Kyle Palmieri’s history-making hat trick leads Islanders to big win over Bruins

NHL

By Ethan Sears

The Islanders’ playoff push is for actual.

Going through among the finest groups in hockey with an opportunity to win three straight for the primary time since December, the Islanders not solely took two factors, however produced an emphatic and glorious 5-1 victory over the Bruins on the again of a first-period pure hat trick from Kyle Palmieri.

The transformation of the Isles below Patrick Roy took time, however Saturday — if it proves sustainable — appeared like a formidable product.

All 4 of the ahead traces forechecked, performed under the hash marks and frolicked within the offensive zone.

The Islanders — a workforce that’s constantly criticized for lack of pace — performed simply as shortly because the Bruins.

They crashed the web. The penalty kill didn’t collapse.

On an all-around foundation, it certified as one of the best 60 minutes of the season by a rustic mile because the Islanders stored tempo within the Metropolitan division standings with Philadelphia, which beat Ottawa.

Palmeri’s hat trick, the quickest to start out a recreation in Islanders historical past and their first of the season, began 3:32 into the match when he beat Linus Ullmark off the push.

Simply lower than two minutes later, following James van Riemsdyk’s penalty for holding, Palmieri banged in a rebound from Bo Horvat to make it 2-0.

Then on the 12:19 mark, he was on the web once more to scrub up Ryan Pulock’s preliminary shot.

It was the primary hat trick by an Islander within the first interval since Jason Blake on Feb. 27, 2007, in opposition to Philadelphia, and the primary for Palmieri since Oct. 30, 2019, when he was with the Devils.

And Palmieri was not carried out but, notching his fourth level of the night time simply 46 seconds into the second interval when Anders Lee completed an odd-man rush by scoring off his personal rebound.

If there have been lingering nightmares of the collapses which were commonplace for the Islanders at factors this season, if anybody at UBS Enviornment didn’t really feel protected from there, they absolutely did when Brock Nelson scored to make it 5-0 later within the second.

This was an evening when even the dangerous moments may very well be shortly revised.

Palmieri went down with 13:26 to go within the second after a success from Parker Wotherspoon, however returned to the sport by the tip of the interval.

Marc McLaughlin ended Ilya Sorokin’s shutout within the second interval, however the Bruins went to the intermission with simply 14 pictures on web — a mirrored image of how the Isles shut down practically each alternative and gained practically each puck battle.

An ideal recreation could have been out of attain. However this was not far off.

The Islanders nonetheless have an extended strategy to go earlier than they’re on the suitable aspect of the playoff cutline.

But when any small notion of promoting on the commerce deadline was at the back of normal supervisor Lou Lamoriello’s thoughts, it’s absolutely gone now.

The Islanders can not take their foot off the gasoline now. However their confidence, which Roy mentioned simply final week he needed to enhance, seems to be snowballing.

On the proper time, with the suitable traces, with the suitable coach, the Islanders lastly look like getting sizzling.

Not a second too quickly.