Game 33
Isles 3, Tampa Bay 2 (SO)
On a day that the Isles celebrated their past and welcomed Pat LaFontaine to the club's Hall of Fame, three important parts of their future scored goals.
Matthew Schaefer and Cal Ritchie scored in the first period, and Emil Heineman scored the deciding goal in the shootout as the Isles completed the season sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 3-2 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.
Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves for his fifth straight win (and third in that stretch over the Lightning).
The Isles are 15-6-2 in their last 23 games; they head to Detroit on Tuesday in their only game in a five-day period.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Matthew Schaefer (9) Anthony Duclair (7), Mathew Barzal (16) 03:05 TBL 0,NYI 1 PPG
Calum Ritchie (4) Anthony Duclair (8) 10:16 TBL 0,NYI 2
2nd Period
Darren Raddysh (7) Nikita Kucherov (28), Jake Guentzel (18) 10:13 TBL 1,NYI 2 PPG
3rd Period
J.J. Moser (2) Nikita Kucherov (29), Brayden Point (11) 03:20 TBL 2,NYI 2
OT
No Goals
The Shootout
Jake Guentzel (NG) / Mathew Barzal (G)
Brayden Point (G) / Simon Holmstrom (NG)
Nikita Kucherov (NG) / Emil Heineman (G/ GDG)
The Isles are 3-3 in the shootout while Tampa Bay is 0-1… Ilya Sorokin improves to 9-16 in shootouts while Jonas Johansson falls to 0-6 …The Isles are 6-11 in shootouts all-time at UBS Arena, including 5-3 since the start of last season…. The Isles are 95-92 all-time in shootouts, tying Buffalo for the most shootout wins… Emil Heineman has scored on all three of his career attempts; this was his second game-deciding goal on this homestand…Ilya Sorokin has won consecutive shootouts; he had gone 4-16 in his prior 20 shootouts after winning his first three…. Heineman is the first Islander to score the deciding goal in consecutive Islander shootouts since Kyle Okposo did so in three straight shootouts in November 2014, and is currently the only player in NHL history to take at least three shootout attempts and score on all of them…Johansson (0-6) is the only goalie in NHL history to participate in at least four shootouts and lose them all.
The Skinny
The Isles are 19-8-3 since they opened 0-3-0; the 41 points since October 16th are the most of any team in the Eastern Conference…The Isles went 1-4 on the power play and 1-4 on the penalty kill; the Isles are 8-29 on the power play in the last nine games and have killed 40 of the last 43 and 57 of the last 63; the 57-63 dates back to October 30th, and their 90.5% kill rate is the best in the NHL in that span… The Isles are 10-0-1 when leading after two periods (17-1-3 when leading or tied) …Anthony Duclair had two points in a game for the second time this season (November 8 at NYR)…The Isles have won five straight at home for the first time since a six-game win streak before the Four Nations break last season… The Isles are a season-high eight games over NHL-.500 and move into 2nd place in both the Metro and the Eastern Conference; they are one point behind Carolina; the Isles held first place for about three hours after their victory and before Carolina's….The Isles last held first place in the Eastern Conference at the end of a day's play (this late in the season) on January 28, 2015.
Milestone Men
• Anders Lee still needs three goals to become the fifth Islander with 300 goals.
• Matthew Barzal recorded his 487th point, which is one behind Patrick Flatley for 15th place.
• Ryan Pulock remains tied with Noah Dobson (230) for 6th on the club's defenseman point list; Pulock is two points behind Kenny Jonsson for 5th.
For the Record Books
• Ilya Sorokin has won each of his first nine games facing at least 30 shots; that breaks a tie with Chico Resch's 1980-81 streak for the second-longest in club history, and the longest to start a season. Mark Fitzpatrick won ten straight when facing 30 shots in the 1989-90 season.
• Matthew Schaefer is the first 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to score nine goals in his first 33 games.
First Times in a Long Time
• The Isles have won consecutive shootouts for the first time since October 19-November 4, 2024, and have gone 3-1 in their last four shootouts for the first time since March 9-April 8, 2021 (4-0), which included Ilya Sorokin's first three shootout wins.
• Sorokin is the first goalie to beat the Lightning at least three times in one season with a goals against average of 0.97 or less and a save percentage of at least .969 since Sean Burke did so for Florida in 1998-99 (4-0-0, .0.67, .970). The only other to do is the Isles' Wade Flaherty who blanked Tampa Bay three times in 1997-98 (4-0-0, 0.25, .990).
• The Isles are (at least) four games over NHL. 500 both at home and on the road for the first time since February 15, 2020, when a loss in Nashville dropped their road record to 15-11-2.
• The Isles are (at least) eight games over NHL .500 for the first time since ending 2022-23 with a 39-27-16 record.
