Bellows scores first two NHL goals to lift Islanders past Kings

NEW YORK -- Kieffer Bellows scored his first two NHL goals, including the game-winner with 7:50 remaining, and the New York Islanders rallied for a 5-3 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Barclays Center on Thursday.

Matt Martin tied the game 23 seconds into the third period for New York (31-15-6), which extended its point streak to five games (3-0-2) and moved back into third place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Thomas Greiss made 22 saves.
"Anytime you score and help the team win, just do anything you can to help the team win and get two points, especially this time of year going into the playoff run here, it's huge," Bellows said.
WATCH: [All Kings vs. Islanders highlights]
Ben Hutton had a goal and an assist for Los Angeles (19-31-5), which has lost three in a row and is 1-7-1 in its past nine games. Jonathan Quick made 28 saves.
"We've played close games, tight games where I thought we deserved better. Tonight wasn't one of those," Kings coach Todd McLellan said. "They were the better team. We probably got what we deserved.
"I did not like our play in our end or around our blue paint one bit. We weren't in shooting lanes, as they were. We got what we deserved. We've got to be better than we were tonight."
Bellows scored his first NHL goal at 10:22 of the second when he took a pass from Anthony Beauvillier and put a wrist shot past Quick to make it 3-2.
"Pretty special moment," Bellows said. "I was pretty speechless at the time, I didn't really know what to do. Once I got back to the bench, I knew I had to move on and focus on the next shift."

He gave New York a 4-3 lead from a sharp angle near the left wing boards after Derick Brassard (two assists) backhanded a shot wide of the net.
Bellows, who was plus-3 in 11:18 of ice time, has three points in two NHL games since being recalled from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League on Monday.
"We know he can score goals, we know he's got a great shot, but I think the most impressive thing about him is just his commitment to defense, which is obviously huge for our coaching staff," said Martin, who tied it when he stuffed a rebound past Quick to make it 3-3. "He's reliable in all three zones. … He was rewarded with a couple of goals tonight. He's earning what he's getting. I'm happy for him."
Hutton gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 10:20 of the first period on a wrist shot from the slot for his third goal of the season.
Alex Iafallo made it 2-0 at 17:20 of the first with a shot from the left face-off circle after Islanders center Brock Nelson couldn't control the puck near the blue line.
"The first period, we weren't willing to put the right kind of work in," New York coach Barry Trotz said. "We were looking for an easy game. They're too well-coached and too structured, and they've got some really big-time pieces."

Michael Dal Colle redirected Johnny Boychuk's one-timer from the right point to make it 2-1 at 1:40 of the second period.
Trevor Lewis scored at 7:09 of the second after a turnover by Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson to make it 3-1.
Anders Lee beat out an icing call and scored an empty-net goal with 13 seconds left for the 5-3 final.
"He knew that if he didn't get it, they still would have had a chance to win or at least get it tied," Trotz said of Lee's effort. "He wanted to make sure he nailed that shot."

They said it

"It's happened all the time this year. We've said 100 times about how annoying and how frustrating it is. We need to learn how to play with the lead if we ever want to win hockey games." -- Kings defenseman Drew Doughty
"I had confidence tonight, but it's confidence that's built up from my teammates here and my linemates, just the support that they've given me, and the coaching staff. … Obviously having [my parents] in the crowd helps and it makes you pretty emotional, but they give me my space on game days, they give me my time to focus and they let me play, and then we take a moment after the game to kind of do a little happy dance." -- Islanders forward Kieffer Bellows

Need to know

Calvin Pedersen was called up by the Kings from Ontario of the American Hockey League and backed up Quick after goalie Jack Campbell was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. … New York is 11-0-3 in its past 14 regular-season games at Barclays Center dating to Jan. 12, 2019. … Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock had an assist on Martin's goal for his 100th NHL point. He has an assist in four straight games. … It was Greiss' 100th win with the Islanders.

What's next

Kings: At the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-W, NHL.TV)
Islanders:At the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; ESPN+, SUN, MSG+ 2, NHL.TV)