NY Islanders Share Lineup, Starting Goalie Against LA Kings

The New York Islanders are back in action tonight, hosting the Los Angeles Kings at UBS Arena to finish up a quick two-game homestand.

This is a meaningful game for the Islanders, who are in the midst of facing six straight Western Conference opponents. Eight of their next 12 games are on the road, so stacking wins and points at home is of the utmost importance.

New York enters the contest having won consecutive games for the first time this season, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 and the Anaheim Ducks 3-2. The Kings enter the game off their first victory of the campaign, beating the Washington Capitals 5-2.

Looking to keep up their winning streak, the Islanders will be turning to No. 2 goaltender Semyon Varlamov. The team has a plan in place to ensure that he remains fresh and active enough to perform at a high level, and he will be in the crease on Thursday night.

Islanders turn to Semyon Varlamov against the Kings

Normally, the 10th game of the season wouldn’t draw much attention. But now that it has been announced that Varlamov will be in net, this has become a special moment for the veteran goaltender.

He has made two starts this season, against the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators, making a triumphant return after missing nearly two years of action because of partial replacements on both knees. However, both of those starts came on the road.

This will be the first start that Varlamov makes on home ice since Nov. 25, 2024, against the Detroit Red Wings. New York lost that game 4-2; the last time Varlamov started in a win at home was more than two years ago, on Oct. 19, 2024, against the Montreal Canadiens in a shootout victory.

He hopes to snap that streak by helping the Islanders defeat the Kings. He will be going up against Darcy Kuemper, who enters the contest with an .869 save percentage and 3.95 goals-against average. Varlamov sports a .905 save percentage and 1.94 goals-against average, playing at an incredibly high level in his return.

The lineup in front of him is the same as the one that took the ice against the Ducks earlier in the week. Kyle MacLean and Mitchell Chaffee will look to build off their positive season debuts, sharing the fourth line with veteran center Casey Cizikas.

Matthew Kessel, who has two assists in four games with a plus/minus of +2, remains in the lineup as the third-pairing defenseman alongside Tony DeAngelo in place of Scott Mayfield, who is a healthy scratch.