Panthers team struggling to keep the puck out of their own net on home ice.

LA Lineup Notes:

Drew Doughty will make his season debut paired with Jacob Moverare today, while Kevin Fiala is a game-time decision. The Kings also need to make a roster move in order to activate Doughty.

Look Across the ice at the Florida Panthers:

The Panthers have been off since Sunday after completing their western swing with a 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Here is how they lined up this morning for practice:

Everything looks pretty similiar for Florida in comparison to the game a week ago; except for the addition of Aaron Ekblad.

The best defenseman in Panthers history recently returned to the lineup, back on his top pairing next to Gustav Forsling. The former number one overall pick has 3 goals and nineteen assists in 48 games, leading all Panthers blueliners in scoring.

How to Tune In:

Tonight's puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PST and 7:00 p.m. EST and is available to watch on FanDuel Sports Network West, with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes prior. An audio-only feed is available on the ESPN LA App. Go Kings Go!