Almost exactly a year ago, the Islanders welcomed the Kings to town, with the visitors on a historic winning streak.
The New York Islanders are set to host the Los Angeles Kings at UBS Arena on Tuesday night.
However, the evening is set to be a rematch of a night almost a year ago when New York snapped Los Angeles' bid for history.
On Dec. 9, 2023, the Kings came into Elmont on an 11-game road winning streak to open the season, an NHL record. A win in the game would have set a record for the longest at any point in a season.
Things looked good for the Kings early in the contest, with goals by Adrian Kempe on the power play and Vladislav Gavrikov to give the Kings a 2-0 lead.
Cam Talbot stopped all 17 Islander shots through two frames, putting Los Angeles 20 minutes short of etching their name in the record books.
However, the Islanders woke up early in the third. Anders Lee scored about nine minutes into the period:
New York continued to press late into the frame, culminating in Lee's second of the game, tying it at 2-2 from his office:
The ensuing overtime lasted a mere 13 seconds as Simon Holmstrom sent Jean-Gabriel Pageau alone on a breakaway. Pageau went five-hole on Talbot to give New York a 3-2 win to snap the Kings' historic streak:
Following the overtime defeat, the Kings entered a tailspin.
The team finished the season 28-23-7, with the Kings dropping 17 of the next 23. The slide resulted in Kings head coach Todd McLellan getting fired in February for former Islanders assistant Jim Hiller.
Under Hiller, the Kings went 21-12-1, but it wasn't enough, as the team fell in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Edmonton Oilers.
For a deeper look at the Kings' downfall, Karo Blikian has more on Los Angeles' side of The Hockey News.
Ironically, the Kings enter Tuesday's game on a modest winning streak, having taken five straight games with the Islanders up next. Albeit not a historic mark, New York will once again look to be streak busters at UBS Arena.
Puck drop is 7:30.