Game Preview: Islanders vs Kings

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (30-24-7) VS LOS ANGELES KINGS (32-19-8)
7:30 PM ET | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
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The New York Islanders will look for three consecutive wins as they welcome in the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night at UBS Arena, in the first matchup of the season between the two teams.
The Islanders are coming off a 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night, taking the first game of a brief two-game homestand at UBS Arena. Sebastian Aho broke the ice in the first period with his fifth goal of the season. Simon Holmstrom buried the game-winner with 10:03 left in the third frame and the Islanders were able to hold on to the lead for the win.

The Kings will see the Isles in the second half of a back-to-back set. Los Angeles dropped the first game in overtime in a 4-3 decision to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night at Prudential Center, where the Kings blew 2-0 and 3-2 leads. Anze Kopitar (1G, 1A) Viktor Arvidsson and Sean Durzi (1G, 1A) scored for the Kings, but it wasn't enough to counteract the offensive drive from Dawson Mercer (2G, 1A), Tomas Tatar (1G, 1A) and Nico Hischier (GWG).
The Islanders and Kings have not crossed paths this season; last year's season series resulted in a 2-0 sweep by Los Angeles.
The Islanders (67 points) are slotted in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.The Detroit Red Wings (64 points) leapfrogged the Florida Panthers (64 points) and Pittsburgh Penguins (63 points) to take over the second wild card. The Red Wings and Penguins each have four games in hand on the Isles. The Buffalo Sabres (62 points) have five games in hand on the Isles.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders stand fourth in the Metropolitan Division, finding ways to win even without key players. Mathew Barzal (lower-body) is out indefinitely and is considered week-to-week, Jean-Gabriel Pageau (upper-body) is on the team's IR list and Josh Bailey missed three games dealing with an upper body injury.
  - Simon Holmstrom netted his fourth career goal - and second game-winner - on Wednesday night, scoring for the first time since Jan. 16. Since his debut on Nov. 23, the 21-year-old winger put up five points (4G, 1A) over 33 games.
  - Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves in the 2-1 victory over the Jets for his third consecutive win. According to NHL Public Relations, it was the 40th time Sorokin allowed one goal or fewer since his debut in the 2020-21 season. The 27-year-old netminder also picked up his 20th win of the season to string together two straight seasons with 20+ wins. He became the third Islanders goaltender in the past two decades with as many consecutive campaigns, joining Thomas Greiss with two (2015-16 and 2016-17) and Rick DiPietro with three (2005-06 and 2007-08).
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  - Matt Martin has been hot as of late, with five points (2G, 3A) in his last six games. The 33-year-old winger is one point shy of matching his career-best 19 points in a season, set in 2015-16.
  - Brock Nelson has averaged over a point-per-game over his last 15 games, with 19 points (11G, 8A) over that span, including a career-long 12 game point streak that came to an end on Saturday.
  - With an assist on Holmstrom's goal on Wednesday, Bo Horvat matched his career-high in points (61), set in 2018-19 with the Vancouver Canucks. Horvat has three points in his last two games and seven points (4G, 3A) in nine games since being acquired by the Islanders.
  - Arnaud Durandeau played in his second NHL game on Wednesday, recording four shots (three on goal, one attempted) in 14:43 TOI, playing on a line with Casey Cizikas and Hudson Fasching. Per team statistician Eric Hornick, Durandeau is the ninth player in club history with at least seven shots in his first two NHL games; Pat Flatley was the first in club history with nine on Feb. 29 - Mar. 3, 1984.
  - The Islanders are 5-1-1 in their last seven home games, and are 18-10-3 overall this season. Only 10 home games remain in the regular season.
  - The Islanders outscored opponents 6-0 in the third period over their last three wins.

KINGS NOTES:

• Despite picking up one point in a 4-3 OT loss to the Devils on Thursday, the Kings slipped to third in the Pacific Division, as the Oilers defeated the Penguins 7-2 to leapfrog them into second place in the division. The Kings and Oilers have identical records (32-19-8) both at 59 games apiece, but Edmonton's healthier goal differential (+30) was the deciding factor in the standings over the Kings +1 differential.
  - Pheonix Copley stopped 28-of-32 shots on Thursday night. Jonathan Quick is expected to start in net against the Islanders to close out the back-to-back set for the Kings on Friday night.
  - Anze Kopitar extended his goal streak to four straight games on Thursday. With 20 goals this season, Kopitar has hit the 20-goal mark 12 times in his career, tying Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille and Dave Taylor for the most 20-goal seasons in Kings history.
  - Kevin Fiala is lighting up the scoresheet in his first season in Los Angeles after being acquired from the Minnesota Wild last summer. Fiala leads the Kings in assists (42) and points overall (63) and is the only player on the team averaging over a point-per-game.
  - Adrian Kempe is riding a seven-game point streak with 12 points (8G, 4A) over that span. With 46 points on the season, the 26-year-old forward is eight points shy of matching a career-high 56 points set last season.
  - The Kings are in the middle of a five-game road trip, with a record of 15-10-6 on the road this season.
  - Mikey Anderson signed an eight-year contract extension on Feb. 15. The 23-year-old defenseman played parts of four seasons with the Kings after being drafted in the fourth round (103rd overall) in 2017.