LOS ANGELES — Things have gone wrong all season for the Islanders, but Saturday night’s problems in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena seemed extreme.
The defensive communication was abysmal. Semyon Varlamov, who missed training camp and has endured a rocky season because of injuries, COVID-19 and Ilya Sorokin’s emergence as the No. 1 goalie — and who could be moved before the NHL trade deadline on March 21 — was understandably shaky in his first start in nine games.
But most alarmingly, top-line center Mathew Barzal could be lost with a left knee injury.
