Islanders snap skid with 5-2 win over Kings at Crypto.com Arena

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

LOS ANGELES — The New York Islanders stopped a slide with a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, earning their first win in five games. New York improved to 8-6-4 after scoring five times in the same game, while the Kings fell to 5-10-2 and lost three straight.

Brayden Schenn paced the Islanders’ offense with a goal and two assists. Victor Eklund scored for the fourth consecutive game, and Matthew Schaefer, Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat also recorded goals for New York. Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves to secure the win, and Ryan Pulock added two assists.

For Los Angeles, Trevor Moore and Quinton Byfield scored. Darcy Kuemper made 15 saves in his 500th career game, according to the game recap, as the Kings continued to struggle for consistent finishing.

A notable storyline around Thursday’s matchup involved Kevin Fiala. The Kings winger had an assist in his season debut, returning to the lineup for the first time since sustaining fractures in his left leg while playing for Team Switzerland at the 2026 Milan Olympics in February and undergoing a follow-up procedure in September, per the NHL’s account.

The Islanders drew first blood at 5:50 of the first period. Schenn finished off a rebound from the top of the crease after Pulock’s one-timer from the point was tipped by Mitchell Chaffee, giving New York a 1-0 lead early.

Moore answered for the Kings at 8:55 to tie the score 1-1. He got to the slot and tipped Brandt Clarke’s shot from the right point, evening the game before the Islanders regained control with a power-play goal.

New York moved back ahead 2-1 at 12:56 when Schaefer scored on a wrist shot from the high slot through traffic while the Islanders were on the power play. Matias Maccelli earned the primary assist on the play and was returning after missing nine games with a lower-body injury.

Eklund extended the Islanders’ lead to 3-1 at 5:35 of the second period. He crashed the paint and finished a backhand centering pass that Schenn got around a sliding Cody Ceci, pushing New York further away as the game moved deeper into its second frame.

Byfield trimmed Los Angeles within one goal at 7:52 of the second period during a 5-on-3 power play. He positioned himself at the top of the crease and knocked in the rebound of Artemi Panarin’s one-timer, cutting the Islanders’ advantage to 3-2.

The Kings were unable to sustain that momentum into the third period. Holmstrom scored 39 seconds into the third to make it 4-2, picking up a loose puck in the slot and finishing with a turnaround shot.

Horvat sealed the final score with an empty-net goal at 17:14 of the third period, setting the game at 5-2.

With the win, the Islanders halted a run in which they had gone 0-2-2 across their previous four games, while the Kings extended a losing streak to three straight.