Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Islanders at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

NY IslandersIslanders2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-34-5 · 91 pts · 19that

Los AngelesKings2026-27: 0-2-1 · 1 pts · 2025-26: 35-27-20 · 90 pts · 20th

Puck drop12 Nov · 10:00 PM ET

VenueCrypto.com Arena

All-time meetings127 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

One points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. Los Angeles finished 20th on 90.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 128

Across 127 completed games, Los Angeles lead the head-to-head 65-53-9.

All-time record65-53-9Los Angeles's record in the series

Meetings played127This is number 128

2025-26 series—

Last 55-0Los Angeles

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

13 Mar 2026LAK 3 – NYI 2——LAK

5 Mar 2026NYI 3 – LAK 5——LAK

11 Mar 2025NYI 1 – LAK 4——LAK

10 Dec 2024LAK 3 – NYI 1——LAK

11 Mar 2024NYI 0 – LAK 3——LAK

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersLos Angeles

5 Mar 202628-19-5 · 61 pts13th21-16-13 · 55 pts22nd

13 Mar 202637-24-5 · 79 pts10th27-23-15 · 69 pts21st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 5 Mar 2026, NY Islanders were 13th in the league and Los Angeles 22nd. By 13 Mar 2026 it was 10th and 21st.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Islanders out-attempted Los Angeles 151 to 135

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Islanders

151 att · 58 on goal · 5 G · 8.6%

Crease5 att · 1 G

Slot71 att · 3 G

Wing48 att · 1 G

Point25 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

135 att · 62 on goal · 8 G · 12.9%

Crease8 att · 2 G

Slot58 att · 4 G

Wing42 att · 2 G

Point16 att · 0 G

Neutral zone11 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY IslandersLos Angeles

2.90xG for per game2.88

3.70xG against per game2.43

44.0%xG share54.2%

+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4

+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 3 games for NY Islanders, 3 for Los Angeles. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Islanders

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2718.2%

Power play · 2025-2616.5% · 30th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.8% · 10th

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.1% · 81/165

Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Los Angeles

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2716.7%

Power play · 2025-2617.0% · 28th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2674.6% · 30th

Faceoffs · 2026-2756.9% · 103/181

Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

NY Islanders

Expected starter after their game on 9 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Los Angeles

Expected starter after their game on 10 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Nov

Ilya Sorokin.9682 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +4.1

Semyon Varlamov.8641 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Los Angeles in the last meetings.

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 9 Nov

Darcy Kuemper.8252 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −4.2

Anton Forsberg.8001 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −3.5

No appearances against NY Islanders in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

13 Mar 20265 · LAK 3–2 NYI

5 Mar 20268 · NYI 3–5 LAK

11 Mar 20255 · NYI 1–4 LAK

10 Dec 20244 · LAK 3–1 NYI

11 Mar 20243 · NYI 0–3 LAK

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

NY Islanders3.002.332.842.94

Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.9Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.0Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct

Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · NYI

Agreed to terms with LD Logan Stanley on a 1-Year contract worth $1.5M. Placed G Vitek Vanecek on waivers with the intention of sending to Hamilton (AHL)

26 Sep · NYI

Waived Fs Tanner Fritz, Matt Luff and Nathan Chaffee. Waived Fs Dylan Foudy and Hudson Kuefler for the purpose of sending to Hamilton (AHL).

24 Jul 2026 · NYI

Signed F Alex Jefferies to a one-year contract.

27 Sep · LAK

Placed D Otto Salin on the injured non-roster list. Loaned G Erik Portillo to Ontario (AHL).

24 Sep · LAK

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) Fs Martin Chromia, Cole Guttman, Lane Pederson and Francesco Pinelli and D Joe Hicketts. Loaned Fs Aatu Jamsen and Koehn Ziemmer, Ds Angus Booth, Kirill Kirsanov and Jared Woolley to Ontario. Placed F Jan Jenik and D Jakub Dvorak on injured reserve.

15 Jul 2026 · LAK

Signed F Elton Hermansson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Injury report

NY Islanders · 2026 draft

See all: NY Islanders · 2026 draft →

#13Malte GustafssonRound 1 · Hv71D

#109Lincoln KuehneRound 4 · Arizona StateD

#141Vladimir DraveckyRound 5 · BrantfordD

#173Artyom MatyukRound 6 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.C

Full draft

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

See all: Los Angeles · 2026 draft →

#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW

#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC

#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD

#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC

Full draft

Thursday 12 November · the full slate

See all: Thursday 12 November · the full slate →

Updated after every final

New York Islanders at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

One points apart last season

Meeting number 128

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

NY Islanders out-attempted Los Angeles 151 to 135

New York Islanders

Los Angeles Kings

Los Angeles have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

NY Islanders

Los Angeles

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

NY Islanders crease

Los Angeles crease

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

5 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Los Angeles · injuries

Latest moves

NY Islanders · 2026 draft

Los Angeles · 2026 draft

Thursday 12 November · the full slate