• The Isles are 134 games over all-time NHL-.500 for the first time since November 4, 1995, when a 3-2 loss to Washington dropped their record to 849-715-260.
December to Remember
The Isles are 6-1-0 in the first seven games this month, including five wins over teams that have won the Stanley Cup in the 2020s. The Isles have twelve points in December and 88 points in calendar year 2025 (with seven games to play); they had 11 points last December and finished calendar year 2024 with 86 points.
Over 100%
The Isles power play (now 16.7%) and penalty kill (now 84.0%) combine for a special teams rating of 100.7%. They were an NHL-low 84.8% combined last season. The penalty kill is now ranked 6th in the NHL.
Return to Form
Ilya Sorokin was 2-4-1 (.868 and 3.75) in his first seven games this season; he is 10-4-1 (.932 and 1.92) since October 31st with three shutouts. Only Jesper Wallstedt (4) has more shutouts in that span or this season; no goalie has more than ten wins in that span.
In December, Sorokin is 5-0-0 with a .942 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-against average.
Big Save Dave
David Rittich is 7-3-1 on the season. In his last six games (4-1-1), he has stopped 144 of 156 shots for a 1.94 GAA and a .923 save percentage.
Islander goalies not named Sorokin won only five games all last season (tying a franchise record for fewest by the non-winningest goalies on the team).
Most Ice Time by an Islander Teenager, Game
1. Matthew Schaefer 28:53 11/28/2025 vs PHI (SO)
2. Matthew Schaefer 28:12 12/9/2025 vs VEG
3. Matthew Schaefer 27:40 10/25/2025 at PHI (SO)
4. Matthew Schaefer 27:30 11/22/2025 vs. STL
5. Matthew Schaefer 27:23 11/23/2025 vs. SEA (SO)
A 20-year-old Islander has played more than 28:53 only twice (Bryan Berard -31:30; Travis Hamonic -28:54). The younger of these was Hamonic (vs PIT) on April 8, 2011, when he was 20 years, 235 days old; Schaefer will not hit that age until April 27, 2028.
Most Ice Time by an 18-Year-Old, Game
1. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 29:15 12/4/2018 vs TOR (OT)
2. Drew Doughty (LA) 29:04 11/22/2008 vs COL (SO)
3. Matthew Schaefer 28:53 11/28/2025 vs PHI (SO)
Schaefer has played at least 27 minutes five times and at least 26 minutes nine times. He is the first 18-year-old to do either of these things since ice time became official.
Most Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman, Season
1. Phil Housley (BUF) 17 (1982-83)
2. Bobby Orr (BOS) 13 (1966-67)
3. Matthew Schaefer 9 (2025-26)
Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 9 (2018-19)
Zach Bogosian (ATL) 9 (2008-09)
Most Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman, Season
1. Phil Housley (BUF) 10 (1982-83)
2. Matthew Schaefer 5 (2025-26)
Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 5 (2018-19)
Most Goals by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Matthew Schaefer 9
2. Bryan Berard 7
Only nine Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have scored at least nine goals, led by Bryan Trottier's 32 and Pat LaFontaine' 26.
Most Assists by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 32
2. Matthew Schaefer 14
Only eleven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 14 points, led by Bryan Trottier's 95 and Tim Connolly's 75.
Most Points by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 39
2. Matthew Schaefer 23
Only ten Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 23 points, led by Bryan Trottier's 63 and Tim Connolly's 51.
Schaefer will still be a Teenager for the next 133 Isles games.
Most Games Played as an 18-Year-Old (Isles history)
1. Tim Connolly 81 (14-20-34)
2. Dave Chyzowski 34 (8-6-14)
3. Mathew Schaefer 33 (9-14-23)
Home for the Holidays
The Isles are in a stretch where they play 13 of 17 games at UBS Arena through December 27th. They are 7-4-1 so far in this stretch (6-3-1 at home and 1-1-0 on the road).
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have nine come-from behind wins this season, including four when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win six times this season, including twice in the third period.
Overtime Is Our Time
The Isles are 3-0 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 3-3 in shootouts.
Empty Netters
The Isles have scored 5 empty-net goals and allowed 6.
Most Career Empty Net Goals
1. Bryan Trottier 27
2. John Tavares 20
3. Mike Bossy 15
4. Brock Nelson 13
5. Jason Blake 11
Casey Cizikas 11
Building on a Lead
The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 19 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 8 times
• Allowed the next goal: 8 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 3 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2025-26 19-11-3 for 41 points in 33 games
• 2024-25 12-14-7 for 31 points in 33 games; they did not reach 41 points until their 42nd game.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 1-0-1
• Season: 13-52-65
• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161
Rookie Scoring
• Today: 2-0-2
• Season: 17-26-43
• Last Season (Final) 19-30-49
The 17 rookie goals are the most in the NHL while the 43 points trail only Chicago.
