Kings defeat Islanders for their 6th straight win
NEW YORK — Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala scored, Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the New York Islanders 3-1 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.
The Kings started a seven-game road trip, their longest of the season, with a strong performance. Mikey Anderson added an empty-net goal as Los Angeles improved to 17-8-3 with its eighth victory in 10 games.
Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, who won their previous two.
Kempe opened the scoring at 13:51 of the first period with his 14th goal. Kings captain Anze Kopitar, playing his 1,401st career game, assisted along with Trevor Moore.
The 37-year-old Kopitar leads the Kings with 32 points, including eight goals.
Fiala increased the lead, beating Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin with his 10th goal at 3:09 of the second.
Lee, the Islanders captain, narrowed the deficit with his team-leading 13th goal at 9:47.
Sorokin finished with 27 saves.
New York won at Ottawa on Sunday after edging Carolina 4-3 on home ice last Saturday.
The Kings were coming off home wins over Ottawa, Dallas and Minnesota.
Takeaways
Kings: Kuemper, who helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022, improved to 6-2-3 this season.
Islanders: Fell to 5-7-2 at UBS Arena. They are 6-5-5 on the road.
Key moment
Kuemper stopped Jean-Gabriel Pageau's shot from the high slot with 2:37 left in the third. He also denied Simon Holmstrom on the power play with just under eight minutes remaining to preserve a one-goal lead.
Key stats
Lee has 273 career goals, moving him past former Islanders captain John Tavares into eighth place on the franchise list. ... The Islanders have outscored opponents 50-42 in the first and second periods but have been outscored 47-26 in the third period and overtime.
Up next
Kings: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
Islanders: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
