NHL

Islanders’ skid hits 9

LOS ANGELES — Martin Jones made 16 saves to earn his first NHL shutout in his second career start, and Anze Kopitar scored in the Kings’ 3-0 victory over the skidding Islanders on Saturday night.

Kevin Poulin stopped 21 shots for the Islanders, who have lost nine straight, their longest losing streak since dropping a franchise-record 14 straight in late 2010. The Isles also have lost nine straight road games since Nov. 1, getting outscored 38-14 during its longest road skid since 1998-99.

“It wasn’t an easy game to play in,” Islanders forward Kyle Okposo said. “Obviously, they’re a really good hockey team for a reason. They all buy in and play the game the right way. They played their systems well tonight, and we just had a tough time.”

The long losing streak has put Islanders coach Jack Capuano on the hot seat.

“I know what our record is, but it’s not like we’re getting dominated in these games,” Capuano said. “If we’re not going to score any goals, it’s going to be tough for us. We didn’t generate [anything] on our power play, and that’s probably the difference.”

After a scoreless first period, Islanders captain John Tavares set up his teammates for a pair of fine scoring chances during second-period power plays, but Thomas Vanek and Brock Nelson both failed to capitalize. Josh Bailey missed his own chance, clanging a backhand off the crossbar on a near-breakaway.

Dustin Brown also scored and Tyler Toffoli added an empty-net goal for the Kings, who won their third straight and have earned a point in 14 of 15 games since Nov. 2.

Jones might be yet another potential star in the Kings’ crease.

Or he might be further proof that any good goalie can be great with the Kings’ formidable defense in front of him, particularly against the feckless Islanders, who have lost the first two games of a five-game West Coast swing.

“It’s easy to play with confidence when you’re behind these guys,” said Jones, who made 16 saves four days after beating Anaheim in his NHL debut. “They take a lot of pride in their defensive zone, and we did a great job. The guys have been awesome since I’ve been up here. It’s a great group of guys, and I’m happy to be able to get a couple of wins for them.”