The Islanders kicked off a crucial mini-homestand with a tough loss to the Los Angeles Kings, marking their second defeat to the Kings in just over a week. This matchup was tighter than the misleading 5-3 defeat in L.A., but it didn’t seem that way early on as the Isles found themselves trailing 3-0 in the first period.
This marked the second consecutive game where the Islanders fell behind by three goals, but unlike before, they couldn’t claw their way back.
The Kings’ third goal was the result of an unusual turnover by Matthew Schafer, who was caught trying to navigate through two defenders in the neutral zone. It's not often we see Schafer make such errors, which is why he usually has the freedom to take risks, but this one proved costly late in the first.
Coach Patrick Roy made a strategic move by reuniting the top line of Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Emil Heineman. Heineman responded with a redirection in the second period and another deflection goal early in the third, injecting some hope into the Isles’ comeback efforts.
Despite a strong push, it wasn’t meant to be.
The Islanders dominated the third period, outshooting the Kings 11-4, and had a last-gasp offensive zone faceoff with mere seconds remaining. Scott Laughton’s desperate defensive efforts, which included taking two penalties, prevented an equalizer with just six seconds left. If the Isles had scored, they would have entered overtime with a 4-on-3 advantage.
Ultimately, it was all for naught.
Both teams struggled on the power play, going 0-3. The Kings managed eight shots during their six minutes of power play time, while the Isles had only two shots during just over four minutes, as their final power play came with seconds remaining.
With Ilya Sorokin in goal, the Isles couldn’t find the offensive spark they needed. They'll need to step up their game in front of David Rittich, who faces one of his former teams, the Flames, at home tomorrow. It’ll be interesting to see how the lineup shapes up; Anthony Duclair and Kyle MacLean were scratches tonight, while Max Shabanov made his second consecutive appearance, albeit with limited ice time due to extensive special teams play.