Zach Parise scored twice and added an assist, while Brock Nelson extended his goal streak to three games as the New York Islanders began their road trip with a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
New York secured just its second win in six games, taking control early and outmatching a fatigued Kraken team that was playing its third game in four nights. Seattle has now dropped five consecutive games.
Parise notched his first multigoal game since January 14, 2020, when he was with the Minnesota Wild against Pittsburgh.
“His numbers might not be flashy in recent years, but the other aspects of his game are incredibly valuable,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said.
Kyle Palmieri added his fourth goal in four games, and Casey Cizikas scored his fifth of the season, capitalizing on a rebound off the end boards as the Islanders built a 4-0 lead.
Mathew Barzal, who played junior hockey for the Seattle Thunderbirds, was a constant threat and assisted on Parise’s goal late in the first period.
“It looked like he was really excited to be back in Seattle, especially with so many Thunderbirds jerseys with ‘Barzal’ on them,” Parise said. “He was flying right from the start.”
Nelson scored at 8:53 of the first period with his team-leading 18th goal of the season. Parise’s first goal was initially disallowed for goalie interference, but the Islanders successfully challenged the call, and it was overturned after a video review.
Parise later added an empty-net goal with 1:58 remaining in the game.
Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves for the Islanders and faced little pressure in the first 30 minutes. By the time Cizikas extended the lead to 4-0 at 10:33 of the second period, Seattle had managed only six shots on goal.
“We didn’t have much energy early on, and we needed something to spark us offensively,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “We just couldn’t find it.”
Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer faced an onslaught of shots and made 31 saves. Earlier this month, Grubauer recorded the first shutout in Kraken history with a 3-0 win over the Islanders in their last game before the All-Star break.
“We weren’t breaking up plays quickly enough, and it’s tough to get out of our zone when that happens,” Seattle forward Yanni Gourde said. “When we finally got into our structure and into the offensive zone, we showed how much better we can be.”
Gourde scored unassisted off a faceoff late in the second period, his 11th goal of the season, and Riley Sheahan added a goal early in the third, capitalizing on a fortunate bounce off the end boards. Seattle had two excellent chances from Morgan Geekie and Vince Dunn shortly after, but Sorokin made crucial saves to keep the Islanders in control.
“He made a couple of key stops,” Trotz said. “It was probably a tough game for him, with little action in the first 30 minutes, but he stepped up when we needed him in the last 20.”
CHARA MAKES HISTORY
Islanders defenseman Zdeno Chara tied the NHL record for most games played by a defenseman when he took the ice in the first period. Chara appeared in his 1,651st game, tying him with Chris Chelios. Chara, who turns 45 next month, made his NHL debut with the Islanders during the 1997-98 season and has also played for Ottawa, Washington, and Boston. Chara earned an assist on Parise’s empty-net goal.
Game Notes
Seattle scratched defenseman Carson Soucy and forward Jonas Donskoi. Donskoi had played in 51 of the team’s 52 games this season. … Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov was activated from COVID-19 protocol after being placed on the list on February 12. … Seattle coach Dave Hakstol mentioned that an update on forward Jaden Schwartz, who has missed 22 games following hand surgery, might be coming in a few days. Schwartz has resumed skating.
UP NEXT
- Islanders: Visit San Jose on Thursday.
- Kraken: Host Boston on Thursday.
