The New York Islanders will face the Los Angeles Kings at UBS Arena on March 13, marking their return home after nearly two weeks on the road. The game is set for Friday night and is the first of a back-to-back series for the Islanders.
This matchup holds significance as both teams are contending for playoff positions in their respective divisions. The Islanders are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division, while the Kings are competing for a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
The Islanders enter this game following a dramatic 4-3 overtime victory against the St. Louis Blues. After trailing by three goals, New York rallied with scores from JG Pageau, Cal Ritchie, and Bo Horvat before Mathew Barzal secured the win in overtime. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 20 saves during that contest and is slated to start again against Los Angeles. Sorokin has posted strong numbers this season, including a league-leading six shutouts.
Barzal’s recent performance has been notable; his overtime goal against St. Louis was his seventh career overtime score, moving him up in franchise history. He also leads the team with 60 points this season and is currently on a three-game point streak.
The Islanders have achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first NHL team to record a perfect 10-0 overtime record in a single season. Several players have contributed to these victories, including Barzal, Horvat, Pageau, Matthew Schaefer, and Simon Holmstrom.
For Los Angeles, Adrian Kempe leads with 56 points and enters Friday’s game riding a six-game point streak. The Kings recently made roster changes through trades involving Warren Foegele and Corey Perry. However, they will be without Kevin Fiala due to injury for the remainder of the season.
Looking ahead, both teams aim to strengthen their playoff prospects as they approach the final stretch of regular-season games.
