Florida Panthers vs. Los Angeles Kings Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Pheonix Copley Struggle Again?

Florida Panthers vs. Los Angeles Kings Prediction, Pick, Odds: Will Pheonix Copley Struggle Again?

The Florida Panthers enter tonight's matchup off back-to-back losses against the Rangers and Penguins and now look to rebound at home against the Kings. The Panthers are 23-21-6 on the season and have hopes to make a push for the playoffs. The Kings, meanwhile, enter this game off back-to-back wins against the Blackhawks and Flyers. Now, they continue on the road for their fourth game, making it three wins in a row. What can we expect in this NHL matchup tonight?

Panthers vs. Kings Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds

• Date: Friday, January 27, 2023
• Start Time: 7:00 p.m. EST
• Where to Watch: NHLPP/ESPN+

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Florida Panthers vs. Los Angeles Kings Prediction

The Kings have found some gold behind new goaltender Pheonix Copley. Copley is in his first season with the Kings after floating back and forth between the NHL and AHL with the Blues and Capitals. Copley started the season incredibly hot but has since regressed a bit. Copley started the season 12-1, with his only loss coming against the Bruins. Because of this, he actually took the starting job from Jonathan Quick. However, since that start, Copley's numbers have dropped. He is now 14-3 with a .897% save percentage, and while that still is a good number, he has been looking a lot worse recently. Copley was pulled in back-to-back starts three games ago, giving up four goals on 17 shots against the Stars and two goals on three shots against the Predators. Since then, he has bounced back with two wins, but those were against the Blackhawks and Flyers, two terrible teams. He now has a much harder matchup against the Panthers.

The King's offense has been decent this season, scoring 3.2 goals per game, which is 14th in the league. The defense has been much worse, though, allowing 3.4 goals per game, ranking 23rd in the league.

The Panthers have struggled to find consistency lately due to their goalie situation. Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight are out with injuries, which has opened the door for Alex Lyon to start. Lyon is a long-time AHL goalie and has not been good so far for the Panthers. Lyon won his first two starts against the Canadiens and Wild, but his last two starts have been horrendous. Lyon gave up five goals in a loss to the Rangers and seven goals in his last game against the Penguins.

The Florida offense has been able to pick up the slack for the defense. The offense scores 3.4 goals per game, which is 7th in the league, while the defense has been porous, allowing 3.5 goals per game, 24th in the league.

The over has hit in six-straight games for the Panthers due to their poor defense and goaltending. Their offense is always a good bet to score, but Lyon has been beatable in net. On the other side, Copley has regressed heavily for the Kings. With the offenses playing well and goalies struggling, I like there to be goals galore in Florida tonight. I'm on the over.

Florida Panthers vs. Los Angeles Kings Pick

• 2 Unit Pick: Over 6.5 (-135) (Bet $100 to Collect $165) Click here for the best odds, available at DraftKings