Islanders at Kings preview
Martinez out for Los Angeles after wrist surgery; Varlamov to start for New York
by Dan Greenspan / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
ISLANDERS (16-4-2) at KINGS (9-13-2)
10:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, FS-W, MSG+, NHL.TV
The Game
The New York Islanders will try to bounce back following the end of the longest point streak in their history when they visit the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Wednesday.
A 3-0 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Monday ended the Islanders' 17-game point streak (15-0-2), their longest since joining the NHL in 1972. It was New York's first defeat in regulation since a 5-2 loss at the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 11.
The Kings will play their first game without defenseman Alec Martinez, who had surgery to repair a radial artery and two superficial radial nerves in his right wrist after he was cut by the skate blade of San Jose Sharks forward Melker Karlsson during a 4-3 overtime loss Monday. He will be evaluated weekly and is expected to make a full recovery.
Los Angeles is 1-2-1 in its past four games following a three-game winning streak.
Players to watch
Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov, who will start, is 7-0-2 with a 2.39 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and one shutout in his past nine starts.
Kings center Anze Kopitar has scored a goal in three straight games and has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his past 10 games.
They said it
"That wasn't a good showing at all [against Anaheim], and we have to hit the reset button and come back and fix this trip a little bit." -- Islanders captain Anders Lee
"I think you can feel it as you're gaining it. I think you all get on board. There's an excitement, there's an energy that kind of arrives on the bench and everybody wants to keep it going. I don't know if the same signal hits everybody at the same time if you're losing it." -- Kings coach Todd McLellan on momentum
Islanders projected lineup
Anders Lee -- Mathew Barzal -- Josh Bailey
Anthony Beauvillier -- Brock Nelson -- Derick Brassard
Michael Dal Colle -- Leo Komarov -- Jordan Eberle
Matt Martin -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Noah Dobson -- Johnny Boychuk
Adam Pelech -- Ryan Pulock
Devon Toews -- Scott Mayfield
Semyon Varlamov
Thomas Greiss
Scratched: Otto Koivula, Ross Johnston
Injured: Nick Leddy (undisclosed), Tom Kuhnhackl (upper body)
Kings projected lineup
Alex Iafallo -- Anze Kopitar -- Dustin Brown
Trevor Lewis -- Jeff Carter -- Tyler Toffoli
Adrian Kempe -- Blake Lizotte -- Austin Wagner
Kyle Clifford -- Michael Amadio -- Matt Luff
Sean Walker -- Drew Doughty
Ben Hutton -- Kurtis MacDermid
Joakim Ryan -- Matt Roy
Jonathan Quick
Jack Campbell
Scratched: Paul LaDue, Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikolai Prokhorkin
Injured: Alec Martinez (wrist), Derek Forbort (back)
Status report
Leddy will be a game-time decision after not practicing the past two days. The defenseman aggravated a previous injury against the Ducks, coach Barry Trotz said. … Lewis could return after missing eight games because of a lower-body injury. … Martinez was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. … Forbort will begin a conditioning assignment in the AHL this week.
Stat pack
New York has outscored opponents 57-42 in their past 18 games. … Nelson (four goals, five assists) and Brassard (one goal, eight assists) each has nine points in his past seven games. … Carter has 47 points (21 goals, 26 assists) in 49 games against the Islanders.