Game Preview: Islanders vs Kings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (11-11-7) VS LOS ANGELES KINGS (16-8-3)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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The New York Islanders are on the hunt for their third consecutive win when they host the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

The Islanders have won two straight in a complete weekend sweep of a back-to-back set, which concluded with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Sunday. Anders Lee (PPG), Kyle MacLean, Kyle Palmieri (PPG) and Bo Horvat (EN) led the way offensively for the Islanders in a game where the Isles were outshot 31-13. Sorokin was stellar in his fifth consecutive start and played in both games of the back-to-back set, making 57 saves on 62 shots in both games combined.

“Impressive, but not surprising,” Dobson said of Sorokin’s solid performances over the weekend. “We’re fortunate to have the goaltending we do. He made some crazy saves tonight just to keep us in the game.

The Kings are red-hot, as their season-long win streak was extended to five games with a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Adrian Kempe and Alex Laferriere (PPG) scored, while Trevor Moore added two empty net goals in the win and Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves.

SEASON SERIES

The Isles went 1-1-0 in the season series with the Kings last year, including a game on Dec. 9 at UBS Arena where they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in overtime. The wins have favored the home team in recent years, as the Isles are 6-2-0 in their last eight home games against LA, but are 1-7-0 on the road.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

Ilya Sorokin is expected to make his sixth consecutive start on Tuesday. Sorokin is 8-7-4 this season with a .911 SV and a 2.61 GAA.

For the Kings, Darcy Kuemper is expected to get the start against the Isles. The 34-year-old was acquired by the Kings from the Washington Capitals in the offseason for Pierre-Luc Dubois and is off to a solid start in his LA tenure. The 34-year-old has a 5-2-3 record and a .907 SV% and a 2.50 GAA, though he missed seven games with a lower-body injury in the latter half of November, but Saturday marked his return to action.

Anthony Duclair joined the team for morning skate on Tuesday, wearing an orange non-contact jersey in his first appearance on the ice with the team since he's been sidelined with a lower-body injury on Oct. 19. The forward has missed 24 games after he recorded three points (1G, 2A) through his first five games of the season.

Adam Pelech, who participated in his third consecutive skate with the team on Tuesday, also participated in morning skate on Tuesday. The timeline for both players to return is unknown.

Scott Mayfield (illness) is considered a game-time decision against the Kings.

ISLES NOTES

- The Islanders locked down the win in the third period, as Head Coach Patrick Roy said his team stayed focused and “in the moment” in the final 20 minutes of Sunday’s win. It marked the fifth time all season the Isles did not allow a third period goal.

- Kyle Palmieri ended a six-game goalless drought with his second power-play goal of the season on Sunday. With a two-point game (1G, 1A), Palmieri earned his 500th and 501st career points.

- With his 12th goal of the year, Captain Anders Lee tied John Tavares for eighth in goals on the franchise list (272).

- The Isles had a solid night on special teams, going 2-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.

- Pierre Engvall slotted into the lineup in place of Hudson Fasching on Sunday, skating on a line with Matt Martin and Kyle MacLean and recorded an assist in 10:53 TOI.

“I thought he did what he had to do,” Roy said of Engvall. “I think he helped that line. I thought him, Martin and MacLean played really well together. They had some moments in the second periods where they played against their top lines. Pierre brings that element of speed on our team that we need.”

- For the second consecutive back-to-back set, the Islanders were victorious in the back half, which was a focal point after the Isles went 1-6-3 in the second half of back-to-backs last season.

“We made it an emphasis in camp, we really pushed ourselves in those situations to find ways to win," Noah Dobson said. "Some nights it won’t be pretty, but as long as we find a way that’s a sign of a good team.”

- With two assists against Ottawa, Dobson is riding a season-long, four-game point streak (1G, 3A).

KINGS NOTES

- Adrian Kempe has 12 points (8G, 4A) over his last 10 games and leads the Kings with 13 goals. Last season, the 28-year-old winger set career highs in assists (47) and points (75).

- Anze Kopitar leads the Kings with 31 points (8G, 23A) in his 19^th season with the team. The 37-year-old skated in his 1,400th NHL game on Saturday, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach that mark. It also happened to be his 700th home game, as he became the first NHL player to hit 1,400 games with an even split between home and road games on his resume. Kopitar is the all-time franchise leader in assists (815) and is second all-time in points (1,242).

- The Kings power play has struggled this season, converting at 16.9%, which ranks 27^th in the NHL. Los Angeles has been strong on the man advantage in recent seasons, finishing 12^th in the league (22.6%) in 2023-24, and finishing in fourth (25.3%) in the 2022-23 campaign.

- Jim Hiller was promoted from Interim Head Coach to Head Coach on May 22 . Hiller has a record of 37-20-4 as bench boss for Los Angeles. Prior to joining the Kings organization, Hiller served as an Assistant Coach for the Islanders from 2019-22.