Kempe scores to lead Kings over Islanders 3-2

Los Angeles Kings' Anze Kopitar (11) celebrates after scoring a goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game as New York Islanders' Casey Cizikas (53) and goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) watch Friday, March 13, 2026, at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

NEW YORK (AP) — Adrian Kempe scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season and the Los Angeles Kings held off the New York Islanders 3-2 on Friday night.

Trevor Moore and Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings and Darcy Kuemper stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced.

Emil Heineman scored twice for the Islanders, and Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves. Bo Horvat added two assists.

Kempe scored on a wrist shot with 1:32 remaining in the first period to put the Kings up 3-0. Kempe now has five goals and four assists in his last six games.

After the game, the Islanders stayed on the ice and shook hands with Kings captain Kopitar, who is playing in his 20th and final season in the NHL.

Up next

Kings: Visit the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

Islanders: Host the Calgary Flames on Saturday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.