Kings at Islanders
The Los Angeles Kings look to continue their late surge toward a postseason berth when they play the third contest of their five-game road trip against the New York Islanders on Thursday. Los Angeles defeated both New Jersey and the New York Rangers to open the trek and improved to 7-2-2 in its last 11 contests. "To start off this road trip with four points is huge for us," veteran Marian Gaborik said after scoring a goal in a 4-2 win over the Rangers. "We just have to take it from here to Long Island."
Time is of the essence for the reigning Stanley Cup-champion Kings, who trail Calgary by one point for third place in the Pacific Division while sitting two behind Winnipeg for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. While Los Angeles is trending in the right direction, the Islanders have mustered just eight goals while dropping five of their last six to see their lead dwindle to just two points over third-place Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division. Captain John Tavares scored his team's lone goal in a 2-1 shootout loss to Minnesota on Tuesday and notched an assist in a 2-1 shootout victory over Los Angeles on Nov. 6.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RSN, FSN West (Los Angeles), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE KINGS (36-23-14): Anze Kopitar is heating up at just the right time as he followed his three-point performance in a 3-1 win over the Devils on Monday with a pair of assists versus the Rangers. "He's a dominant player out there," Gaborik said of the 27-year-old Slovenian. "His position game is great and he’s making plays. He’s good in all three zones." Kopitar has scored one goal and set up six others during his four-game point streak and has collected five tallies and four assists in 11 career meetings with the Islanders.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (44-25-5): The Islanders were doing their best to send Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum out on a high note, winning 17 of their first 21 contests in front of the home fans before limping to a 6-8-1 record in its last 15. "We just have to find a way to get goals," defenseman Johnny Boychuk said of the team's troubles. Boychuk isn't kidding, as the Islanders have mustered just one tally in each of their last four home games (0-3-1) and are winless in five straight at the Coliseum (0-4-1).
OVERTIME
1. Los Angeles LW Dwight King scored in the first meeting but hasn't tallied in his last 18 contests.
2. The Islanders are 1-for-16 on the power play in their last four games.
3. Kings G Jonathan Quick owns a 4-1-2 career mark and 1.53 goals-against average versus the Islanders.