NEW YORK -- Go west? That might be wishful thinking for the New York Islanders on Thursday night following a trouncing of the Los Angeles Kings.

The Islanders capped a successful first season in Brooklyn against Western Conference foes Thursday, when defenseman Johnny Boychuk, center Casey Cizikas and center Anders Lee all scored in a span of less than eight minutes in the first period of a 5-2 win over the Kings at Barclays Center.

The three-goal first period marked the 16th time this season the Islanders scored at least three goals in a period and the eighth time they did it against a Pacific Division team at home.

"I had no idea until you told me that," said Islanders center John Tavares, who scored in the second period. "They've got some good teams out there that obviously have done some good things over the years. You need to be ready when you play those teams."

The game was the final non-conference home tilt of the season for the Islanders, who finished 6-0-1 against the Pacific at Barclays and 12-0-2 against the Western Conference. New York's 15 overall wins against the West -- which has won the last four Stanley Cups -- are the most amongst Eastern Conference teams.

Islanders coach Jack Capuano said he had no explanation for the success.

"Every year's different," Capuano said. "Some years we have success against certain teams, and then other years it's been a struggle."

The success against the Western Conference is keeping the Islanders in the Eastern Conference playoff race. New York's 14 wins against conference foes are the fewest of the eight teams currently in playoff position and are tied for the fifth fewest among the 16 Eastern Conference teams.

A 8-1 rout of the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday jumpstarted a three-game winning streak for the Islanders, who began play Sunday in ninth place in the East but are now in third place in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils.

"If you look at the standings right now, you see where everybody's at," Cizikas said. "These two points are huge. We've got to continue winning these games, come out with the effort that we did tonight."

The eight goals by the Islanders on Sunday were the most by an NHL team this season -- until Tuesday, when the Pacific-leading Kings began a seven-game road trip by routing the Boston Bruins 9-2. But Los Angeles, which has won two of the last four Stanley Cups, never got closer than two goals over the final two periods on Thursday.

Left winger Kyle Clifford got the Kings on the board by jamming home a rebound of his own shot at the 11:10 mark of the second. However, Tavares extended the lead to 4-1 a mere 2:20 later.

Left winger Milan Lucic put back a rebound of a shot by center Jeff Carter 9:51 into the third. The Kings pulled goalie Jhonas Enroth with a little under five minutes to go, but Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic sealed the game with a length-of-the-ice empty-netter with 3:25 remaining.

"It's unfortunate -- we were not ready to play and we get down 3-0," Lucic said. "You get yourself behind the eight-ball like that, down by three goals, it's hard to dig your way out of it."

The Kings (32-18-3) have lost five of eight (3-5-0). Los Angeles has alternated wins with losses in its past eight games and is 7-7-1 since a five-game winning streak from Dec. 26 through Jan. 2.

"Right now, we are playing too much .500 hockey," Lucic said. "You can't play one way one game and one way another game. We have to find that consistency in our game night in and night out."

Islanders goaltender Thomas Greiss, who was also in net for the rout of the Oilers on Sunday, made 28 saves. Enroth, starting in place of the injured Jonathan Quick, recorded 25 saves.

NOTES: With his second-period goal, Islanders C John Tavares has now scored against every NHL team. ... The Islanders scratched RW Steve Bernier, G Jean-Francois Berube and D Marek Zidlicky. ... While the Kings were the last Western Conference team to make its first visit to Barclays Center, three Eastern Conference teams -- the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning -- have yet to play the Islanders in Brooklyn. ... The Kings scratched G Jonathan Quick (undisclosed injury), D Jamie McBain, LW Tanner Pearson and D Nick Shore. ... The Kings recalled D Kevin Gravel from Ontario of the AHL and assigned D Christian Ehrhoff to the same affiliate. Los Angeles also recalled G Peter Budaj on an emergency basis.