Kieffer Bellows scores his first two NHL goals in Islanders' win

That the Islanders need more scoring from their lineup, and more balance from their four lines, has been well established.

Kieffer Bellows seems to be presenting a quick solution after being recalled from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

“It would be great,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “He gives me no reason to think he couldn’t do it. The trick is to do it long haul.”

Bellows scored his first two NHL goals in his second NHL game, including the winner, as the Islanders twice rallied from two-goal deficits to conclude a three-game Brooklyn homestand with a 5-3 win over the Western Conference-worst Kings on Thursday night at Barclays Center.

Overall, the Islanders got three goals from their maligned third line, which now includes Bellows with center Derick Brassard and left wing Michael Dal Colle, as well as a third-period tally from fourth-liner Matt Martin.

“I think it’s just our work ethic and the way we forecheck and play simple hockey,” said Bellows, who had 15 goals in his last 26 AHL games and logged 11:16 with four shots on Thursday. “Coming into this game, I felt a little bit more relaxed, more patient on the ice with my decision-making and all of my shooting.”

“This time of the year, to get a spark from anybody is huge, and he’s provided that for us,” said Martin, who knocked in the rebound of Devon Toews’ shot to tie the score at 3-3 only 23 seconds into the third period.

The Islanders (31-15-6), on a 3-0-2 spurt, leapfrogged the Blue Jackets for third place in the Metropolitan Division by one point and have two games in hand on Columbus. The Islanders play six of their next seven on the road, starting Saturday at Tampa Bay.

Bellows, set up by Brassard, made it 4-3 at 12:10 of the third period. Anders Lee clinched it by racing down ice to stave off a potential icing and scoring an empty-netter with 12.5 seconds left.

Bellows’ first NHL goal came at 10:22 of the second period as he converted Anthony Beauvillier’s feed to bring the Islanders within 3-2. He celebrated by getting a huge bear hug from defenseman Johnny Boychuk.

“I didn’t really know what to expect when you get your first,” Bellows said. “It’s just a lot of excitement and relief after many years of hard work to get to this moment.”

Thomas Greiss made 22 saves and Jonathan Quick stopped 28 shots for the Kings (19-31-5), who are 2-10-1 in 2020 and without a regulation win since Jan. 9. They are preparing to be extreme sellers by the Feb. 24 trade deadline and, on Wednesday, sent backup goalie Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford, a big part of their Stanley Cup winners in 2012 and 2014, to the Maple Leafs.

Yet they took a 2-0 lead at 17:20 of the first period on Alex Iafallo’s unassisted goal after Brock Nelson turned the puck over. Defenseman Ben Hutton, left alone in the slot, had opened the scoring at 10:20.

Dal Colle, with his second goal in three games, brought the Islanders within 2-1 at 1:40 of the second period, deflecting Boychuk’s shot, but rookie defenseman Noah Dobson’s failed clear led to Trevor Lewis’ redirection to make it 3-1 at 7:09 of the second period.

“In the first period, we weren’t willing to put the right kind of work in,” Trotz said. “We were looking for an easy game.”

Bellows did create two good first-period chances for himself. He dragged the puck around defenseman Kurtis MacDermid in the left circle to create space but shot wide at 2:35. Quick then smothered his sneaky shot from the left at 8:56.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.