Sorokin, Palmieri step up for Islanders taken at PPG Paints Arena (Penguins)

JOE SARGENT / GETTY

Ilya Sorokin makes a save in Game 1 at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday

The Islanders' acquisition of Kyle Palmieri prior to this season's trade deadline initially looked to be a bust.

In the last 17 games of the regular season after the trade, Palmieri just wasn't contributing in the way he was expected, recording just two goals and two assists in that span. 

It only took one game of the playoffs for Palmieri to match his goal output for the Islanders in those 17 games, scoring the bookend goals in the Islanders' 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins.

"I'm really glad for Palms," New York coach Barry Trotz said after the game. "I know he probably put pressure on in the regular season when he joined us. But we knew when the games get tight, you've got to go to the dirty areas, a guy like him is capable of producing. He was able to do that tonight."

Trotz said that during the regular season he told Palmieri not to worry about scoring, and just to worry about playing well. Trotz wanted him to focus on things like the little details, defensive assignments, forechecking, puck decisions.

"If you're playing well, usually you'll produce because you're a good player," Trotz said.

It didn't take Palmieri long to start producing in the playoffs.

One of the keys for the Penguins coming into this game was to score first, given the Islanders' incredible record of 23-2-2 when scoring first in the regular season.

It was Palmieri, though, who got the Islanders on the board first when he put a wrist shot past Tristan Jarry off of a rush at 7:58 of the first period:

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