Matt Roy, Trevor Moore help Kings beat Islanders for fifth win in a row
Matt Roy and Trevor Moore each had a goal and an assist, and the Kings defeated the New York Islanders 5-2 on Saturday night at Staples Center for their fifth consecutive win.
Phillip Danault, Quinton Byfield and Brendan Lemieux also had goals, and Cal Petersen made 26 saves. The Kings are 9-1-2 in their last 12 games.
Semyon Varlamov gave up four goals on 34 shots in his first start since Feb. 2. Anders Lee and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored, but the Islanders’ run of four straight games earning a point was broken.
Mathew Barzal and Zdeno Chara missed the third period because of injuries for the Islanders, who were a mess from the start after giving up two goals on five shots in the opening 7:51.
Despite learning before the game that coach Todd McLellan was in COVID protocol and would not be behind the bench, the Kings defeat the rival Ducks 4-1.
Things got worse 56 seconds into the second period when Cal Clutterbuck knocked the puck into his own net off a defensive zone faceoff to put the Kings ahead 3-0. The gaffe allowed Byfield to take credit for his second career goal.
The second line of Danault, Moore and Viktor Arvidsson continued its torrid run, giving the Kings the lead after 3:43. Danault scored for the fifth time in seven games, while Moore has five points in his last four games after picking up an empty-netter with 17 seconds remaining.
Roy got in on the fun with his first goal of the season on a one-timer from Kopitar to make it 2-0.
Lee got New York on the board midway through the second, but any lift from his 14th goal was erased when Barzal hurt his left leg with 8:11 remaining.
The Kings’ rebuilding plan is paying off this season with a long-awaited potential berth in the NHL playoffs. Their veteran core has paved the way.
Barzal could not put any weight on the leg after Danault fell on him along the boards. Barzal came back for one shift but immediately went back to the dressing room at its conclusion. He leads the team with 25 assists and is third with 12 goals.
Chara missed the final 9:25 of the second following a hit on Kings center Blake Lizotte and was not on the bench for the third.
Notes: The Kings outshot the Islanders 35-28, marking the 20th consecutive game in which they got more pucks to the net than the opposition. It is the fifth-longest streak since the NHL started tracking shots in the 1959-60 season. ... Kopitar got his 50th point of the season, joining Marcel Dionne, Dave Taylor and Butch Goring as the fourth Kings player with at least 50 points in nine straight seasons. ... Kings general manager Rob Blake hopes defenseman Alexander Edler, who broke his ankle Dec. 11, can return by the end of March.
Up next
Islanders: At Ducks on Sunday night.
Kings: Host Boston on Monday night.
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