Matthew Schaefer keeps finding new ways to leave a mark, and this time it came in overtime.
In the NY Islanders’ 4-3 shootout win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, the 19-year-old became the first player to skate every second of a five-minute overtime since the lockout in 2004. It was another entry in a growing stack of milestones for Schaefer, who had already passed Bobby Orr on Sunday for the second-most goals by a teenage defenseman.
Schaefer was on the ice to start the extra period and wasted no time making an impact, drawing a tripping penalty on Ryan O'Reilly 30 seconds into 3-on-3 play. With Semyon Varlamov heading to the bench and the Islanders operating 4-on-3 on the delayed penalty, New York controlled the puck for 1:47 before Nashville finally touched it. Peter DeBoer then called timeout, giving Schaefer a short breather before sending him right back out on the power play for the rest of overtime.
“He was all over the ice tonight,” DeBoer said of Schaefer postgame. “Like he is every night.
He wants to make a difference every shift, and that's what's so special about him. There's also a learning curve on when to pick your spots and how to do that too, and he's eventually going to get to that.
But the enthusiasm to change the game every time his skates hit the ice is exceptional.”
DeBoer dressed seven defensemen, but Schaefer still logged 32:16, a full 12 minutes more than any other Islanders defenseman.
In Other News...
Varlamov Just Delivered The Islanders Lift They Desperately Needed
Semyon Varlamov gave the Islanders exactly the kind of stabilizing night they have been searching for, turning aside 20 of 23 shots and blanking Nashville in the shootout of a 4-3 win. The result snapped a two-game winless streak and gave New York its first victory in Nashville since 2017, a road result that carried a little extra weight for a team looking to steady itself.
For Varlamov, it was more than just a strong outing in the crease, because the performance came after a long stretch without an NHL win. The Islanders have leaned on his experience before, and on this night he looked like the calming presence they needed, even as the game went beyond regulation and into a tense finish. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Recalls May Signal Something Bigger On Defense
The Islanders latest roster shuffle brought Pierre Engvall and defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson up from the AHL affiliate, with Cal Ritchie and Matias Maccelli going on injured reserve and the club getting back to a 23-man roster. On the surface, it is a practical move to cover absences, but it also comes at a time when the blue line is still searching for clarity after a recent loss and coach Peter DeBoer has left open the possibility of making more changes if the current look does not hold.
Aitchesons recall is the part worth watching most closely, because it signals the Islanders are at least considering adjustments on defense rather than simply shuffling forwards to survive a short stretch. With pairings still unsettled and roster flexibility in play, the next few games could tell the staff whether this was just a temporary patch or the first sign of a deeper rethink on the back end. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Finally Ended A Frustrating Nashville Trend The Hard Way
The Islanders finally had reason to smile in Nashville after another tense, back-and-forth night against the Predators. Anthony Duclair got them on the board first, and from there the game turned into the kind of road battle that never seems to come easy for New York there, with lead changes and penalties keeping both sides on edge before the matchup spilled into overtime.
Nashville kept pushing and the Islanders had to survive the full drama of a shootout to leave with the result they wanted. For a team that had spent years struggling in that building, it was a welcome ending to a familiar frustration, even if it took far longer than they would have preferred to put the old pattern behind them. [Read more 🡒]