NY Islanders frantic comeback falls short in 3-2 loss to LA Kings at UBS Arena

The New York Islanders nearly erased another deficit, but a three-goal first period from the Los Angeles Kings proved too much to overcome in a 3–2 loss Friday night at UBS Arena.

The Islanders showed plenty of push late, with Emil Heineman scoring twice and Bo Horvat adding two assists, but the early damage left New York chasing the game. Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves as the Islanders’ two-game winning streak came to an end.

“It wears on you having to come back all the time,” Bo Horvat said. “We have to find ways to get leads and hold leads. Going down the stretch here like that's tough, not only physically, but mentally to keep having to come back in games like that.”

Los Angeles struck quickly when Trevor Moore opened the scoring at 3:33 of the first period. Moore blocked a point shot from Scott Mayfield, raced in alone, and beat Sorokin on a breakaway to give the Kings a 1–0 lead.

The Kings doubled the lead midway through the period when captain Anze Kopitar tipped home a slap pass from Mikey Anderson at 13:07. The goal moved Kopitar within one point of tying Marcel Dionne for the Kings’ all-time scoring record.

Los Angeles made it 3–0 late in the first when Adrian Kempe finished a rush after a turnover in the neutral zone.

Despite the deficit, the Islanders pushed back. Heineman got New York on the board at 10:46 of the second period, redirecting a point shot from Adam Pelech in front of the net.

Heineman struck again early in the third when a shot from Matthew Schaefer deflected off him in the slot to cut the deficit to 3–2.

From there, the Islanders pressed for the equalizer. New York generated several chances in the final minutes and even earned a late 6-on-4 opportunity after a pair of penalties with just seconds remaining. However, Schaefer’s last-second shot was blocked before it could reach the net.

The Islanders’ resilience nearly delivered another comeback, but the early hole proved just large enough to hold them off this time.