The New York Islanders were fighting for their playoff lives on Friday, and they played like it in Game 3 of their matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes by making NHL history.
With the series at 2-0, the New York Islanders entered the third period engulfed in a 1-1 tie. That is until Kyle Palmieri changed things when he scored a power-play goal with just under four minutes left in the third period. That moment opened up the floodgates.
Not only was Palmieri’s tally the first power-play goal the New York Islanders have scored in the playoffs (their terrible power-play record extended much further and dates back to February), but it was the first of the four fastest goals scored in playoff history.
New York Islanders record (2022-23): 42-31-9, 93 points
According to the NHL.com box score, Palmieri scored with 3:51 left in the third period and was quickly followed by a tally from Matt Martin — whose goal clocked in with 3:07 remaining in the game.
Two more New York Islanders in Scott Mayfield and Anders Lee also scored less than a minute apart and, incredibly, just over two minutes after Palmieri’s. Mayfield scored his goal with 1:49 remaining, and Lee tallied with 1:33 left.
For those counting, that means the New York Islanders scored four goals in two minutes and 18 seconds. The record was previously held by the 1943-44 Montreal Canadiens, who scored four goals in 2:35 in an 11-0 playoff victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
More recently, the 2019-20 Colorado Avalanche scored four in 2:36 in a playoff bubble outing against the Dallas Stars.
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