The LA Kings skated to their second consecutive victory, a 3-2 overtime win against the New York Islanders on Thursday evening at UBS Arena in Elmont, NY.
The Kings opened the scoring just shy of six minutes into the game, as forward Artemi Panarin scored for the second straight game. Defenseman Brandt Clarke stepped up in the neutral zone, jarring the puck free to forward Alex Laferriere at center ice. Laferriere fed Panarin with possession into the offensive zone and Panarin shrugged off a defender and looked off Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov by showing pass, before finishing top shelf for his team-leading fifth goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Panarin doubled his output with a goal towards the end of the opening frame to put the Kings up by a pair after 20 minutes. Laferriere nearly had it himself from close range but wasn’t able to corral a loose puck. Panarin picked it up in the left-hand circle and although his first shot was blocked down, he collected the rebound and beat New York netminder Semyon Varlamov for his second of the evening and a 2-0 advantage.
Late in the second period, New York scored a power-play goal to pull back within 2-1. Forward Victor Eklund and defenseman Tony DeAngelo exchanged passes just above the slot, with DeAngelo eventually feeding Eklund for a one-timer from the top of the left circle, which beat Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper to get the hosts on the board. Eklund’s goal was his third of the season, as the Kings led 2-1 through 40 minutes.
Just over seven minutes into the third period, the Islanders tied the game at two, as reigning Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer got on the board. Schaefer took a feed from defensive partner Logan Stanley and worked his way into the right-hand circle with lots of time and space. Schaefer picked his spot and snapped a shot past Kuemper on the blocker side for his second goal of the season and a 2-2 game.
The game progressed into overtime and the Kings dominated the bulk of the 3-on-3 session. Forward Adrian Kempe drove into the offensive zone with possession, down the right wing, before cutting into the slot. Kempe dropped the puck to Clarke with space and the blueliner ripped a shot, high glove side, for his second career overtime game-winning goal and a 3-2 win for the Kings.
Hear from Panarin, Clarke and Head Coach Peter Laviolette after tonight’s win.