Home and Road
The Isles are 19-11-3 overall; they are 10-6-2 at home and 9-5-1 on the road.
Tampa Bay is 18-11-3 overall; they are 8-7-0 at home and 10-4-3 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 10-7-3 against the East (4-4-2 vs. Metropolitan and 6-3-1 vs. Atlantic) and 9-4-0 against the West (3-4-0 vs. Central and 6-0-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 14-3-2 when scoring first and 5-8-1 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 9-1-6-1=17
Tampa Bay 8-17-8-1=34
The Isles are 4-9-2 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-0-1 when the shots are even and 13-2-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
Ilya Sorokin made 21 saves; he is 12-8-2 this season and 6-7-0 vs. Tampa Bay.
Jonas Johansson made 15 saves; he is 7-5-1 this season and 1-4-1 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 1-4 (5:15); Tampa Bay was 1-4 (6:25), converting after 0:53 of 5-on-3.
The Isles are 11-3-1 when they score at least one power play goal and 8-8-2 when they do not. The Isles are 6-4-3 when they allow at least one power play goal and 13-7-0 when they do not.
The Isles are 11-1-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 3-4-1 when they are outscored, and 5-6-2 when special team goals are equal. (Their only loss when outscoring the opposition on special teams was in the home opener against Washington.)
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 16-2-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 3-9-0 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 11-2-3 in games decided by a single goal including 5-2 in regulation. They are 3-0 in games decided in overtime and are 3-3 in shootouts. The Isles are 3-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 2-3-0 on the front end and 4-1-0 on the back end this season; the next back-to-back will be on December 19-20 when they host Vancouver and visit Buffalo.
The Isles are 4-3-0 when the opponent is on the back end, including 2-1-0 when the Isles also played the previous day.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Matthew Schaefer (26:16); Tampa Bay: Darren Raddysh (28:22)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (24:58).
Face-offs
Isles 34, Tampa Bay 35 (49%)
Mathew Barzal won 6 of 9 for the Isles; Yanni Gourde won 10 of 15 for Tampa Bay.
Hit Count
Isles 19 (Four with 3)
Tampa Bay 27 (Scott Sabourin -5)
Fights
None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, MacLean, Lee, DeAngelo)
Blocked Shots
Isles 20 (Adam Pelech and Tony DeAngelo -3)
Tampa Bay 10 (JJ Moser -4)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 41, Tampa Bay 72
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 30, Tampa Bay 54
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: No Isle was a "+"
Tampa Bay: Max Crozier +12
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 7, Tampa Bay 19
5-on-5: Isles 7, Tampa Bay 10
Scratches
(Pierre Engvall-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Ethan Bear-IR), (Alex Romanov-IR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), (Bo Horvat -INJ), Adam Boqvist, Max Tsyplakov
Games Lost to injury: 150. (Last season's total: 304)
The Ironmen
Casey Cizikas is the Islanders' ironman, having played 141 consecutive games. Anders Lee (115) is the only other Isle to have also played every game since the start of last season.
National TV Games
The Isles are 2-1-0 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners. Their next appearance will be on ESPN+ on January 6th vs New Jersey.
Matinee Isles
Including today, the Isles are 2-3-2 in matinee games this season; the next matinee will be at 3:00pm on New Year's Day against Utah. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 17-20-14 in matinees.
Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 1 failure (No goalie interference – VEG 11/14)
Opponents: 0 successful, 4 failure (No hand pass – WAS 10/11), (No interference – DET 10/23), (No offside – WAS 10/31), (No interference – COL 12/4)
Hockey Opps: 1 favorable, 1 unfavorable (No missed stoppage- NJ 11/10), (goalie interference -DAL 11/18)
Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)
For (2): DET 10/23, CBJ 11/2
Vs (4): BOS 10/28, COL 11/16, PHI 11/28, TB 11/30
Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)
Isles responses (3): OTT 10/18, SJS 10/21, BOS 11/4
Opponent responses (3): WPG 10/13, CAR 10/30, COL 12/4
Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins
For (0):
Vs (0):
Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):
For (5): Anders Lee, GWG(18:57)10/18 OTT, Matthew Schaefer, GTG (18:53) and Simon Holmstrom GWG (19:22) 11/2 CBJ, Kyle Palmieri GAG (17:07 11/10 NJ)- Isles won in OT, Mathew Barzal (17:23 11/13 VEG); Isles won in OT
