No matter the outcome of Friday’s game, the most important long-term consequence for the Islanders could be the loss of Kyle Palmieri.
Palmieri suffered a lower-body injury while battling Jamie Drysdale for a puck in the corner early in the second period on Friday and limped off the ice.
The Islanders announced before the third that he wouldn’t return to the game.
Though Patrick Roy did not have an update after the 4-3 shootout loss to the Flyers, the head coach admitted the Islanders were not expecting good news.
“He’ll see the doctor tomorrow,” Roy said. “But I think everybody knows it doesn’t look very good.”
Palmieri’s 223 consecutive games played are the longest of any Islander by a significant margin, and without him, there’s a significant hole in the top six.
He did at least give the Islanders something to remember before coming out of the game.
Kyle Palmieri makes a pass during the Islanders’ Nov. 28 game against the Flyers. Imagn Images
While Palmieri was limping off the ice, he somehow stole the puck off Emil Andrae and tapped it to Jonathan Drouin, who promptly fed Emil Heineman for the Islanders’ first goal of the afternoon.
“I’ve been on that end where you block a shot or whatever happens. You just want to get off,” Scott Mayfield told The Post. “For him to stay with it and make a really good play, that was good to see.”
Defenseman Travis Mitchell made his NHL debut for the Islanders, skating 6:40 on a pair with Scott Mayfield.
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“My parents were coming for Thanksgiving anyways,” Mitchell told The Post. “I was able to come up from the airport and tell them So I had mom, dad, sister, girlfriend here. My brother plays hockey so he wasn’t able to make it. It was cool to have my family here.
Adam Boqvist drew out of the lineup having played the last four games, as did Maxim Tsyplakov after playing the past two.
Kyle MacLean came in on the right side of the fourth line in place of Tsyplakov.
Though Roy said some players were game-time decisions with illness pregame, he confirmed afterward that the changes were coach’s decisions.
Though the Islanders started the game with the same power-play units, Max Shabanov took over Drouin’s spot on the top unit in the second period.
That immediately paid off, with Shabanov’s tip assisting Anders Lee on the 3-3 goal.
Lee was also a late addition to the top unit, though that was due to Palmieri’s injury.
