Los Angeles Kings seek first win under new coach D.J. Smith as Anze Kopitar set for historic 1,500th NHL game

The Los Angeles Kings are looking to win their first game under their new coach, D.J. Smith, when they face off against the New York Islanders on Thursday in a game that is crucial for both teams. D.J. Smith took charge earlier in the week when the team was forced to terminate the contract of their previous coach, Jim Hiller, after a poor run of results since the Olympic break.
Although the Los Angeles Kings lost their opening game under their new coach to the Colorado Avalanche 4-2, D.J. Smith was encouraged by his team’s display. The Los Angeles Kings pressed hard in their forechecking, engaged in a battle for every puck in the corners of the rink, and displayed a lot of physicality in their game against the Colorado Avalanche. All these are qualities that Smith is looking to instill in his team.

Anze Kopitar reaches 1,500 games as LA Kings fight to stay in playoff race

The match between the Los Angeles Kings and the New York Islanders would also be a milestone match for the captain of the Kings, as it would be his 1,500th match played in the National Hockey League. The 38-year-old star has played his whole career with the Los Angeles Kings since he was drafted 11th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2005 National Hockey League draft. As of today, only three players who are playing in the National Hockey League have played more games than Anze Kopitar.
The Los Angeles Kings are also expecting their defenseman Drew Doughty and Jacob Moverare, forward Trevor Moore, and goalie Darcy Kuemper to be available for their upcoming match against the Islanders. However, the only player who would not be available for their upcoming match against the Islanders is forward Quinton Byfield, as he would be missing his second consecutive match due to an upper-body injury.
On the other side of the rink, the New York Islanders seek to rebound from their 5-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. The loss ended the team's five-game winning streak. Patrick Roy, the head coach of the Islanders, said that the team was able to create many scoring chances but failed to create enough traffic in front of the opponent's goal.
The team's Ilya Sorokin is set to start in the game despite not doing well in his past games against the Los Angeles Kings. Ilya Sorokin has a 1-5-0 record in his six starts against the Los Angeles Kings.
This is the first of the two games that the team will face against the Los Angeles Kings this month. The second game is scheduled to happen on the 13th of March. However, the Los Angeles Kings have an urgent task at hand: to win the game.


Get the latest ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, IND vs ENG Live Score, including the full schedule, teams, points table, and key series stats such as top run-scorers and wicket-takers.