March 27--A few more takeaways from the Last Waltz at Nassau Coliseum. Thursday night's 3-2 win against the Islanders will go down as the Kings' final regular-season appearance at the old barn. The Islanders are moving to Brooklyn next season.
Toffoli's penalty-killing abilities on display again
Youngster Tyler Toffoli, uber penalty-killer, has been giving the opposition fits, scoring a league-leading five shorthanded goals. He also leads the league with six shorthanded points.
His goal against the Islanders -- his 22nd overall -- came via a two-on-one with Jeff Carter, making it 2-1. Typically, Toffoli talked about what they could have done better. Instead of dwelling on his shorthanded goal, he spoke about the power-play goal the Islanders scored shortly thereafter.
"It's tough -- me and Carts take pride on not getting scored on and it's unfortunate they scored on the same power play," Toffoli said.
Kopitar continues to take charge
Kings center Anze Kopitar has led the way in the first three games of this five-game trip. He has six points in three games, including the game-winning goal against the Islanders.
He is on a five-game game scoring streak as the last time he was held without a point was March 16 against Arizona.
It is essentially his best run since a stretch from Jan. 3 through Jan. 12 in which he had points in four straight games, scoring twice and adding six assists.
Shore showing many dimensions
Rookie center Nick Shore refused to get discouraged during his long wait for his first NHL goal. He made his NHL debut against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 17 and picked up his first point in Game 3.
His first goal finally came against the Islanders in the second period, tying the game 1-1.
His teammates were pleased for him afterward in the dressing room and Toffoli used another term to describe their emotions, saying they felt "a little relieved" for Shore.
Shore has been excelling in other departments, saying he tried not to worry about not scoring and had been concentrating on playing well in his own end. He won eight of nine faceoffs against the Islanders and also took five of six faceoffs against the Devils in the first game of the trip.
