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The New York Islanders fear Kyle Palmieri tore his ACL on Friday, but are hoping for good news from imaging on Saturday, sources told ESPN.
The 34-year-old Islanders winger somehow managed a highlight assist after the injury, which occurred in the second period of a 4-3 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Palmieri got tangled by the boards with Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale while battling for a puck. As Palmieri hobbled off the ice, he never gave up on the game -- stealing the puck from Philadelphia defenseman Emil Andrae. Palmieri then passed the puck to Jonathan Drouin, who set up Emil Heineman for a goal.
Palmieri was credited with an assist as trainers helped him to the locker room. The winger did not return for the third period, with coach Patrick Roy telling reporters it did not look good for his veteran.
"What a gutsy effort for him on that," captain Anders Lee told reporters after the game. "Going through a lot of pain, he's one of the toughest teammates that I know. Takes a lot for him to feel pain and get keeled over, but you can also see how strong he is to battle through and make a huge play."
Palmieri is tied for second on the Islanders with 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 25 games.
Palmieri is on the first year of a two-year, $9.5 million contract he signed with the Islanders in May. The New York native is playing in his 16th NHL season. He has scored 276 goals and 545 points across 925 games with the Anaheim Ducks, New Jersey Devils and Islanders.
