Preview: LA Kings vs New York Islanders 3.14.23

When a team is battling for a playoff spot, most games at this point of the season usually turn into “must-win situations.” Despite being one of the top teams in the Western Conference and a top-10 club in the entire NHL, the LA Kings have not played in must-win games this year.

However, after a recent shootout loss to the Nashville Predators to kick off a seven-game homestand, the Kings fell three points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division. Ultimately, the goal may not be to win the division, but it would undoubtedly help with playoff seeding in the first round.

Even though tonight’s game against the New York Islanders is not a must-win, the Kings can’t allow the 16th-ranked team to walk into their building and escape with another two points, a critical two points with just 14 games left to play.

Additionally, these two teams just met three weeks ago in New York, with the Kings skating away with a 3-2 victory thanks to goals from Gabriel Vilardi, Phillip Danault, and Arthur Kaliyev.

A Significant Storyline to Follow in Tonight’s LA Kings Game

Speaking of Kaliyev, he draws back into the lineup tonight after sitting out the last three contests. Interestingly, Alex Edler is also penciled in on the third pairing, leaving Jordan Spence as the odd man out for tonight’s match against the Islanders. Additionally, tonight will mark the first time since arriving in LA that Zack MacEwen will sit out.

Although the Kings have scored ten goals in their last three games, head coach Todd McLellan is not overhauling the entire lineup to spark the offense. However, he is shifting a few pieces here, and there will go a long way toward igniting an offense that isn’t clicking on the power play right now.

As pointed out on the broadcasts and by the insiders, the Kings have scored only one goal in their last 22 man-advantage opportunities, so giving a guy like Kaliyev a look will bring something new to a unit is struggling. Furthermore, the Islanders come to town with the league’s fourth-best penalty-killing unit, 83.1%, just two percentage points behind the Boston Bruins, who have been the top team all season.

Thanks to a deep roster currently dealing with only two significant injuries, Kevin Fiala and Sean Durzi (both listed day-to-day), McLellan has an abundance of talent at his disposal to adjust his lineup to find the right combination on any given night.

Currently, LA has 85 points, the seventh most in the league, and sits three points behind the Golden Knights for the top spot in the division. Additionally, the Kings remain one of nine teams with 20 wins on home ice, sporting a 20-9-3 record at Crypto.com Arena. Meanwhile, the Islanders visit Hollywood as the 18th-best road team, with a 14-14-5 record.

Conversely, both teams lost on home ice this past Saturday, with the New York losing to the Washington Capitals 5-1 and the Kings dropping a 2-1 contest to the Predators. During their last ten games, Los Angeles is 6-2-2, and the Isles are 6-3-1.

Key LA Kings & Islanders Players to Watch

Since the calendar flipped to 2023, captain Anze Kopitar has yet to go more than four games without scoring a goal. Currently, he’s been goalless since collecting one against the Montreal Canadiens on March 2.

Although he’s a handful of games from his season-high of nine games without a lamp lighter,  Kopitar is the leader of this team. Even though he’s had four points in the last five games, three came against Colorado. Ultimately, if the team is going to find any success on the power play, they need to get the guy with 110 career man-advantage goals going.

Statistically, Kopitar hasn’t played much against the Islanders franchise, with tonight’s game just his 25th. During those previous matchups, he’s tallied 21 points thanks to nine goals and 21 assists. Interestingly, he’s got 12 penalty minutes and a plus-seven rating, with three game-winners.

On the flip side, LA fans will welcome back a familiar foe, Bo Horvat, who makes his return to the city but now as a member of the Islanders organization after a blockbuster trade in January. Although the former captain of the Vancouver Canucks only has nine points in 16 games with his new team, he is collectively their leading scorer with 36 goals and 63 points this season.

Historically, Horvat has 17 points with four goals and 13 helpers in 28 games against LA, with a minus-seven rating. Interestingly, all four of his goals have come on special teams, with three on the power play and one shorthanded.

LA Kings & Islanders Historical Notes

Tonight will mark the 115th time these two teams have met during the regular season, with the Kings holding a slight lead by five games, 52-47-12-3, in those contests. Despite a winning record, LA has been outscored by their east coast rivals by five goals, 359-354.

Surprisingly, the Islanders produced a 15-19-7 record at the Great Western Forum in 41 games; however, since skating on Crypto.com Arena ice, they have struggled with a 4-11-0-0 record. Furthermore, they scored 3.27 goals a game in the old building, dropping to just 1.93 at the new facility.

Who’s Next for the LA Kings

After tonight’s game, the Kings won’t skate again until Thursday night when the league’s worst team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, comes to town. As many people know, they currently lead the Connor Bedard sweepstakes, despite their coach recently saying they plan to continue to win hockey games.

Losing a game to the Blue Jackets won’t necessarily end the Kings’ season; however, it would be a significant blow to their chances for a top spot in the Western Conference.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rink Royalty team!

Write for us!