Kyle Palmieri Finally Breaks Scoring Drought

Just a day before ending his scoreless streak this season, Kyle Palmieri expressed his dissatisfaction with his play to Pete DeBoer.

And it’s completely understandable. Despite returning from an ACL injury, Palmieri has a strong history in the NHL, and he’s on the Islanders’ top line for a reason.

As of Tuesday night, however, that top line hadn’t produced any 5-on-5 goals, and Palmieri just hadn’t looked like his usual self.

This is somewhat expected, considering he’s still recovering from an ACL tear that sidelined him late last November. Yet, it doesn’t make things easier for him.

“We talked about that, everything he’s going through is normal,” DeBoer noted. “The fact he’s not 25 makes this process even a little bit tougher but again, you saw it tonight.”

“I saw signs of it last game, and I told him that. I thought last game was his best game. There were some really good signs that he was starting to get his timing back and do some of the things that he does well.”

It turns out DeBoer had good foresight—Palmieri scored for the first time in 11 months during Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Canucks and also netted the game-winner.

“It’s awesome to see,” Cal Ritchie remarked. “You can see how much he went through last year; that’s a tough rehab. He had to put in a ton of work.”

Palmieri mentioned on Tuesday that the injury and its lingering effects often replay “in your head a lot.” Maybe his recent goal will, too.

While it wasn’t his debut game back, it certainly felt like the Islander faithful were getting the real Kyle Palmieri back.

Still, this win doesn’t eliminate the fact that there will be off days when his knee flares up. Palmieri has candidly admitted that he spends a significant amount of time managing his body, a sentiment he reiterated on Tuesday. Nevertheless, this game represented a significant step forward.

“I knew it was gonna be hard coming back and finding a way to be an impact player,” he stated. “That process is ongoing. Obviously it feels good to get on the board and get a win tonight, but for me, it’s about staying focused on the next day and keeping myself ready and healthy.”

In other roster changes, Simon Holmstrom was moved to the fourth line, with Ondrej Palat elevated to the third line. Matt Kessel came in for Scott Mayfield, while Tony DeAngelo returned to his natural right side. Ilya Sorokin started his fifth game out of six to kick off the season.