LA Kings vs New York Islanders Preview: Projected Linueps, Key Points, and More

The Kings are in Long Island tonight as they begin their seven-game road trip against the New York Islanders.

A Look Back at Last Year:

The Kings went 1-0-1 against the Islanders last year, with that OT loss coming here at UBS Arena. Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore led the way offensively, both grabbing two points in the two games against. David Rittich was the one to pick up the win against the Islanders, stopping 26 of 26 shots for a shutout back in March.

Key Points Against the New York Islanders:

1. Find Last Years Early Road Success

The Kings began last year on a historic streak, setting an NHL record for longest season-opening road winning streak at a perfect 11-0-0. This year has not been the same, as the Kings sit at .500 on the road, at 6-6-2. Across the streak last season, the Kings scored at a crazy pace of 4.5 goals per game, while this season they are down to just 2.8 goals per game. LA's defensive numbers are much worse as well, allowing over 3 goals per game, compared to just 1.6 across the streak last season. While the numbers from last season would be extremely tough to maintain, there is no reason why LA can not find a middle ground between the numbers and find more success away from Crypto.com Arena.

2. Third Period Importance

Across their five-game winning streak, the Kings have outscored their opponents 9-1 and overall carry a +/- goal differential of +7 in the 3rd period so far this season. On the other side, things could not be much worse for the Islanders. Entering tonight's game, the Islanders sit with a horrendous 3rd-period goal differential of -15, an ugly mark compared to their +5 across the 1st and 2nd periods. This inability to hold leads and perform in the final 20 minutes has really hurt their season and is one of the reasons they sit under .500 and 7th in the Metropolitan Division.

3. Goaltending Firing on All Cylinders

In his first start since November 13, Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper stopped 22 of 23 shots against the NHL's top team on Saturday. Pair this performance with the play the Kings have gotten from David Rittich as of late, and you have a dangerous goalie tandem for the road trip. If the Kings want success and to get back to the play on the road they had last year, as we mentioned above, both goalies need to be sharp.

The Kings ran the 11/7 setup against the Stars and Wild, with no changes expected as of now. Here is how that looked:

A Look Across the Ice at the New York Islanders:

The Isles are coming off of a back-to-back sweep against Carolina and Ottawa over the weekend. Here is how they lined up against Ottawa on Sunday:

The Islanders are without two big pieces of their offense in Mat Barzal and offseason signing Anthony Duclair. Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly are also out due to injuries. The Islanders rank 28th in goals for this season, with captain Anders Lee leading the team in points with 21. Ilya Sorokin, who started both games of the Islanders back-to-back, is projected to get the start again tonight for the Islanders.

How to Tune In:

Tonight's puck drop is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. PST, 7:30 p.m. EST, and is available to watch on FanDuel Sports Network West. An audio-only feed is available on the ESPN LA App. Go Kings Go!