Takeaways: Schaefer’s Three-Point Night Lifts Islanders to 4-3 OT Win Over Wild

Matthew Schaefer needed all five minutes to make overtime history Tuesday night. On Thursday, he needed just 33 seconds to end it.

The 19-year-old defenseman scored his second goal of the night in overtime to lift the New York Islanders to a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild, capping a three-point performance and sending the Isles home with consecutive wins.

Bo Horvat scored on the power play and Adam Pelech added a third-period goal as the Islanders finished their three-game trip through the Central Division with four of a possible six points.

“That was maybe our most complete game of the year.” Head Coach Pete DeBoer said postgame. “Come in on the road against this team with their record here and what they've looked like all year and to go down a man early in the game like that and play short. Gutsy effort by our group.”

Joel Eriksson Ek, Quinn Hughes and Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota, which forced overtime on Boldy’s goal with 3:53 remaining in regulation.

Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin stopped 22 of 25 shots in the win. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 22 of 26 for the Wild.

Schaefer Responds With Overtime Winner

Schaefer wanted a chance to make amends after his clearing attempt led to Minnesota’s tying goal late in the third period.

When he got his chance, he made the most of it.

After taking a feed from JG Pageau, Schaefer attacked the right side with Simon Holmstrom driving toward the far post on a two-on-one rush. Schaefer elected to shoot, beating Wallstedt just 33 seconds into overtime.

“You could tell that he wanted to get it back for us even before overtime started,” DeBoer said.

The winner gave Schaefer his third career overtime goal, the most by a teenage defenseman in NHL history, breaking a tie with Cam Fowler (two).

“I was happy to get one there,” Schaefer said.

Schaefer’s fifth career multigoal game also tied Phil Housley for the most by a teenage defenseman in NHL history. His fifth career game-winning goal also tied Rasmus Dahlin and Mikhail Sergachev for third among teenage defensemen, behind Housley (eight) and Aaron Ekblad (six).

Schaefer Extends Point Streak

Schaefer’s two goals and an assist extended his point streak to six games, matching his career high set in 2025-26. He has eight points (4G, 4A) over that span.

His first goal brought the Islanders even after Minnesota struck on the opening shift.

Hughes sent a backhand pass through the neutral zone to Kirill Kaprizov, who created space before finding Eriksson Ek. The Swedish center beat Ilya Sorokin with a wrist shot just 27 seconds into the game to give the Wild a 1-0 lead.

Schaefer answered with 3:24 remaining in the first period, finishing a sequence sparked by Brayden Schenn’s forecheck. Victor Eklund fed Emil Heineman, whose shot hit Wallstedt’s chest protector. The rebound went directly to Schaefer, who buried a bouncing puck for his third goal of the season.

That goal moved Schaefer past Scott Stevens (70 points) for the sixth-most points by a teenage defenseman in NHL history. It was also his seventh career game-tying goal, tying Ray Bourque for third among teenage defensemen, behind Bobby Orr (10) and Housley (eight).

Schaefer added an assist when the Islanders took a 2-1 lead on the power play at 1:41 of the second period. After sustained possession in the offensive zone, Schaefer moved the puck to Holmstrom, who found Horvat at the doorstep for a one-timer. The goal was Horvat’s team-leading seventh of the season.

Hughes answered with 2:39 remaining in the period, lifting a backhander past Sorokin to send the teams into the third tied 2-2.

The only teenagers in Islanders history with point streaks longer than Schaefer’s six-game run are Pat LaFontaine (11 games in 1984-85), Bryan Trottier (nine and eight games in 1975-76), Tim Connolly (seven games in 2000-01) and Brent Sutter (seven games in 1981-82).

Pelech Gives Islanders Third-Period Lead

Pelech put the Islanders back in front at 7:14 of the third period, collecting the puck at the blue line and firing a shot past Wallstedt for a 3-2 lead.

The Islanders held that advantage until Boldy intercepted Schaefer’s clearing attempt, brought the puck down to his stick and beat Sorokin with a wrist shot with 3:53 remaining.

The late equalizer sent the Islanders to overtime for the second straight game, setting the stage for Schaefer’s winner.

Pulock Leaves With Upper-Body Injury

Ryan Pulock left the game after his second shift and was ruled out at the start of the second period with an upper-body injury, leaving the Islanders with five defensemen.

The Islanders have already dealt with a shorthanded bench this season, beating Toronto with 10 forwards after Matias Maccelli and Cal Ritchie sustained lower-body injuries in the first period.

Next Game

The Islanders return to UBS Arena to open a three-game homestand against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon. Faceoff is set for 2 p.m. EDT, with coverage on MSGSN.