The Los Angeles Kings take on the 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 noteworthy victories over the Minnesota Wild, Winnipeg Jets, and Dallas Stars. Last season, LA set the all-time NHL record for consecutive road wins (11); ended by the Islanders which led to a calamity of errors.
LA has fared well against the New York Islanders in recent years with a 6-3-1 record dating back to November 18th, 2018, their last regulation loss on February 6th, 2020.
The Islanders come into this contest with a 3-1-1 record in their last five games played. Their twenty-nine points on the season (11-11-7) are tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with the New York Rangers (who the Kings will see on Saturday).
NYPD (NEW YORK PHILLIP DANAULT)
Kings Forward Phillip Danault has been a standout performer for LA against the New York Islanders.
Since joining the Kings in 2021-22, Danault has faced the Islanders six times. In their last five meetings, Danault has registered one point in each contest (5GP – 3G – 2A).
Point production wasn’t something LA expected from Danault when they signed him to a six-year deal. His face-off acumen and ability to play a strong two-way game have always been his bread and butter. But in his time 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 strong showing against the Islanders could set the stage for a point production flurry going forward for Danault who has only registered four points (1G, 3A) in his last ten games played.
OUT OF THE BOX
New York Islanders Defenseman Scott Mayfield has quite an interesting statistic worth mentioning.
Mayfield leads the Islanders in penalty minutes with twenty-one. Strangely, he also leads the team in +/- with a +10. By comparison, Tanner Jeannot leads the Kings in PIMS with forty-nine minutes and is tied for the third worst +/- at -2.
A negative +/- loosely indicates a player is a goal scoring liability while the opposite (a positive +/-) could lead to more ice time and/or added responsibilities due to a higher output in point production.
Again, that’s the general idea. It’s not always true.
Regardless, this is a strong indication that Mayfield has settled his game down from last season where he recorded thirty-five PIMS in just forty-one games played with a -7. It shows he’s calculated or at least mindful of when to draw a penalty.
First-year Forward Maxim Tsyplakov – who missed the “rookie” cutoff 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 on home ice (7-1-0) and par for the course on the road (3-5-0). Beyond the win/loss record, Rittich has posted a 1.51 GAA and a .931 SV% at Crypto.com Arena, with a 3.54 GAA and .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 up with a 2.39 GAA and a .907 SV%. Away, he’s 2-1-2 with a 2.60 GAA and a .908 SV%.
Credit: © Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn
The Islanders have seen 56.00% of their goals come from the high-danger area where Kuemper has the slight edge over Rittich, giving up 30.77% of his total goals against versus the latter’s 36.11%.
New York have scored 24.00% of their seventy-five goals from mid-range. Rittich has allowed 25.00% of his total goals against (from that area) while Kuemper has struggled at 38.46%.
Ultimately, going with either is a good option. But, Rittich getting the start and pulling out a victory would have a bigger impact beyond the “W.”
Puck drop is slated for 4:35 PM PST. You can watch the game on television via FanDuel Sports Network or listen live with the ESPN LA app.
