Islanders go 0-for-8 on power play in loss to Kings

LOS ANGELES — The Islanders played easily their best game of their now-concluded, three-game California trip, creating pressure and eight power plays in an engaged performance.

It’s a small consolation, though. The Kings, who rarely lose at home, won, 4-1, on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena. And the second period just exemplified a tough season for the Islanders, who had two potential power-play goals overturned for goalie interference and gave up a shorthanded goal because of a stick malfunction.

As a result, the Islanders (29-28-7), who got 28 saves from Ilya Sorokin, finished 0-for-8 on the power play despite 16 shots, unable to convert on a third-period five-on-three that lasted 1 minute, 1 second. So they remained five points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot with time becoming precariously short in the regular season.

Darcy Kuemper stopped 33 shots for the Kings (34-20-9), who improved to an NHL-best 21-3-4 at home. Defenseman Drew Doughty capped the scoring with an empty-net shorthander at 18:43 of the third period.

The road trip started with Saturday’s 4-2 win over the NHL-worst Sharks, a game in which the Islanders did nothing particularly well. They followed that with a 4-1 loss to the Ducks on Sunday, again getting off to a sluggish start without a physical edge to their game.

Still, coach Patrick Roy was somewhat encouraged despite the defeat.

“What I want to focus on is playing our way and keep playing well defensively, making sure that we manage the puck maybe a little bit better in the offensive-zone possession, or succeed in those situations and create some offense,” Roy said. “I don’t think we’re going to change much.”

Roy did tweak his bottom six, elevating Pierre Engvall to Casey Cizikas’ third line with Maxim Tsyplakov while flip-flopping Hudson Fasching to MacLean’s left wing along with Marc Gatcomb.

Engvall is on a seven-year, $21 million deal that includes a modified, no-trade clause (16 teams) and, logically, might be a potential buyout candidate this offseason if president and general manager Lou Lamoriello cannot find a trade partner. He entered Tuesday with just four goals and four assists in 43 games and had been a healthy scratch in three of four matches before the start of this trip.

“I’m going to try to do my best,” Engvall said. “You obviously want to play up in the lineup but it’s not my show. I’m just going to do my best and see where that takes me.”

The Islanders are looking into every nook and cranny for offensive production after Brock Nelson rejected their final contract extension offer and was traded to the Avalanche late Thursday night.

“I just hope Pierre is going to drive the net more, bring pucks to the net more,” Roy said. “Be more involved physically. Hopefully giving him the chance to play with Casey and Tsyppy, that will give him that spark that he needs to get going.”

Cizikas did feed Engvall up ice to the crease at 5:45 of the second period but Kuemper preserved the Kings’ one-goal lead.

Anders Lee did tie it at 1-1 at 8:37 of the second period as Kuemper allowed the shot to slip through his pads. But Phillip Danault beat Sorokin over his blocker at 9:14 as the Kings regained the lead.

Anthony Duclair, at the crease, appeared to tie it on the power play at 10:34 but the Kings successfully challenged that Simon Holmstrom interfered with Kuemper as his skate pulled the goalie via his glove. Tony DeAngelo had his stick shatter at the Islanders’ blue line, leading to Quinton Byfield’s shorthanded breakaway to make it 3-1 at 14:00.

Lee’s apparent power-play goal at 17:55 as he lifted a backhander over Kuemper was overturned as the Kings successfully challenged that Lee’s back leg pushed the goalie backward.

The Kings took a 1-0 lead on defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov’s blast over Sorokin’s glove on a delayed penalty, 40 seconds after DeAngelo was caught slashing Warren Foegele.

Notes & quotes: Fourth-line center Kyle MacLean returned to the lineup after missing Sunday’s loss because of illness … Defenseman Scott Mayfield was a healthy scratch for the fifth time in eight games … Defenseman Adam Boqvist took a hard check from Kevin Fiala at 4:47 of the second period and did not return … The Islanders’ last 18 losses have all come in regulation.