Vs (2): Simon Nemec GTG (19:55 11/10 NJ) but NYI won in OT, Pavel Dorfeyev (19:46, 12/9 VEG) but NYI won in SO
OT Winners
For (3): Mathew Barzal 11/10 @ NJ, JG Pageau 11/13 @ VEG, Matthew Schaefer 11/14 @ UTA
Vs (0):
Shootout Winners
For (3): SEA 11/23, VEG 12/9, TBL 12/13
Vs (3): PHI 10/25, BOS 11/4, PHL 11/28
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 * 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 3. Josh Bailey 1,057 **
4. Casey Cizikas 930 * 5. Brock Nelson 901 6. Bobby Nystrom 900 ** 7. Anders Lee 874 …
20. Kenny Jonsson 597 * 21. Garry Howatt 596 22. John Tonelli 594 23. Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock 593 25. Scott Mayfield 566 ** 26. Mathew Barzal 562
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 * 2. Bryan Trottier 500 3. Denis Potvin 310 **
4. Clark Gillies 304 * 5. Anders Lee 297 …
19. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 * 20. Mathew Barzal 143…
26. Steve Thomas/Matt Moulson/Mark Parrish 118 * 29. Casey Cizikas 117
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 * 2. Denis Potvin 742 * 3. Mike Bossy 553 …
5. Clark Gillies 359 * 6. John Tavares 349 * 7. Mathew Barzal 344…
18. Tomas Jonsson 249 * 19. Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo 230 * 21. Anders Lee 229…
24. Ed Westfall 181 * 25 Noah Dobson 180 * 26. Ryan Pulock 176…
32. Ziggy Palffy 163 * 33. David Volek 154 * 34. Casey Cizikas 153
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 * 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 * 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
12. Bob Bourne 542 * 13. Anders Lee 526…
14. Derek King 499 * 15. Patrick Flatley 488 * 16. Mathew Barzal 487…
27. Ed Westfall 286 * 28. Casey Cizikas 270
+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 \\\2. Denis Potvin +456 \\\ 3. Mike Bossy +380
15. Bob Lorimer +105 * 16. Adam Pelech +86 17. Tomas Jonsson +76 18. Garry Howatt +75 19. Pat Price +70 20. JP Parise +67 21. Ryan Pulock +65 21. Jude Drouin +58 23. Patrick Flatley +57 ** 24. Greg Gilbert +54
Defense Goals
1. Denis Potvin 310 * 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 **
4. Ryan Pulock 54…
13. Bryan Berard 31 * 14. Scott Mayfield 28 * 15. Adam Pelech and Vladimir Malakhov 27
Defense Assists
1. Denis Potvin 742* 2. Stefan Persson 317 3. Tomas Jonsson 249 **
5. Noah Dobson 180 * 6. Ryan Pulock 176 …
9. Jeff Norton 166 \\\10. Mark Streit 139 \\\ 11. Adam Pelech 138…
15. Tom Kurvers and Gerry Hart 108 * 17. Bryan Berard and Scott Mayfield 100
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 * 2. Stefan Persson 369 * 3. Tomas Jonsson 333…
5. Kenny Jonsson 232 * 6. Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock 230…
10. Mark Streit 179 * 11. Adam Pelech 165…
16. Johnny Boychuk and Bryan Berard 131 * 18. Gerry Hart and Scott Mayfield 128
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 * 2. Rick DiPietro 318 3. Glenn Resch 282 **
4. Ilya Sorokin 275 …
8. Jaroslav Halak 177* 9. Glenn Healy 176 * 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 * 2. Glenn Resch 157 * 3. Ilya Sorokin 137 …
7. Jaroslav Halak 88 * 8. Roland Melanson 77 * 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Ilya Sorokin and Glenn Resch 25 * 3. Billy Smith 22 *
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
Alex Jefferies scored a goal and added an assist as Bridgeport improved to 9-11-1-1 on the season with a 2-1 win at Lavel on Saturday night; Henrik Tikkanen made 18 saves for his third straight win as the Islanders beat the North Division-leading Rocket.
Bridgeport remains just two points out of a playoff spot as they head to Belleville for a game on Sunday.
Leaders: Goals: Joey Larson- 9; Assists: Matthew Maggio-12; Points: Maggio-16
Goalies: Marcus Hogberg 4-7-2, 3.25, .876; Henrik Tikkanen 3-0-0, 1.62, .931
Season Series Stats
The Isles sweep the season series, 3 games to 0 (and 6 points to 1).
It is the fourth time that the Isles have swept the season series from Tampa Bay (5-0-0 in 1997-98, 4-0-0 in 2001-02, 3-0-0 in 2013).
UP NEXT
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16th —ISLANDERS AT DETROIT 7:00PM
[MSGSN (pre-game at 6:30), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
After having consecutive days without a game for the first time since November 24-25, the Isles will look to extend the winning streak to four games as look to sweep the season series from the Detroit Red Wings.
The Isles, who scored only three goals last season against the Red Wings, already hold a pair of five-goal wins over the Red Wings this season (7-2 at UBS Arena and 5-0 in Detroit). They will look to sweep Detroit for the first time since 2019-20.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com
