The Los Angeles Kings face New York Islanders in their first of seven games on this East Coast road trip.
The Kings are on a five-game winning streak, including notable wins over the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg JetsAnd Dallas Stars. Last season, Los Angeles set the all-time NHL record for consecutive road wins (11); finished by the islanders, which led to a calamity of errors.
Los Angeles has fared well against the New York Islanders in recent years with a 6-3-1 record dating back to November 18, 2018, with their last regulation loss on February 6, 2020.
The Islanders enter this competition with a record of 3-1-1 in their last five games played. Their twenty-nine points this season (11-11-7) places them tied for eighth in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers (who the Kings will see on Saturday).
New York Police (NEW YORK PHILLIP DANAULT)
Kings forward Phillip Danault was a standout player for Los Angeles against the New York Islanders.
Since joining the Kings in 2021-22, Danault has faced the Islanders six times. During their last five meetings, Danault scored a point in each meeting (5GP – 3B – 2A).
Point production wasn’t something Los Angeles expected from Danault when they signed him to a six-year contract. His faceoff sense and ability to play a solid two-way game has always been his bread and butter. But since he’s been with the Kings, Danault has been an effective contributor, averaging 50.66 points per season.
According to Elite Prospects, Danault is currently on track for a thirty-nine point season. A good performance against the Islanders could pave the way for a wave of point production for Danault who has only recorded four points (1G, 3A) in his last ten games played.
OUT OF THE BOX
New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield has a pretty interesting stat that’s worth mentioning.
Mayfield leads the Islanders in penalty minutes with twenty-one. Oddly, he also leads the team in +/- with a +10. For comparison, Tanner Jeannot leads the Kings in PIMS with forty-nine minutes and is tied for third +/- at -2.
A negative +/- vaguely indicates that a player is a scoring liability, while the opposite (a positive +/-) could lead to more ice time and/or additional responsibilities due to higher efficiency in point production.
Again, that’s the general idea. This is not always true.
Regardless, this is a strong indication that Mayfield has adjusted his game from last season where he recorded thirty-five PIMS in just forty-one games played with a -7. This shows that he is calculated or at least aware of when to take a penalty.
Freshman forward Maxim Tsyplakov – who missed the “rookie” threshold by four days – has a similar stat line to Mayfield (20 PIMS, +8), so this general sentiment applies to him as well .
RANDOM TANDEM
So far this season, David Rittich has been phenomenal at home (7-1-0) and up to par on the road (3-5-0). Beyond the win/loss record, Rittich posted a 1.51 GAA and 0.931 SV% on Crypto.com Arena, with a 3.54 GAA and 0.847 SV% elsewhere.
Conversely, Darcy Kuemper’s home and away numbers are pretty even across the board. At home, Kuemper’s 3-1-1 record is backed by a 2.39 GAA and 0.907 SV. On the road, he is 2-1-2 with a 2.60 GAA and .908 SV.
Credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn
The Islanders have seen 56.00% of their goals come from the high-danger zone where Kuemper has a slight advantage over Rittich, allowing 30.77% of his total goals compared to the latter’s 36.11%.
New York has scored 24.00% of its seventy-five goals from mid-range. Rittich has allowed 25.00% of his total goals against (in this area) while Kuemper has struggled at 38.46%.
Ultimately, going with one or the other is a good option. But if Rittich got the start and pulled off a win, it would have a bigger impact beyond the “W.”
Puck drop is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. PST. You can watch the game on TV via FanDuel Sports Network or listen live with the ESPN LA app.
