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SUNRISE, Fla. – Check the standings lately?

With a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Amerant Bank Arena on Wednesday, the Florida Panthers have moved back into first place in the jam-packed Atlantic Division.

Improving to 30-19-3, Florida has won four of its last six games.

“The guys defended hard as always,” said Sergei Bobrovsky, who finished with 29 saves to record his second shutout of the season. “They played that heavy game, and so does the opponent. It was a great game, a great tight game. It’s great to have two points.”

Breaking the ice for the Panthers, Sam Bennett took a slick dish from Matthew Tkachuk and lifted a shot over Darcy Kuemper and into the net to make it 1-0 at 4:55 of the first period.

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      Sam Bennett gets Florida on the board against Los Angeles in the first period.

      Skating in his 1,000th NHL game, Dmitry Kulikov recorded the secondary assist on the goal.

      Originally selected by the Panthers with the 14th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, Kulikov is just the 402nd skater and 135th defenseman in NHL history to appear in 1,000 contests.

      Even from the press box, you could tell the milestone gave the whole team a boost.

      “I thought Kuli (Kulikov), on his special night, was so good for us,” Tkachuk said. “At this point in the year, I know it might not make sense to everybody, but you almost need a game like this, something really special for one of our teammates, to come to the rink and just give it everything you can and do it for that guy next to you, which was Kuli tonight.”

      Moments after getting away with a blatant interference against Mackie Samoskevich, the Kings thought they tied the game but – thanks to some karma? – they had their goal come off the board immediately due to a clear-cut case of substantial goaltender interference.

      Coming out firing, the Panthers recorded 20 shots on goal in the first period.

      The second period came and went with neither team lighting the lamp.

      With all of the action at 5-on-5, the Panthers led 8-6 in scoring chances.

      “We’re comfortable playing at home with a lead,” Bennett said. “That’s always nice.”

      Just as it was during their loss in Los Angeles, the Panthers led 1-0 heading into the third.

      This time around, they made sure the end result would be different.

      With the Panthers earning nine seconds of a 5-on-3 power play early in the third period, Aleksander Barkov made the most out of that limited time by winning a faceoff draw in the offensive zone, going to the net and scoring to make it 2-0 at 4:43.

      The moment was so nice that even the stoic captain cracked a smile.

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          Aleksander Barkov scores on the power play to extend the lead to 2-0 against Los Angeles.

          Needing just five seconds to score, Florida still had nearly a full 5-on-4 power play left after the goal.

          Despite not adding another goal, that extended advantage helped eat up crucial time.

          “They (the Kings) are a really good penalty kill team, so you’re not going to get a lot or a lot of time,” Maurice said. “We had two or three cracks at it. They needed to get one from a confidence point of view. A two-goal lead in the way that game was played would be very difficult to overcome.”

          In the end, it was.

          Sealing the win, Tkachuk buried an empty-net goal from center ice to make it 3-0 at 18:48.

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              Matthew Tkachuk seals the game against Los Angeles late in the third.

              Standing tall all game, Bobrovsky made 11 of his 29 saves in the third period.

              “Bobby (Bobrovsky) stood on his head and played unbelievable again,” Bennett said. “I think it was just a full 60-minute game that we played really well. All the lines were playing well, the D was playing well, and we got on the forecheck well and limited their chances.”

              THEY SAID IT

              “It’s definitely a special, special game for him and a special game for us. It’s great to have a win for him. He’s an unbelievable player. He’s a professional and a reliable D. It’s great to have him on our side and I wish him to play another 1,000.” – Sergei Bobrovsky on Dmitry Kulikov

              “He was fantastic tonight. I think it’s great that Sergei (Bobrovsky), his countryman, gets a shutout with him. For sure, it’s a big deal in our room.” – Paul Maurice on Dmitry Kulikov’s milestone night

              “He brings a special element with his speed. He’s got incredible speed and skill with the puck. I love playing with him. I think we can keep building off each other and finding more chemistry the longer we play together.” – Sam Bennett on playing with Mackie Samoskevich

              CATS STATS

              - Matthew Tkachuk recorded the 60th three-point game of his career.

              - Paul Maurice coached his 1,900th game in the NHL.

              - Sergei Bobrovsky recorded his 13th shutout as a Panther, the third most in franchise history.

              - Anton Lundell and Niko Mikkola each blocked four shots.

              - Sam Bennett logged a team-high six hits.

              - The Panthers led 20-14 in scoring chances at 5-on-5.

              WHAT’S NEXT?

              The Panthers will return to the rink and kick off yet another back-to-back with a battle against the Chicago Blackhawks at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

              For tickets, click HERE.