NY Islanders Forward Kyle Palmieri Ends Season on Best Run of His Career

There's little argument over who has been the NY Islanders MVP during the second half of the season, as Kyle Palmieri has been integral to his team making the playoffs.

The 33-year-old Long Island native went on a run over the last 23 games that saw him find the back of the net 15 times, including six goals in the final seven games. Over those 23 games, he matched his output from his first 59 games, allowing him to become the third Islanders player to reach 30 goals on the season joining Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson.

"You look at Bo and Nelly - they’re so consistent," said Palmieri after last night's game. "They’re great players putting up those kinds of numbers so for me being able to join them, it’s fortunate for me."

Heading into game 82, Palmieri sat on 29 goals, and in a game that had no bearing on where the Islanders finished the season, his teammates consistently fed him as he chased down 30 goals for the second time in his 14-year career.

Palmieri had seven shots on the night, firing the puck at every opportunity. During the second period with the Isles trailing by one and on the power play. It appeared as if the Penguins were going to spring a breakaway with Jeff Carter flying the zone. Mike Reilly kept the puck in, finding Nelson on the right side, where he slung the puck across the ice to Palmieri who buried the one-timer past goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic.

The only other time Palmieri has reached the 30-goal plateau came during the 2015-16 season with the New Jersey Devils. That season he also finished with exactly 30 goals and was coincidentally the only other time he played in all 82 games.

The Islanders need Palmieri to continue his hot streak as they head into the playoffs, giving them another scoring threat they've been missing for most of the season.