NY Islanders move into second place in Metro after shootout 1-0 win versus Kraken

If Saturday felt like a deflating return home, Sunday night was the perfect reset. Behind a sparkling performance from David Rittich and a slick shootout winner from Kyle Palmieri, the New York Islanders pulled out a 1–0 win over the Seattle Kraken at UBS Arena.

This one was all about goaltending. Rittich, making just his eighth appearance of the season, stopped all 19 shots he faced for his first shutout as an Islander. And he earned every bit of it. “They had 19 shots, so that tells you a lot about the guys in front of me,” Rittich said. “A lot of blocked shots, a lot of effort defensively… We’re playing really good hockey.”

On the other side, Seattle’s Joey Daccord matched him save for save through 65 minutes, finishing with 34 stops before the skills competition finally broke the deadlock. After Bo Horvat extended the shootout in Round 3, Palmieri stepped up in Round 4 and froze Daccord with a smooth forehand-to-backhand move that went glove-side.

“Both goalies were incredible,” Palmieri said. “Rittich gave us a chance, and we were lucky enough to come through for him.” Patrick Roy praised his team’s commitment to structure, especially on the second half of a back-to-back.“We didn’t give them many chances,” Roy said. “And when we did, Rittich was outstanding. Great team effort… We talked about it: we don’t want to lose two in a row.”

The win pushes the Isles to 7–2–0 in their last nine games and 13–8–2 overall, continuing a surge that has them looking like a team ready to make noise — even as they deal with the gut punch of losing Alexander Romanov long term.

Saturday was a stumble. Sunday was a resilient statement.