It appears to me that the New York Islanders have not been going quite as hard in the first period over the last few games as they had through the first 20-25 games this season. I almost wonder if the Islanders, consciously or subconsciously, have been conserving energy earlier in order to have more later in the game when they typically blow their leads.
If that’s the strategy, it didn’t work against a strong and streaking Los Angeles Kings team that got to every loose puck throughout the entire contest. That was always going to be a tough game, especially given how hot the Kings have been, but the Islanders were outclassed for large stretches of it.