Artemi Panarin contemplated the query of whether it would really feel like a homecoming of types to play on Long Island, and in the second, he never actually answered it. 

“It’s a hard question,” he said. 

Seven-and-a-half hours later came the reply, and it wasn’t to the Islanders’ liking. Panarin won’t return to Madison Square Garden for 4 more days, but he made UBS Arena really feel like his outdated digs on Broadway anyway, scoring twice before Brandt Clarke’s time beyond regulation winner as the Kings beat the Islanders 3-2 on Thursday evening. 

“Panarin’s one of the best goal scorers in the world and has been for a decade,” Islanders coach Pete DeBoer said. 

Former Ranger Artemi Panarin is all smiles as he get mobbed by his teammates after scoring his second objective of the sport in the Islanders’ 3-2 time beyond regulation loss to the Kings on Oct. 22 2026 at UBS Arena. Brad Penner-Imagn Images

What made the evening more irritating for the Islanders is that there wasn’t actually much of anything for them to be upset about apart from the consequence. They managed the run of play, had the Kings doubled up on photographs on objective for much of the evening — ending with a season-high 43 — and tilted the ice for lengthy intervals of time. 

It’s not the first time this yr they’ve lacked ending, and it was the second of Semyon Varlamov’s three begins in which he’s regarded rusty. Those two issues were the distinction much more than Panarin, who twice beat Varlamov when the goaltender was behind the play and regarded out of place. 

“I was cheating a little bit,” Varlamov said when requested about the first of these two. “Expecting him to make a pass in the middle, and he beat me short side.” 

Los Angeles Kings rating against New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) during an time beyond regulation sport at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post

By any significant statistic except for that on the scoreboard, the Islanders had the higher of the evening, but these two targets were enough for the Kings to maintain a precarious 2-1 lead heading into the last 20 minutes. The Islanders’ lone objective to that level had also come on a goaltending miscue, as Darcy Kuemper mishandled Victor Eklund’s power-play one-timer at 14:06 of the second. 

The Islanders got nearer still, tying the sport 7:06 into the second on Matthew Schaefer’s first objective of the season, a bullet of a wrist shot from the proper circle. 

That belied, though, that the third interval was the guests’ finest. Even with Varlamov noticeably sharper after stopping Adrian Kempe’s penalty shot at 10:59 of the second, the Islanders didn’t tilt the ice as much as they had and couldn’t make good on the momentum from Schaefer’s objective. 

The Islanders did retain their factors streak — now at 5 video games — by getting to time beyond regulation, and no one will complain about a homestand in which they took three of 4 factors. But for the second time in their previous 4 video games, the Isles were left with one level considering they could have had two. 

After Bo Horvat’s shot 17 seconds into time beyond regulation that Kuemper gloved down, the Islanders didn’t contact the puck again, and at 2:43 of the further interval, with the Islanders gassed, Clarke scored to finish it. 

Logan Bailey (left) fights the Kings’ Samuel Helenius during the Islanders’ time beyond regulation loss. Robert Sabo for New York Post

“I saw an opportunity to shoot through the screen and catch him off guard,” Horvat said. “Just didn’t pick my spot, but it is a possession game in overtime. I gotta do a better job winning that [next] draw.” 

Mostly, this sport served for the Islanders as a irritating two factors not to get on residence ice, but not much of a big-picture indication of anything. 

To the extent you could pinpoint any concern, it might be Varlamov. His glove aspect in explicit has regarded inclined all through the preseason and common season. 

Matthew Schaefer scored a third-period objective but it wasn’t enough in the Islanders’ time beyond regulation loss to the Kings. Robert Sabo for New York Post

Still, his third begin of the season is too early to begin questioning about whether two partial knee surgical procedures will show too much for him to be an efficient backup for the Islanders, particularly given he had a .905 save proportion through the first two. The 38-year-old completed the evening with 24 saves on 27 photographs. 

This was a irritating manner to lose. It wasn’t a notably indicting one. 

The most prescient evaluation came from DeBoer when requested about the state of his 5-3-2 membership at the 10-game mark. 

“We break it down, and we look at our game analytically every 10 games, but I’m not looking at points,” he said. “I’m looking at our process right now. I think the points take care of itself, and I like our process.” 

With a .600 factors proportion so far, he might just be appropriate.