The last time the New York Islanders won at least three straight games, it catapulted them into the playoffs.
A playoff berth isn’t imminent for the Islanders, but a third straight win — this one against the hottest team in the NHL — will continue to improve an outlook that appeared bleak just days ago.
The Islanders will try to build off a successful weekend Tuesday night when they host the Los Angeles Kings in a nonconference clash in Elmont, N.Y.
Both teams were off Monday after earning wins this weekend. The Islanders notched their second victory in 24 hours by beating the host Ottawa Senators 4-2 on Sunday, and the Kings extended their winning streak to five games by defeating the visiting Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Saturday.
The Islanders won despite taking a season-low 13 shots. But New York, whose power play is ranked next-to-last in the NHL, scored twice with the man advantage and goalie Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves.
“I think we were good in the right moments,” said Islanders left winger Anders Lee, who had the first power-play goal. “We had to grind it out. It was an ugly one (Sunday) for us. It had to be ugly.”
The two-game winning streak is just the second of the season for the Islanders, who edged the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 on Saturday. New York hadn’t earned consecutive wins since beating the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Senators back on Nov. 5 and 7.
The latest back-to-back wins came immediately after New York lost 10 of 13 (3-5-5) to fall into last place in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders entered Monday tied for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers, though the Rangers had three games in hand heading into Monday’s meeting with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“This weekend was a good step for us,” Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said.
The Islanders haven’t won more than two straight games since April 1-11, when they won six in a row to climb into third place in the Metropolitan Division. New York clinched a playoff berth four days later.
Establishing some winning consistency hasn’t been a problem for the Kings, whose winning streak has vaulted them into second place in the Pacific Division. The five-game run is the longest active in the NHL and the first such streak for Los Angeles since it won five straight from Nov. 16-25, 2023.
Los Angeles has endured just two losing streaks this season and is 7-2-0 since dropping consecutive games to the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 11 and 13.
The Kings have thrived during the current surge against the Wild, Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, who are the top three teams in the Central Division. Los Angeles outscored the trio 11-4 overall — including 7-1 in the last five periods since the Stars took a 2-0 first-period lead last Wednesday night.
“We like the challenge of playing against top teams,” said Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper, who made 22 saves in his return to the lineup Saturday after an eight-game absence due to a lower-body injury. “You know you have to be at your best. You need everybody, so those are fun as a group and good measuring sticks.”
Adrian Kempe scored his team-leading 13th goal in the game against the Wild.
–Field Level Media