3 Takeaways: Palmieri Hat-Trick Paces Islanders 5-1 Win Over Bruins

Kyle Palmieri’s hat-trick powered the New York Islanders on Saturday night, as they exploded for a 5-1 win over the Boston Bruins at UBS Arena.

Palmieri finished the game with four points (3G, 1A), but the Isles also got goals from Anders Lee and Brock Nelson. Marc McLaughlin scored the lone goal for the Bruins. JG Pageau and Bo Horvat each had a pair of assists on a night where nine players – and three lines – hit the scoresheet.  

“Nights like this for coaches are fun because everybody played a really good game,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “Our guys were on the puck, we were quick to help support each other offensively, but we did the same thing defensively, so I thought we were strong in our end and the offensive zone.”

The Isles three-game winning streak marked their first since winning four-in-a-row from Dec. 7-13, 2023, a streak that coincidently came to an end at the hands of the Bruins. With the win, the Islanders snapped a six-game winless stretch against the Bruins, picking up their first victory against Boston since Feb. 17, 2022. They also kept pace on a night where Philadelphia and Tampa Bay – the two closest teams to the Isles – also won.

“Probably one of our better games, maybe the best on the season and in recent memory,” Nelson said. “A big win. We just talked about coming back home and following up the two on the road and wanting to go to a good start. We did that and I thought we followed it up and didn’t let up.”

PALMIERI'S A NATURAL:

Kyle Palmieri added to his hat collection on Saturday night.

The Islanders’ winger recorded a natural hat-trick in the first period against the Bruins, racking up three goals in a span of 8:47.

“Probably couldn't draw it up much better,” Palmieri said.

Palmieri opened the scoring 3:32 in, beating Linus Ullmark five-hole with a wrister off the rush. Palmieri’s second goal came via the power play, as he touched a pass to Bo Horvat in the slot and then cleaned up the subsequent rebound in front of the net at the 5:27 mark. He completed the trick at 12:19, again b-lining to the net and potting a Ryan Pulock rebound.

It the third hat-trick of Palmieri’s career and his first since Oct. 30, 2019 when he was a member of the New Jersey Devils. It was the first Islanders hat trick in the first period since Jason Blake against the Philadelphia Flyers on Feb 27, 2007.

Palmieri is now up to 18 goals on the season, which is the most he’s scored in a single year since joining the Islanders. Palmieri now has 12 points (7G, 5A) in 15 games since Patrick Roy took over as the Islanders Head Coach, which ranks fourth on the team.

Palmieri picked up an assist on Anders Lee’s goal to make it 4-0 at the 46 second mark of the second period, notching his first four-point game since March 15, 2023, when he had a goal and three assists vs the Anaheim Ducks.  

“As a line we had a ton of chances,” Palmieri said. “It feels good. The last two games we've been doing our best to try and generate and tonight we were able to do it early on, and hopefully we just keep that rolling.”

ISLES GET IT DONE AT BOTH ENDS OF THE ICE:

The Islanders offense headlined Saturday’s win, but don’t discount New York’s defensive effort.

The final shot totals favored the Isles 26-23, but the Isles held the Bruins to just 10 shots at the midway mark of the game and to single-digit shots in each of the three periods. The Islanders held the Bruins to just five high-danger chances at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick, relying on their team speed and puck possession.

“Our D had great gaps tonight and didn't give them time and space,” captain Anders Lee said. “It's a high-octane offense over there with a lot of skill and guys that can exploit anything with a little bit of space so credit to our D tonight. And Sorokin had some really big saves and key moments.”

Discipline also played a role in the Islanders defensive play. After getting dinged five times by the Bruins power play in the previous two meetings, the Isles went two-for-two on the penalty kill, keeping a clean sheet.  

The lone blemish against the Islanders was Marc McLaughlin’s first of the season at the tail end of the second period, finishing off a tic-tac-toe play from Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk at 14:30.

Ilya Sorokin stopped 22 of 23 shots, winning three straight games for the first time this season.

WHERE WE STAND:

With the win, the Islanders (66 points) leapfrogged the Washington Capitals (65 points) for fourth in the Metropolitan Division and are now the first wild card team outside of the playoffs.

They out-of-town scoreboard was a mixed bag. The Florida Panthers blanked the Detroit Red Wings 4-0, meaning the Isles closed the gap to six points with the Red Wings (72 points), with New York holding a game in hand.

The Philadelphia Flyers (71 points) beat the Ottawa Senators 4-2, so the Flyers maintained their five-point lead on the Isles, with New York holding two games in hand.

The Tampa Bay Lightning (72 points) eked out a 4-3 shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens staying six points ahead of the Islanders, though the Isles have three games in hand.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders wrap up a two-game homestand on Tuesday night when they take on the St. Louis Blues. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.