Kings vs Panthers

The moneyline leans toward the Panthers for good reason: Florida has won four of its last five and is 5-1-1 in its past seven, riding recent statement wins in Dallas and Tampa, while Los Angeles has dropped three straight and scored only four goals across those games, highlighting a real confidence issue in the offensive zone. With Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk still out long term, Florida’s depth has carried the load — Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell are driving a 3.19 goals-per-game attack — but the Kings arrive in Sunrise without No. 1 goalie Darcy Kuemper, who just hit injured reserve after the Dallas loss, likely leaving Anton Forsberg behind a group that has suddenly gone cold at 5-on-5. The Panthers already handled this matchup 5-2 in Los Angeles last month behind multi-point efforts from Reinhart and Marchand, and while Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe have historically produced well against Florida, their current form plus the travel spot and goaltending downgrade tilt this toward a home win at a still-reasonable price. I’d project Florida closer to the mid -150s here, so Panthers -140 on the moneyline is a solid but not spectacular value play, worthy of a B grade. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/12/2025 09:23am

The total at 5.5 is tightly lined, but the combination of Florida’s current offensive rhythm and Los Angeles’ compromised crease nudges me to the Over despite the Kings’ season-long defensive profile. The Panthers are averaging just over three goals per night and have scored 14 in their last three outings, with Reinhart, Marchand and Verhaeghe all finishing a productive trip and Sergei Bobrovsky giving them the confidence to push pace; they’ve gone over 5.5 in more than half of their games, and their last meeting with the Kings landed 5-2. Los Angeles, meanwhile, still suppresses chances well overall, yet the loss of Kuemper plus a three-game run with only four total goals suggests they may need to open up more just to keep pace, especially against a Panthers team that just diced up Colorado, Dallas and Tampa in rapid succession. With both clubs combining to average around 5.8 goals per game on the season and Florida’s power play and shorthanded threat in form, Over 5.5 at -120 gets a B- grade: the number is efficient, but recent form and the goaltending situation add just enough edge to the high side. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/12/2025 09:23am

On the puckline, the matchup profile points to the Panthers eking out a win more often than blowing the Kings away, making Los Angeles +1.5 the safer side even with its current funk. Florida has been excellent in one-goal environments this year and is still missing elite finishers Barkov and Tkachuk plus potentially top-pair defender Gustav Forsling after he exited late against Tampa, which slightly caps their margin of victory even with their forecheck humming. The Kings, for their part, remain one of the league’s stingier teams against despite the recent three-game slide, and with veterans like Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe historically producing well versus Florida, they’re built to grind out tight scores and protect a one-goal spread, especially if Forsberg can provide league-average goaltending behind that structure. Given the heavy juice at -225, the bet is more about probability than payout, but in a spot where a 3-2 or 4-3 Florida result is a very live script, Kings +1.5 earns a B- grade for its strong likelihood of cashing even if the Panthers ultimately defend home ice. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/12/2025 09:23am