The New York Islanders found another way to keep things dramatic, and this time it came on the road against the Minnesota Wild in a 4-3 overtime win.
Minnesota came out flying and struck first through Joel Eriksson Ek, who beat Ilya Sorokin for his fifth goal of the season. Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes picked up the assists on the opening goal, setting the tone for what became a lively night.
The Islanders answered late in the first period when Matthew Schaefer tracked down a long rebound and buried it for his third goal of the season. That goal pulled New York even in what was already shaping up to be a wide-open game.
The second period kept the pace rolling. Bo Horvat put the Islanders in front on the power play early in the frame, scoring his seventh goal of the season with help from Simon Holmstrom and Schaefer. That assist gave Schaefer his second point of the night.
Minnesota responded late in the period when Hughes matched Schaefer’s two-point total with a back-handed attempt that slipped through Sorokin’s five-hole. It looked more like a pass or a shot at first glance, but it counted all the same and tied the game at 2-2.
New York was also forced to navigate the rest of the night without Ryan Pulock, who left early with an upper-body injury. Even with that setback, the Islanders did a solid job handling Minnesota’s power play.
#Isles Injury Update: Ryan Pulock will not return to the game (upper body).
The third period delivered another twist. Adam Pelech, not exactly known for his offense, scored to give the Islanders a 3-2 lead with about 13 minutes remaining. It was his first goal in 32 games.
That lead didn’t last. With under five minutes left, Schaefer made a costly mistake trying to clear the puck from the zone, and Matt Boldy jumped on it to score his sixth of the season and force overtime.
In the extra period, Schaefer made amends in style. He finished the game with a gorgeous overtime winner, completing a three-point night and sending the Islanders home with the 4-3 victory. With two of the league’s top defensemen on the ice, it was Schaefer who had the final word.
The Islanders now head home for an afternoon matchup with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Halloween at UBS Arena.
In Other News...
Matthew Schaefer Is Putting An Untouchable NHL Teen Mark In Play
Matthew Schaefer has already done enough in a brief NHL career to make the Islanders pay attention every night, and the 19-year-old keeps stacking production at a pace that is hard to ignore. He has averaged nearly a point per game so far, and with the way he is being leaned on in New York, his scoring touch is no longer just a promising start. It is becoming part of the conversation around how far he can push this season.
The bigger picture is even more striking because Schaefer is still a teenager, which keeps the door open on a mark long considered out of reach. He is still tracking toward a huge year offensively, and the ice time he is getting suggests the Islanders are willing to let him learn on the fly while he drives play. If that usage continues, the chase could get very real before his next birthday. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Patience With Maxim Shabanov Looks Worse By The Week
Maxim Shabanov arrived on Long Island in 2025 with the kind of rsum that tends to buy a player a little patience. After a strong KHL season, the Russian winger was brought in to see whether his skill could translate to the NHL, but the Islanders never got much return on that bet during his rookie year. For a team that has spent years looking for offense wherever it can find it, the decision to move on from a player with upside already looked like a gamble.
Mathieu Darche made the call not to extend a qualifying offer, and Shabanov left to sign a one-year deal with the Minnesota Wild. Early in his new stop, he has looked far more comfortable than he ever did in the Islanders organization, and that is only sharpening the frustration around the original decision. With Shabanov producing right away elsewhere, the Islanders are left to wonder whether they were too quick to let a gifted scorer get away before he ever had a real chance to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Shake Up Lineup Again As Road Trip Pressure Builds
The Islanders are trying to steady things as they close out a three-game road trip against the Minnesota Wild, and head coach Peter DeBoer has turned to another lineup tweak in search of a cleaner look. Kyle MacLean is back after sitting out one game, giving the club a bit more balance up front as it tries to manage the wear and tear of the trip.
Matthew Kessel is the healthy scratch, and the move lets New York return to a 12-forward, 6-defensemen alignment with Ilya Sorokin set to start in goal. For a team still looking for the right mix on the road, the changes are less about a single player than about finding a structure that can hold up under pressure in a game the Islanders could use to settle in. [Read more 🡒]