Islanders vs. Canucks: Kyle Palmieri's Third-Period Winner Hands Vancouver a Fifth Straight Loss

Kyle Palmieri spent the final minutes of the second period in the penalty box, watching Brock Boeser wipe out a two-goal Islanders lead on the power play he had handed Vancouver. Some players would sulk. Palmieri went out and wrote himself a better ending.

Palmieri scored twice, including the go-ahead goal at 5:38 of the third period, and the New York Islanders beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. Matias Maccelli had a goal and an assist, Matthew Schaefer set up two goals and Ilya Sorokin made 24 saves, while the Canucks lost for the fifth straight time.

Fifty-Three Seconds

For most of the first period, nothing separated these teams. Then the Islanders struck twice in less than a minute. At 14:57, Palmieri parked himself in front with his back to the goal and deflected a Matthew Kessel point shot over the blocker of Leevi Merilainen.

Fifty-three seconds later, Schaefer picked off a Zeev Buium clearing attempt and slid it to Maccelli in the left circle. Maccelli, who signed with New York as a free agent after a season in Toronto, gave his defender a little stutter-step and ripped a shot high over Merilainen's blocker for his first goal as an Islander.

"I'm starting to feel really good," Maccelli said. "I feel confident and comfortable."

Vancouver's Window

Islanders coach Peter DeBoer later pinpointed exactly when things got loose. "There was probably a seven-minute segment in the second period where we mismanaged some pucks and they grabbed some momentum," he said.

The Canucks took advantage. At 7:52 of the second, Max Sasson skated onto a loose puck in the left circle and beat Sorokin under the glove to make it 2-1. Then Palmieri was called for tripping at 17:28, and Vancouver made him pay. Elias Pettersson found Boeser at the top of the right circle, and Boeser one-timed it past Sorokin's blocker side at 18:55 to tie it.

It was the 80th power-play goal of Boeser's career, which NHL.com noted moved him past Todd Bertuzzi into fifth place in Canucks history. To add to the Islanders' headache, Tony DeAngelo took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty right as the period ended, sending Vancouver into the third with another power play.

The Turning Point: Sorokin Shuts the Door

This is where the game swung. With momentum and a man advantage, Vancouver went looking for the go-ahead goal, and Linus Karlsson got two prime looks. Sorokin slid across to rob him at 1:53, during the penalty kill, and then did it again at 2:05. Those two stops kept the game tied and kept the building from going quiet.

Three and a half minutes later, the Islanders cashed in. Maccelli worked the puck below the goal line and fed Palmieri in the slot, and Palmieri's wrist shot zipped through a screen and past Merilainen's glove at 5:38. From penalty box to hero in about eight minutes of game time.

Vancouver had one final chance when Adam Pelech was called for tripping with 19 seconds left, but the Canucks could not find the equalizer and the Islanders held on.

Star Watch

Kyle Palmieri: Two goals, his first two of the season, in 16:44. He is coming back from a torn ACL suffered last November, which made this one land a little harder. "It felt really good. It felt good to contribute," he said.

Matias Maccelli: A goal and the primary assist on the winner. Not a bad night to introduce yourself to the home crowd.

Matthew Schaefer: Two assists in 25:23 of ice time. NHL.com noted it was the 14th multipoint game of his career at 19 years and 38 days old, tying Bobby Orr and Scott Stevens for the sixth most by a teenage defenseman in league history.

Ilya Sorokin: 24 saves on 26 shots. It was his 157th career win, tying Glenn Resch for second in Islanders history behind Billy Smith's 304.

Brock Boeser: The power-play goal and a whole lot of frustration afterward. "It was a much better effort throughout the whole game," he said. "A little breakdown there in the third on their third goal. It's frustrating."

Leevi Merilainen: 35 saves on 38 shots. Without him, this one is not close.

Stats That Matter

• 38-26: The Islanders' advantage in shots on goal. They lived in the Vancouver zone for long stretches.
• 60 percent: New York's success rate on faceoffs, which kept the puck on its sticks.
• 33-18: Vancouver's edge in hits. Physical, but chasing.
• 1 for 4: The Canucks' power play. The one goal mattered; the empty third-period chance mattered more.
• 0 for 3: The Islanders' power play, which left the door open all night.

What It Means

The Islanders improve to 3-3-0 and 3-1-0 at home. According to the AP, they have alternated losses and wins over their first six games, and all three wins have come at UBS Arena. If that pattern holds, Thursday's trip to Ottawa will be a test. DeBoer liked what he saw on this night. "I loved how we reset and the way we played in the third," he said.

Vancouver drops to 2-6-0 and 1-4-0 on the road, losing five straight after opening the season 2-1. The Canucks head to Florida on Thursday. Coach Manny Malhotra saw progress even in defeat. "We would have loved to come away with at least a point, but more lessons learned," he said.

Closing Take

Reality TV has taught us that the best redemption arcs happen in a single episode. Palmieri gave the Islanders the full season in one night: the opening goal, the penalty that let Vancouver back in, and the winner that sent everyone home happy. DeBoer put it plainly when asked about the final 20 minutes: "in the third we deserved to win that game with how we played." Hard to argue. The Canucks, meanwhile, keep finding better efforts and the same result, which is the most frustrating rerun in hockey.

Stats from the official box score via ESPN. Game details from the Associated Press; postgame quotes and notes as reported by NHL.com.