LA Kings Take Care Of New York Islanders At Home

With the win, the LA Kings remain unbeaten in regulation thus far and improve to 4-0-1 on the season.

Another night, another win for the LA Kings and another short-handed goal off the stick of Drew Doughty. For the second consecutive time, Doughty netted the game-winning shot for Los Angeles, as they managed to escape the New York Islanders in a good game.

Anze Kopitar scored his fourth goal of the season to put the LA Kings up 1-0, and it wasn’t until Josh Bailey of New York found the back of the net in the second period that the Islanders responded.

Jake Muzzin proceeded to get a goal of his own thanks to a power play opportunity, which gave the LA Kings a 2-1 lead. From there, the LA Kings never looked back and have managed to show that they don’t intend on messing around this season.

They must remain cautious, however, because most of their games to start the season have taken place at Staples Center. The only road game they played so far was the second of the season and it was in San Jose — it ended in a 4-1 victory.

After their next home game hosting the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 18, Los Angeles will take a major road trips. Stops include (in this order): Columbus, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Boston, and St. Louis.

In order for us to know that Los Angeles is going to be a real contender and competitor not just in their division, but in the NHL as a whole, they’ll have to do good away from home. Sure, performing well in front of your own fans shows how much home ice matters to your team, but being able to win on the road and win big says more.

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From here, the LA Kings have to either live up to the high expectations that they’ve put on themselves or realize that they won’t be able to keep this hot start up as the regular season progresses.