Kyle Palmieri supplied the finish the New York Islanders needed, scoring twice in a 3-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at UBS Arena on Tuesday. Palmieri’s first goals of the season snapped a third-period tie and helped the Islanders move back to .500 at 3-3-0.
Key takeaways
- Matias Maccelli recorded a goal and an assist, while rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer set up two goals.
- Ilya Sorokin turned aside 23 shots for New York, including two key early-third-period stops on Linus Karlsson.
- Vancouver received goals from Brock Boeser and Max Sasson but fell to 2-6-0 with its fifth consecutive defeat.
- Canucks goaltender Leevi Merilainen faced heavy traffic and made 35 saves.
- Palmieri’s slot wrist shot at 5:38 of the third period stood as the winner.
Islanders build a lead, then answer Vancouver’s push
Palmieri opened the scoring at 14:57 of the first period. Stationed with his back toward the net, he redirected Matthew Kessel’s point shot from the right side over Merilainen’s blocker.
New York struck again 53 seconds later. Schaefer picked off a Vancouver clearing try from Zeev Buium and moved the puck to Maccelli, who fired from the left circle and beat Merilainen high on the blocker side for a 2-0 cushion.
The Canucks found their footing in the middle frame. Sasson pulled Vancouver within one at 7:52, arriving on a loose puck in the left circle and sending it beneath Sorokin’s glove.
Boeser then erased the deficit late in the period on the power play. Elias Pettersson fed him near the upper part of the right circle, where Boeser hammered a one-timer past Sorokin’s blocker at 18:55 to make it 2-2.
Palmieri finishes the job after Sorokin’s timely stops
Vancouver had a chance to carry its momentum into the third, but Sorokin held the line during an early Canucks power play. He moved across the crease to deny Karlsson on a one-timer at 1:53, then stopped Karlsson again 12 seconds later.
The Islanders regained the lead at 5:38. Maccelli worked below the goal line and found Palmieri in the slot. With traffic in front of Merilainen, Palmieri snapped a shot glove side for his second goal of the night and the decisive 3-2 margin.
