Darcy Kuemper made 36 saves for the Kings (26-16-6), who have lost three straight (0-2-1) and five of six (1-4-1).
Defenseman Drew Doughty was minus-2 in 23:51 in his season debut after missing the first 47 games with a broken ankle sustained in the preseason.
“It felt amazing but early on, that was the most nervous I have been playing in a hockey game, that first shift honestly since my first NHL game,” Doughty said. “No matter how hard you practice and get the work in, nothing beats the speed of a real game. … I got better as the game went on, felt better and more comfortable. By the third, I felt completely like myself.”
Sam Bennett gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 4:55 of the first period, taking a slick turnaround pass from Tkachuk at the left post and lifting the puck over an outstretched Kuemper.
“We’re getting to the net better and there is less from the perimeter,” said Florida coach Paul Maurice, who joined Scotty Bowman as the only coaches in NHL history to coach 1,900 games. “We have been working on that for a month and we’re starting to get there, get there more consistently.”