Game Preview: Islanders at Kings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (35-22-5) AT LOS ANGELES KINGS (24-22-14) 

9:30 PM | CRYPTO.COM ARENA 

WATCH/STREAM: EPSN 

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

The New York Islanders wrap up a SoCal back-to-back set on Thursday when they visit the LA Kings at Crypto.com Arena.  

The Islanders are looking to rebound after a 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. Anders Lee’s power-play goal opened the scoring for the Islanders, who allowed five unanswered goals. The Islanders outshot the Ducks 43-25 in the loss.  

The Islanders (75 points) remain in third place in the Metropolitan Division, tied with the second place Pittsburgh Penguins (75 points), but the Pens hold two games in hand.

PROJECTED LINES

Below are the Islanders’ lines from Wednesday’s game. Check back closer to puck drop for any updates.  

Ondrej Palat – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Jonathan Drouin – Cal Ritchie – Emil Heineman
Anders Lee – JG Pageau – Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb 

Matthew Schaefer – Scott Mayfield 
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy – Adam Boqvist 

Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich

PULOCK'S STATUS TBD

Ryan Pulock missed Wednesday’s game with an upper-body injury. His status for Thursday is unknown. With Pulock out, Scott Mayfield skated alongside Matthew Schaefer and Adam Boqvist drew into the lineup for the first time since Jan. 26, skating 13:40.  

SOROKIN EXPECTED TO START

Ilya Sorokin is the expected starter for the Islanders on Thursday to finish the back-to-back set. Sorokin has won four straight games and 10 of his last 13.  

Sorokin is 1-5-0 lifetime against the Kings, with a 2.73 GAA and a .918 SV%, including an 0-3-0 record in LA.  

LEE'S SCORING STREAK

Lee’s scoring streak continued on Wednesday, as the Islanders captain scored for a fourth-straight game. It marked Lee’s longest goal streak since a six-game run from March 7-17, 2022.  

Lee’s goal was also the 304th of his career, tying Clark Gillies for fourth all-time in Islanders history.

KINGS NOTES

The Kings are coming off a 4-2 defeat to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. They have  dropped six of their last seven contests (1-5-1). Los Angeles sits sixth in the Pacific Division with 62 points and are five points back of the Seattle Kraken (67 points) for a playoff position with 22 games remaining. 

Los Angeles fired Head Coach Jim Hiller on Mar. 1, replacing him with Associate Head Coach D.J. Smith, who will serve as the team’s Interim Head Coach. Hiller was behind the Kings’ bench for three seasons, compiling a record 93-58-24 and a pair of postseason appearances. Smith had previously served as the Head Coach of the Ottawa Senators for parts of five seasons from 2019-24. 

 The Kings completed a trade with the New York Rangers that moved Artemi Panarin to the west coast on Feb. 4. In exchange, Los Angeles sent Liam Greentree and a 2026 conditional third-round pick to New York. Panarin has three points (3A) in four games with the Kings, and 60 points (19G, 41A) oin the season. 

Anze Kopitar is set to play in his 1,500th regular season game on Thursday and will become the first King to do so. Kopitar’s 1,302 points are second all-time in Kings history, five back of tying Marcel Dionne for the franchise record. Kopitar is playing in his final season in the NHL in what’s been a decorated career with two Stanley Cups, two Selke Trophies, three Lady Byng Awards and two Mark Messier Leadership Awards.  

Adrian Kempe has 14 points (7G, 7A) in his last 14 games, which includes an eight-game point streak from Jan. 17 to Feb. 4. Kempe leads the Kings with 50 points (22G, 28A) this season and is on pace to rank first on the team in scoring for the third straight campaign.  

Quinton Byfield (upper body) is considered day-to-day ahead of Thursday’s game. He didn’t suit up in their loss to the Avs on Tuesday. Byfield ranks third on the team with 33 points (13G, 20A) this season.   

The Kings own the 26th ranked power-play (16.8%) in the NHL this season but capitalized on their only man advantage last time out. 

Los Angeles also owns the 25th ranked penalty kill (75.3%) in the league this season.