Past matchups predicted a low-scoring affair and goaltending on either side was noticeably sharp off the bat. Kings leading scorer Adrian Kempe broke into the Isles zone shorthanded, but Sorokin made one of his best saves to keep the game scoreless. At the other end of the ice, Anthony Duclair had a quality chance for the Islanders, driving to the net but Kuemper denied him at the doorstep.

The Kings broke through on a delayed penalty at the 15:33 mark of the first period, when Anze Kopitar snuck a pass to Gavrikov, whose shot from the point ripped through Sorokin to take a 1-0 advantage.

The Isles found their first goal of the game in the second period when JG Pageau carried the puck down the right side and sent a centering feed to Lee, who unleashed a shot from the slot to tie the score at one apiece at the 8:37 mark.

The Kings took the lead right back 37 seconds later, as Warren Foegele and Trevor Moore applied pressure on the forecheck and caused a turnover in the Isles zone. Danault received a pass from Moore at the top of the left circle and fired a shot past Sorokin at 9:14 of the second period.

The Islanders thought they’d tied the score, as Simon Holmstrom tried to stuff the puck through the pads of Kuemper and Duclair cleaned up the loose change, but the goal was overturned for goaltender interference.

Instead of being tied, Los Angeles took a 3-1 advantage when Tony DeAngelo’s stick exploded at the point on a power play, sending Byfield in alone to burying a shorthanded goal for the Kings at the 14:00 mark of the middle frame.

“How many times do you see a [player] on the power play receive a pass, get a broken stick and get scored on,” Roy said. “It’s hard to believe sometimes, but those things happen.”

New York had its second goal overturned after a coach’s challenge when Lee got the puck on his stick at the left side of the crease and shelved a no-look backhand past Kuemper, but the refs ruled that there was goaltender interference.

Down 3-1 late, Doughty scored his second goal of the season with a shorthanded empty-net goal with 1:17 left in the game. Though a frustrating defeat, the Islanders can learn from it and take the positives into their next game.

“It’s all you can do, turn the page and take the positives from tonight. Definitely some learning spots as well,” Lee said. “We’ll assess the game, make our adjustments and continue to play hard.”