Takeaways: Islanders Defeat Sharks 4-3 for Third Straight Win  

Matthew Schaefer made a little history on Tuesday night and the New York Islanders extended their winning streak to three games after a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

Schaefer recorded his first multi-point game (1G, 1A), including the game-winning goal, while Bo Horvat (PPG), Casey Cizikas and Emil Heineman (PPG) scored for the Islanders. Collin Graf (1G, 1A), Adam Gaudette and Macklin Celebrini scored for the Sharks, who are still winless to start the season (0-4-2).

Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves for his second win of the season, while Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves for San Jose.

A solid night for special teams helped the Islanders win the game – their power play went 2-for-3 and the penalty kill came up big late in the third to protect a one-goal lead – but the Islanders felt they could have played with better structure, especially in the beginning of the game.

TAKEAWAYS

- The win wasn’t the prettiest the Islanders have put together, as they allowed a season-high 36 shots and recorded 21 giveaways. The Isles were outshot 9-1 early and allowed the first goal of the game – a shorthanded tally – for the fifth time in six games. The Isles were opportunistic and capitalized on their chances, scoring three goals on their first seven shots. The Islanders cleaned up their structure as the game wore on, stabilizing a Sharks team desperate for their first win of the season. Head Coach Patrick Roy credited Sorokin for the 16-save effort in the first period that kept the Islanders afloat.

“Ilya to me, was the star of the game,” Roy said. “I thought he made some really good saves, especially in the first period where we were not at our best. I thought he kept us in and gave us a chance to come out of the first with three goals.”

- Schaefer made history in many ways on Tuesday night and ‘Matthew Schaefer’ chants rung around UBS Arena once again. He became the youngest player in franchise history with a multi-point game (1G, 1A), rose to the top of the league leaderboard in scoring among rookies with seven points (2G, 5A) on the season, and became the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record a game-winning goal, to rattle off a few. The 18-year-old defenseman continued to make history becoming the second blueliner in NHL history with at least one point in each of his first six career games, joining Marek Zidlicky, who achieved the feat in 2003. Schaefer also etched his name into Isles history, joining Bob Bourne as the only players in franchise history to start their careers with a six-game point streak.

"I thought it was his most complete game," Roy said. "He was good offensively and defensively, so it's nice to see him be rewarded. I know he's going to be humble about it, but because that's the key when you're young, you want to remain humble. And I think he's a very humble person. I think our fans will love him for a while."

- Schaefer played 22:34 and his four shots were second-highest on the team. Schaefer found himself in front of the net on the game-winner, in good position to take a pass from Anthony Duclair and beat Askarov in tight.

- The Islanders were up 4-2 heading into the third, but weren’t out of the woods, as 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini made it 4-3 at the 10:16 mark of the third. With their lead cut in half, the Islanders fended off an important penalty after Scott Mayfield was called for tripping 25 seconds after the goal. Sorokin stepped up late, stopping Celebrini in the slot and William Eklund’s one-timer denied. He got some help from Simon Holmstrom was out to protect a one-goal lead and he came up with a couple of huge blocks.

- The Islanders power play scored twice, but did allow a shorthanded goal, as Ty Dellandrea spring Graf in the low slot, who went top shelf on Sorokin. The Isles used their power play to grab one back, as Mathew Barzal sent a cross-crease pass to a wide-open Horvat, whose shot zipped past the shoulder of Askarov to even the score at one apiece. The Isles’ power play struck again late in the first period, as Lee’s second effort at the left side of the crease was there for Heineman to stuff past Askarov for the Isles’ third goal of the game. The 23-year-old winger extended his point streak to four games (3G, 1A) in the process, tying a career-high.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders wrap a two-game homestand with a matchup against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.