Kings Vs Islanders: Sorokin starts as Roy reshuffles top-six lines

kings vs islanders will open with Ilya Sorokin in net for New York on Friday, a clear decision set alongside a noticeable forward shuffle at Thursday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center. Mathew Barzal and Cal Ritchie swapped spots in the lineup, creating a new look around Brayden Schenn and Ondrej Palat and pushing Ritchie onto Bo Horvat’s wing. The immediate takeaway is that the matchup is doubling as an evaluation point: combinations are being stress-tested in real time.

Kings Vs Islanders: Sorokin confirmed starter

Sorokin’s start is the most concrete piece of game-day information on the Islanders’ side, and it also frames how the team is thinking about the weekend as a whole. David Rittich is slated to start Saturday against the Calgary Flames, leaving Sorokin to handle Friday’s assignment against Los Angeles. The pattern suggests the Islanders are mapping workloads across the back-to-back rather than treating both games identically, and the decision removes any ambiguity about where the Islanders’ priority lies in the first half of the set.

Los Angeles, meanwhile, entered the day without a declared starter for “tonight’s game, ” with the expectation that both of its goaltenders will start one of the two back-to-back games. Anton Forsberg started the front half of the most recent back-to-back and earned a win over Columbus; Darcy Kuemper was presented as the alternative, with a lifetime mark of 9-6-2 against the Islanders, a. 911 save percentage and a 2. 57 goals-against average. For the Kings, that uncertainty keeps the focus on broader lineup continuity rather than tailoring to one specific crease matchup.

Patrick Roy moves Barzal to Schenn

The Islanders’ most notable change came through Barzal and Ritchie swapping lines at Thursday’s practice. Barzal skated with Schenn and Palat, while Ritchie got a run on Horvat’s wing opposite Emil Heineman. Barzal described the practice as one he “really liked, ” emphasizing trust in Schenn and Palat as veterans and pointing to their ability to find him. Still, the detail that Palat and Schenn have a combined 15 games as Islanders underscores the experimental feel: the line is new not only in configuration but in shared history.

Roy’s willingness to try new combinations is explicit, and the move provides a direct test of roles. Schenn framed his approach as simplifying plays and getting the puck to Barzal, calling out both Barzal and defenseman Matthew Schaefer as players you want to “find” on the ice. The figures point to a deliberate hierarchy in puck distribution: rather than spreading touches evenly, the Islanders appear to be structuring shifts around getting high-skill handlers into possession more often.

Ritchie’s promotion to play with Horvat carries a different kind of pressure. Ritchie called it a “vote of confidence” but added he has to perform, and he outlined a clear checklist: be good on the walls, protect pucks down low, keep pace, and support Horvat, who will “shoulder more responsibilities” as the center. Horvat, for his part, singled out Ritchie’s hockey IQ and praised his development as a rookie, highlighting vision and playmaking as standouts. That combination—Horvat’s responsibility load and Ritchie’s support brief—sets expectations that are more structural than stylistic.

LA Kings hold Tuesday lineup steady

On the Kings’ side, the plan was stability. After a full practice day on Long Island, Los Angeles opted not to hold a morning skate, and no changes were expected from how the team lined up Tuesday in Boston. The listed forward group was Panarin–Kopitar–Kempe, Moore–Byfield–Laferriere, Turcotte–Laughton–Wright, and Malott–Helenius–Ward, with defense pairings Anderson–Doughty, Edmundson–Clarke, and Dumoulin–Ceci. If any changes became necessary, forward Mathieu Joseph and defenseman Jacob Moverare were identified as healthy options to step in.

That steadiness meets an Islanders team described as having won seven of its last nine games, including two straight victories, with only defeats against the Kings and Ducks in that span. The Kings also have a recent reference point from a meeting in Los Angeles earlier this month, when Adrian Kempe and Artemi Panarin each had a goal and an assist, and defensemen Mikey Anderson (1-1-2) and Brandt Clarke (0-2-2) produced multi-point games in the victory. The pattern suggests Los Angeles will lean on what already worked in the season series, while New York uses Friday to check whether Roy’s new top-six alignment can raise the ceiling against a familiar opponent.

One more personnel note adds texture on the Islanders’ side: Max Shabanov is poised to play a second straight game after missing the previous nine as a healthy scratch. He skated with Casey Cizikas and Marc Gatcomb and also saw time on the second power play unit. Roy said he likes Shabanov’s skills and is “curious” to see him play a second game, acknowledging the challenge of returning after a long layoff. If that holds, the data suggests the Islanders are not just shifting headline names like Barzal and Ritchie, but also using special teams reps to accelerate evaluation deeper in the lineup.

What remains unresolved is simple and central: which Kings goaltender will start against Sorokin on Friday. The Islanders’ choice is confirmed; the Kings’ is still an open question that will shape how the kings vs islanders matchup ultimately plays in the critical early minutes.