Takeaways: Islanders Snap Winless Streak With 5-2 Win Over Kings

A common theme emerged from the Islanders’ locker room Monday night after their 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks: They needed to play better in front of Ilya Sorokin.

On Thursday, they delivered.

The Islanders blocked a season-high 23 shots and received goals from five different skaters to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 5-2, snapping a four-game winless streak and extending their point streak to three games.

“We put two good players back in the lineup, which helps, our goalie was great again, and we cleaned up the things that we didn't like about last game,” Islanders coach Pete DeBoer said.

The victory was the Islanders’ first in Los Angeles since October 2018 and ended the Kings’ 11-game point streak (10-0-1) against New York dating to Jan. 27, 2022. That stretch included a 3-2 overtime win at UBS Arena on Oct. 22.

Brayden Schenn (1G, 2A), Matthew Schaefer, Victor Eklund, Simon Holmström (1G, 1A) and Bo Horvat scored for New York. Schaefer’s goal came on the power play, while Horvat sealed the win with an empty-netter. Trevor Moore and Quinton Byfield scored for Los Angeles.

Sorokin made 26 saves on 28 shots, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 16 of 20 in his 500th career start.

“We worked hard. We defended hard. We battled pucks out of our zone,” Schenn said.

Holmström’s third-period goal gave the Islanders breathing room before Horvat’s empty-netter secured the victory.

“Sorokin was good all game, but we found a way to tilt the ice a little bit in the third period,” Schenn said.

Maccelli and Pulock Make Immediate Impact in Return

Matias Maccelli and Ryan Pulock wasted little time making an impact in their returns, each recording an assist in the first period. 

Pulock picked up an assist on Schenn’s opening goal, hammering a one-timer that hit Mitchell Chaffee and Kuemper before Schenn deposited the rebound to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

“You want to help chip in. Doing a good job defensively is my first priority,” Pulock said. “Especially when you're sitting out a little while, it's nice to come back and get involved a little bit.”

The Kings answered with 11:05 remaining in the first period when Moore redirected Brandt Clarke’s point shot past Sorokin to tie the score 1-1.

Maccelli added his assist on the power play, taking a pass from Schenn and feeding Schaefer at the point. Schaefer threaded a point shot past Kuemper to put the Isles ahead 2-1.

Pulock also helped create Eklund’s second-period goal, banking a pass off the boards to Schenn, giving the defenseman his first two-point game since Jan. 6 against New Jersey.

Maccelli returned after missing nine games with a lower-body injury sustained against Toronto on Oct. 17. Before the injury, he recorded six points (two goals, four assists) in eight games and was riding a five-game point streak.

Pulock had missed four games with an upper-body injury sustained Oct. 29 against Minnesota. Entering Thursday, he had played 13 games this season, logging more than 18 minutes in 10 of them. He reunited with Adam Pelech on the blue line as the Islanders dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

The Islanders lined up as follows:

Holmstrom–Horvat–Palmieri
Heineman–Schenn–Eklund
Palat–Cizikas–Duclair
Maccelli–Chaffee

Stanley–Schaefer
Pelech–Pulock
Hutton–DeAngelo
Kessel

JG Pageau did not play and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Pageau, who played in each of the Islanders’ first 17 games, participated in the morning skate but did not dress against the Kings.

Schenn and Eklund Keep Producing

Schenn helped extend the Islanders’ lead to 3-1 early in the second period, setting up Eklund after Pulock sprung an odd-man rush.

Driving toward the net, Schenn waited for Kuemper to commit before sliding the puck to Eklund for the finish.

“You know, as a line, we just try and keep it simple,” Schenn said. “We forecheck. You know, try and create turnovers and try and play connected and close with one another.”

Schenn finished with a goal and two assists, recording his 31st career three-point game and his first since March 28 against Florida. His opening goal extended his point streak to four games, and he has assisted on six of Eklund’s seven goals this season.

Eklund extended his goal streak to four games, becoming the 11th rookie in Islanders history to accomplish the feat. The only others to do so in the past 20 years are Michael Grabner, who had six-game and four-game streaks in 2010-11, and Kyle Okposo, who recorded two four-game streaks in 2008-09.

“Ekky [Eklund] seems to be finding the back of the net right now,” Schenn said.

Eklund’s seven goals lead Eastern Conference rookies and tie him with Vegas’ Trevor Connelly for second among NHL rookies, behind Chicago’s Roman Kantserov (nine).

Schaefer Marks 100th Game With a Goal

Schaefer scored a power-play goal in his 100th career game, extending his point streak to four games and his road point streak to six games. The road streak is two shy of his own NHL record for a teenage defenseman, set in 2025-26.

The goal also gave Schaefer 77 career points, moving him past Rick Hampton (76) for the fourth-most points by a teenage defenseman in NHL history. Only Phil Housley (132), Rasmus Dahlin (84) and Ray Bourque (79) have more.

Next Game

The Islanders conclude their three-game California road trip against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 10 p.m. EST, with coverage on MSGSN.