Kings defeat New York Islanders, extend win streak to six games
ELMONT, N.Y. — Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala scored and Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves as the Kings beat the New York Islanders 3-1 on Tuesday night for their sixth straight win.
The Kings started a seven-game road trip, their longest of the season, with a strong performance. Mikey Anderson added an empty-net goal as Los Angeles improved to 17-8-3 with its eighth victory in 10 games.
Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, who won their previous two.
Kempe opened the scoring at 13:51 of the first period with his 14th goal when he converted a pass from behind the net from captain Anze Kopitar, who played in his 1,401st career game.
Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves, leading the Kings to a 4-1 win over Minnesota Saturday night at Crypto.com Arnea, ending the Wild’s five-game win streak.
The 37-year-old Kopitar leads the Kings with 32 points, including eight goals.
Fiala increased the lead, beating Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin with a sharp, high wrist shot for his 10th goal at 3:09 of the second.
Lee, the Islanders captain, narrowed the deficit with his team-leading 13th goal at 9:47.
Kuemper stopped Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s shot from the high slot with 2:37 left in the third. He also denied Simon Holmstrom on the power play with just under eight minutes remaining to preserve a one-goal lead.
Kuemper, who helped the Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022, improved to 6-2-3 this season.
Sorokin finished with 27 saves.
New York won at Ottawa on Sunday after edging Carolina 4-3 on home ice last Saturday.
The Kings were coming off home wins over Ottawa, Dallas and Minnesota.
L.A.’s trip continues Thursday against the New Jersey Devils.
