Panthers 3, Kings 2
Brandon Pirri scored his fourth goal in as many contests with 3:05 remaining in the third period to snap a tie as host Florida skated to its second straight win.
Tomas Fleischmann drove toward the net before being taken off the puck, but Pirri gained a step on Los Angeles' Tyler Toffoli and beat Jonathan Quick under the crossbar to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead. Pirri's ninth goal - and sixth in seven games - stood up as the reeling Kings failed to net the equalizer and fell for the seventh time in eight contests (1-5-2).
Nick Bjugstad scored his career-high 17th goal to surpass last season's total for Florida, which has won only three of its last 10 contests (3-6-1). Aleksander Barkov also tallied and All-Star Roberto Luongo finished with 29 saves.
Marian Gaborik collected his team-high 16th goal and added an assist for Los Angeles, which has dropped nine of its last 10 road contests (1-7-2). Defenseman Jamie McBain also tallied to record his 100th career point and Quick turned aside 17 shots in falling to 5-2-0 lifetime versus the Panthers.
Barkov completed a 2-on-1 rush with Brad Boyes 10:39 into the first period to open the scoring before McBain answered just over five minutes later with a blast from the outer edge of the right faceoff circle. Gaborik's wrist shot from the left circle during a power play beat Luongo at 2:19 of the third to give the Kings a 2-1 lead, but Bjugstad countered 5:07 later by intercepting Los Angeles defenseman Jake Muzzin's ill-advised backhanded pass attempt before beating Quick from in close.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Florida D Erik Gudbranson was on the ice for the national anthem but retreated to the locker room prior to the opening faceoff. He returned to the contest later in the first period. ... Barkov has recorded four goals and five assists in his last 10 games. ... Panthers captain and former Kings D Willie Mitchell sat out with what coach Gerard Gallant deemed an upper-body injury.