Dal Colle's Late Goal Helps Islanders Rally Past Kings
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Michael Dal Colle got the tiebreaking goal as the New York Islanders scored three times in less than five minutes late in the third period to rally for a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night.
Casey Cizikas, Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson also scored to help the Islanders stretch their point streak to eight games (6-0-2). Ryan Pulock had assists on each of the third-period goals and Robin Lehner stopped 34 shots.
Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist, Ilya Kovalchuk also scored and Dustin Brown Ryan Pulock had assists on each of the third-period goals and Robin Lehner stopped 34 shots.had two assists for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick finished with 28 saves.
The Kings took a 2-1 lead with 6:45 left in the third as Brown's shot from the slot deflected off Kovalchuk's skate and through Lehner's legs.
However, Barzal tied it just 31 seconds later as he scored from the right side off a pass from Pulock for his 15th.
Dal Colle then put the Islanders ahead when he deflected Pulock's point shot past Quick with 2:23 left for his second NHL goal. Nelson's empty-netter 52 seconds later sealed the win and ended the Islanders' two-game skid (0-0-2).
The second — and final — meeting of the regular season between the Metropolitan Division leaders and the last place team in the Pacific had a playoff feel throughout. Even though Los Angeles outshot New York 36-32, most of the shots were from the outsides as both teams were conscientious of surrendering the slot and prime scoring areas.
The Islanders started quickly, outshooting the Kings 8-1 in the first 6:24, capped off by Cizikas' rebound goal, his 12th, at 6:09.
The Kings tied it 1:58 later as Kopitar tapped a cross-ice feed from Alex Iafallo past Lehner for his 15th.
Lehner and Quick then matched each other save-for-save until the final 7 minutes of the game.
Lehner had three saves on Kovalchuk; first on a one-timer from the left circle on the power play, with a diving save late in the second, and finally gloving a slap shot during a Kings man advantage early in the third.
Quick made three sprawling saves on an Islanders power play in the first, and in the second he dove to stop Devon Toews' shot from the slot.
The Kings' goalie also benefited from his equipment as his mask stopped Cal Clutterbuck's shot with 1:15 left in the second, and Carl Hagelin's backcheck snuffed out an Islanders 2-on-1 midway through the third to keep the game deadlocked at 1-all.
NOTES: New York swept the season series. The Islanders won the previous meeting 7-2 at Los Angeles on Oct. 18. ... Prior to the game, the NHL announced Tampa Bay Lightning RW Nikita Kucherov was fined $5,000 for "a dangerous trip" against Islanders D Scott Mayfield in the first period of New York's 1-0 shootout loss Friday night. ... Los Angeles scratched C Nate Thompson, D Sean Walker and RW Matt Luff. ... RW Tom Kuhnhackl, D Luca Sbisa and LW Ross Johnston sat out for New York. ... The announced attendance was 13,917 — the Islanders' fifth sellout in eight games at Nassau Coliseum.
UP NEXT
Kings: At the New York Rangers on Monday night in the second game of their season-high six-game road trip.
Islanders: At Boston on Tuesday night.
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