Recent surge from Islanders' Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise still has benefits this season
Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri is congratulated by teammates on the bench after scoring a goal during the first period of the team's NHL game against the Kraken on Tuesday in Seattle. Credit: AP/Stephen Brashear
SAN JOSE, Calif. — This is the way it was supposed to work from the beginning of the season for the Islanders.
The recent consistent offensive production from Kyle Palmieri and Zach Parise is likely too late to help fuel a playoff push. But there can still be benefits for the Islanders, who continue a five-game road trip against the Sharks on Thursday night at SAP Center.
Flanking top-line center Mathew Barzal, Parise had his first two-goal game as an Islander and added an assist in Tuesday night’s 5-2 win over the expansion Seattle Kraken while Palmieri scored his fourth goal in four games since returning to the lineup.
"I’ve been fortunate enough to play in this league for a while and had some success," said Palmieri, in the first season of a four-year, $20 million deal after being acquired from the Devils last season. "When things don’t go well it’s easy to maybe shut down a little bit. I just needed to take a deep breath and go out there and try and have my best game and just hope I can build it in the right direction."
Palmieri, a consistent 20-goal scorer with the Devils, had one goal in his first 29 games this season and now has five goals with six assists in 33 games.
"He was playing almost feeling burdened trying so hard in so many areas and, really, nothing was happening," coach Barry Trotz said. "He’s letting it go and he’s playing a hard-working game."
The Islanders, who did not practice on Wednesday, are 17 points out of a playoff spot. But they will need a continued resurgence from Palmieri next season, when the organization will again have Stanley Cup aspirations after reaching the NHL semifinals the previous two seasons. Palmieri has a no-trade clause through next season and then a modified no-trade clause for the final two seasons of his deal.
Parise, playing on a one-year, $750,000 deal after the Wild bought out the final four seasons of his 13-year, $98 million contract, could be attractive as a rental with the NHL trade deadline on March 21. He has six goals and 13 assists after not notching his first goal until the Islanders’ 23rd game. But he has five goals and five assists in his last 13 games and has been effective mainly in a third-line role despite his early-season production issues.
If he’s not traded, Parise, who has been used both on the power play and the penalty kill, could earn another one-year deal from the Islanders.
"It’s huge," Trotz said of Parise and Palmieri’s renewed offensive production. "We are a team that’s not known for putting up a lot of offense. Kyle was signed to give us some offense and he’s doing that right now. Zach, his numbers aren’t staggering the last couple of years. But it’s the other parts of his game that are so valuable. When you’re getting some offense and you’re getting that effort which you get every night, you’ve got a balance there."
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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