NY Islanders fall 3-2 in overtime to LA Kings after erasing two-goal deficit

The New York Islanders kept firing, erased a two-goal deficit and extended their point streak. They just couldn’t find the finish to reward their effort. Matthew Schaefer’s first goal of the season forced overtime, but Brandt Clarke scored at 2:43 of the extra session to hand the Islanders a 3-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday at UBS Arena.

The Isles improved to 5-3-2, earning a point for the fifth consecutive game despite seeing its two-game winning streak end. Victor Eklund also scored, while Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves in his first home start since Nov. 25, 2024. Darcy Kuemper stopped 41 shots for Los Angeles.

“I loved the first 40 minutes, and in the third they pushed back a little bit,” Islanders coach Peter DeBoer said. Artemi Panarin scored twice in the opening period, beating Varlamov from the right circle at 5:51 before converting a second opportunity following a blocked shot at 16:37.

The Islanders continued pressing, outshooting Los Angeles 32-15 through two periods. Varlamov provided a crucial stop along the way, denying Adrian Kempe’s penalty shot with his right pad midway through the second.

Eklund finally broke through at 14:06, when his power-play one-timer squeezed beneath Kuemper’s left pad. Schaefer tied it at 7:06 of the third, skating into the right circle and beating Kuemper blocker side. The goal was his 24th as a teenager, matching Bobby Orr for second among teenage defensemen in NHL history.

Kuemper denied Eklund’s rebound chance with 57 seconds left in regulation before Clarke settled it off Kempe’s drop pass. Schaefer tied it at 7:06 of the third, skating into the right circle and beating Kuemper blocker side. The goal was his 24th as a teenager, matching Bobby Orr for second among teenage defensemen in NHL history.

“For us, I thought we carried the play for a lot of that game,” captain Bo Horvat said.

The Islanders earned something for their persistence, but Kuemper ensured their comeback produced only one point on a night when they pushed hard for two.

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