Islanders Beat Sharks 7-2 ANAHEIM, CA -- Heading into their matchup with the Anaheim Ducks, New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-anaheim-ducks-2023-6-3-kyle-palmieri-pierre-engvall-brock-nelson] forward Kyle Palmieri needed one goal to record his sixth 20-goal season. Facing his former team, he did just that. After coming up with a defensive zone stop, Mike Reilly, from the defensive zone, sauced the puck right to Palmieri, who got behind the Duck's defense. On the breakaway, Palmieri showed some finesse to beat Anaheim goaltender Lukas Dostal: Palmieri, born on Long Island in Smithtown, now has his first 20-goal campaign since 2019-20 with the New Jersey Devils. Since joining the Islanders, he has 53 goals and 56 assists in 204 games. He came close to cracking the 20-goal mark the last two seasons, recording 15 in 2021-22 and 16 in 2022-23. However, injuries in both seasons put a damper on those ambitions. "It's been a couple of years and obviously staying healthy is a big part of it," Palmieri said postgame. "Som I just want to continue to try and play well. Our line's playing well, we're generating a lot of chances and giving ourselves a chance to make a positive impact on the game and help our team win." Palmieri is now the fourth Islander this season to reach the plateau, joining Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat, and Brock Nelson. The Islanders haven't had four 20-goal scorers since the 2017-18 season. Islanders captain Anders Lee is probable to join them soon, owning 17 goals entering Sunday's game. TOP STORIES
