Palmieri buries two as Islanders edge Canucks 3-2
This was about control and finishing more than the box score. New York had the better of the puck and kept the pace they wanted, owning 52.2 in shot-attempt share, then turned steady pressure into the goals that mattered.
Vancouver’s push wasn’t empty — they generated plenty and even caught iron when Jonathan Lekkerimäki rang the crossbar — but the gaps showed up again. The Islanders kept finding the more dangerous looks, and when the Canucks did break through, Ilya Sorokin erased extra value with a goals saved above expected of +1.22 (expected goals is what the chances usually add up to).
Impact-wise, Matias Maccelli (one goal, one assist, six shots) and Matthew Schaefer (two assists) drove New York’s best looks, while Kyle Palmieri cashed twice on just two shots. For Vancouver, Brock Boeser and Max Sasson scored, and Leevi Meriläinen battled with 35 saves on 38 shots, but defensive coverage again leaked pressure.
For New York, it’s a needed home result that fits their UBS pattern; for Vancouver, the slide reaches four and the fix still starts in their own end.