Clarke scores in overtime as Los Angeles Kings beat New York Islanders 3-2

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Brandt Clarke scored 2:43 into overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on Thursday, completing a comeback after the teams traded goals through regulation. The victory moved the Kings to 2-4-2 and extended their run to two straight wins following a season start in which they dropped their first six games.

Clarke’s winner came after Adrian Kempe set him up with a drop pass in the right circle, and Clarke finished with a shot that went over the glove of Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov. The sequence capped a game in which the Kings and Islanders both created chances and kept the score close despite significant shot-volume through the first two periods.

Artemi Panarin scored twice for the Kings, including the first goal of the game at 5:51 of the opening period. He scored on a rush from the right circle, finishing over Varlamov, who was positioned as if anticipating a cross-ice pass.

Panarin doubled the Kings’ lead at 16:37 of the first period after a scramble near the crease. His initial shot from the left circle was blocked by Matthew Kessel, but the rebound popped back to Panarin, and he beat Varlamov under the glove arm to make it 2-0.

The game’s second goal followed a defensive play by Mikey Anderson at 15:51 of the first period, when Anderson slid along the goal line to stop a shot from Kessel from crossing the line. With that play, the Kings maintained control of the two-goal cushion before the Islanders began to respond later in the game.

The Islanders got on the board at 14:06 of the second period when Victor Eklund scored on a power play to cut the deficit to 2-1. Eklund’s one-timer from above the left circle trickled under Darcy Kuemper’s left pad, marking the first time New York had altered the scoreline after surrendering the early two-goal lead.

Even with the Kings controlling the lead, New York outshot Los Angeles 32-15 through two periods. In the second period, the Islanders also benefited from a key chance against the Kings’ penalty-killing moments, though the Kings continued to protect their advantage after Eklund’s power-play goal.

Late in the second period, Los Angeles had an opportunity to extend its margin on a penalty shot after Schaefer hooked Kempe on a breakaway at 10:59. Varlamov made the save with his right pad, keeping the Kings to a one-goal lead entering the third period.

Schaefer tied the game at 2-2 at 7:06 of the third period by skating into the right circle and beating Kuemper on the blocker side. After Schaefer’s tying goal, Kuemper preserved the deadlock for the remainder of regulation, including a late stop with the game on the line.

Kuemper kept the contest level with 52 seconds remaining in regulation when he denied Eklund with his right pad following a rebound off Schaefer’s shot. With neither team scoring after that, the game moved to overtime at UBS Arena.

In the final totals, Darcy Kuemper made 41 saves for Los Angeles, while Semyon Varlamov stopped 24 shots for New York. The Islanders’ goal scoring came from Eklund and Schaefer, while Panarin’s two goals accounted for both of the Kings’ regulation tallies.

The Kings’ overtime win also reflects a shift in their early-season results: they had lost their first six games but have now won two straight. For the Islanders, the victory denied their opponent a point in overtime and kept New York’s momentum going as they extended their point streak to five games, moving to 3-0-2 in that span after Thursday’s result.

With Clarke’s overtime finish, Los Angeles completed a 3-2 comeback effort and ensured both teams earned distinct milestones—Panarin’s two-goal game for the Kings and New York’s continued point streak as the Islanders stayed in the mix throughout regulation and overtime.