The New York Islanders lost 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings at UBS Arena on March 14, ending their two-game winning streak.
The loss keeps the Islanders in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 79 points, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have a game in hand. The Columbus Blue Jackets trail by two points and also have a game in hand.
The Kings took an early lead, scoring three goals in the first period. Trevor Moore opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game, followed by goals from Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Emil Heineman scored both of the Islanders’ goals as they attempted a comeback but ultimately fell short. Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves for the Islanders while Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 shots for the Kings.
Slow starts have been an issue for the Islanders recently. Friday’s game marked the sixth time in eight games that they trailed by at least two goals and was their third time trailing by three goals in four games. “It wears on you having to come back all the time,” Bo Horvat said. “We have to find ways to get leads and hold leads. Going down the stretch here like that’s tough, not only physically, but mentally to keep having to come back in games like that.”
Head Coach Patrick Roy adjusted his lines during the game, moving Mathew Barzal and Cal Ritchie between different combinations to spark offense. The changes led to both of Heineman’s goals, including one tipped shot each from Adam Pelech and Matthew Schaefer. “Sometimes it’s just a gut feeling,” Roy said. “I felt like down three goals, I thought we had to do something and find a spark and just create that little spark that could make a difference.” Roy also made further adjustments later in the game, aiming for better chemistry among his forwards.
Matthew Schaefer played a career-high 29:24 minutes and was involved physically throughout the night, drawing praise from teammates for his toughness after mixing it up with Taylor Ward during a second-period scrum. “He’s a tough kid, and he handles himself really well on and off the ice,” Horvat said.
The Islanders will look to rebound when they host the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
