Palmieri making up for lost time with Islanders following ACL surgery

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Kyle Palmieri knows how fortunate he is.

It wasn't long ago the New York Islanders forward was rehabbing from a torn ACL, trying to work his way back alongside fellow injured teammate Alexander Romanov, who sustained a season-ending shoulder injury during on Nov. 18, 2025. Coincidentally, that was the same night Palmieri would score his last goal of the 2025-26 season, suffering his injury just 10 days later. 

"There was a lot on my plate coming back. It was a long time," Palmieri said. "I'm not the youngest guy to be coming back from an injury, so I knew it was going to take time and this was still a process for me that I'm learning something about my body every day. It's about just kind of staying focused on the day to day. It's what I've been doing for 10½ months here, so really just finding a way to progress and get myself better and get myself as close as I can to being an impact player on this team."

Each returned for training camp last month, ready to start anew with the injuries in the rearview mirror. But Romanov's comeback lasted three games, the defenseman expected to miss the remainder of this season after tearing his ACL on Oct. 6.

"We've all had teammates -- some guys have gone through it personally -- the game can get taken from you pretty quickly," Palmieri said. "You know how much you miss it during those times and how much you appreciate it when you come back. Obviously, I just went through the process 'Romy' is about to start and try and be as much of an eyes and ears and a help for him. Obviously it's a long process, but it's pretty fresh in my mind. So, (I'll do) as much as I can to help him. He's in a tough spot, but he's a tough kid and he's going to find a way through it and come back stronger."

That's what Palmieri has done, even if there was no evidence on the score sheet before Tuesday, when the 35-year-old scored his first two goals of the season, including the game-winner, in a 3-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks at UBS Arena. 

He was finally able to celebrate a goal again for the first time in a long time -- 329 days, to be exact -- at 14:57 of the first period, parking himself in front of the net for a redirection of Matthew Kessel's wrist shot to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

And after New York let a two-goal cushion slip away, Palmieri put them back in front at 5:38 of the third period. He cruised into the slot where he received a pass from Mattias Maccelli before ripping a wrist shot past the glove of Canucks goalie Leevi Merilainen for his second goal of the night.

"Just stepping back on the ice for the first day of training camp was emotional," Palmieri said. "To be able to put one in -- I don't know how long it's been -- 11 months or so since the last goal, it feels good. It always feels good to score. Luckily enough, our team found a way to win. It's a good feeling." 

One that was much needed after Palmieri -- who had 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 25 games prior to his injury -- went the first five games this season without a point, let alone a goal. Peter DeBoer noticed frustration was starting to creep into Palmieri's mind, but the Islanders coach was confident the offense was on the verge of returning. 

"It's funny, I just had a conversation with him, I think (Monday), he was getting a little bit down on himself about where his game was at," DeBoer said. "Everything he's going through is normal. The fact he's not 25 makes that process even a little bit tougher. 

"You saw it tonight. I saw signs of it last game (a 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning here on Saturday), and I told him that. I thought last game was his best game. There were some really good signs that he was starting to get his timing back and do some of the things he does well. It was nice for him to get rewarded tonight."

New York (3-3-0) still has 78 games to play this season, starting with a two-game trip to Ontario that begins at the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN5, MSGSN). There's plenty of time for Palmieri to put more pucks in the net, but he can't help but feel for Romanov, who is unlikely to play another game until next September, again having to work his way back from injury -- the same type Palmieri just returned from.

Palmieri admittedly replays his injury in his head often, but he's grateful for been able to rely on former Islanders captain Anders Lee throughout the process. The torn ACL Lee sustained March 11, 2021, ultimately led to the acquisition of Palmieri from the New Jersey Devils less than a month later. Palmieri helped New York reach the Eastern Conference Final, losing to Tampa Bay in seven games. Lee has since moved on to the Utah Mammoth, but the two remain close.

And Palmieri has every intention of paying it forward with Romanov, the 26-year-old having another season taken away from him.

"We've known each other for a long time," Palmieri said of Lee. "I leaned on him a lot. He was there even when I wasn't asking questions, checking in on me. That's just the kind of guy he is.

"Hopefully I can be that for Romy. It's a hard process and it's a long process, but having somebody there who's been through it, who can help guide you, it helps a lot. I'll try and be that for Romy. "'Leesy' was an invaluable resource for me every step of the way leading up to surgery (and) after it. I still talk to him quite a bit now. We miss him and he was a big help for me."

Goals have come in bunches for Palmieri before. He scored 54 of them for the Islanders over the two seasons prior to his injury, including reaching 30 for the second time in his NHL career in 2023-24.

His main focus is staying healthy and helping New York get back to the playoffs, but Palmieri sure would like to have more feelings like the ones he experienced Tuesday.

"Let's hope so," he said. "That'd be nice."