Game 49
Isles 4, Vancouver 3
Anthony Duclair scored twice, and Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves, as the Isles overcame 1-0 and 2-1 deficits for a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, before a crowd of 18,503 at Rogers Arena.
Tony DeAngelo's goal midway through the third period turned out to be the game winner.
The Isles are 14-7-2 in their last 23 games and 23-12-4 in their last 39 games as they improve to 5-2-1 in their last eight games; they are 3-2-1 on this seven-game road trip, which concludes on Wednesday night in Seattle.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Max Sasson (10) Linus Karlsson (12), Nils Hoglander (1) 02:49 NYI 0,VAN 1
Anthony Duclair (10) Tony DeAngelo (18), Matthew Schaefer (20) 10:11 NYI 1,VAN 1
Evander Kane (8) Elias Pettersson (6), David Kampf (2) 14:48 NYI 1,VAN 2
2nd Period
Anthony Duclair (11) Calum Ritchie (7), Mathew Barzal (28) 14:34 NYI 2,VAN 2 PPG
Ryan Pulock (2) Matthew Schaefer (21), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (11) 15:58 NYI 3,VAN 2
3rd Period
Tony DeAngelo (3) Anders Lee (17), Mathew Barzal (29) 10:15 NYI 4,VAN 2
Drew O'Connor (11) Filip Hronek (25) 18:09 NYI 4,VAN 3
The Skinny
The Isles are 27-14-5 since they opened 0-3-0 …The Isles went 1-3 on the power play and killed both Vancouver power plays; the Isles are 2-13 on the power play in the last eight games and have killed 33-40 over the last fifteen games… The Isles are 13-2-1 when leading after two periods … Vancouver has lost eight straight games in regulation and are 0-9-2 in their last eleven games.…Matthew Schaefer had two assists for the second straight game; he had been on ice for six straight Islander goals (and nine of the last ten) before DeAngelo's tally; Schaefer is the first rookie defenseman and third rookie overall to reach 20 assists this season. …Schaefer finished with two shots on goal, and now leads the Islanders, as well as all NHL rookies, with 124 shots.... Isles are 5-2-1 since losing Bo Horvat to injury on New Year's Day… Anthony Duclair has seven goals in his last seven games…Cal Ritchies extended his assist streak to three games... All three wins on this road trip have been by one goal…Mathew Barzal has a point in all thirteen games he has faced Vancouver (3-18-21); only Connor Mc David (17 games vs. NJ) and Nikita Kucherov (14 games vs. Vegas) have longer active streaks to start their careers vs one opponent.
The Standings
The Isles remain in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind Carolina; they are two points ahead of Pittsburgh and five points ahead of both Philadelphia and Washington.
Milestone Men
• Ilya Sorokin played his 282nd Isle games, tying Chico Resch for 3rd place on club's all-time goaltender list.
• Matthew Schaefer broke Tim Connolly's club record for assists by an 18-year-old (20) and ties Connolly's record for points (34); video review reversed a Schaefer goal in the second period.
• Mathew Barzal now has 347 assists, just two behind Clark Gillies for 5th place in club history.
• Ryan Pulock remains tied with Noah Dobson for 5th on the club's defenseman assist list with 180 assists.
• Barzal remains tied with Mariusz Czerkawski for 19th in club history with 145 goals.
• Adam Pelech still has 139 assists, tied with Mark Streit for 10th on the club's defenseman assist list.
Road Warriors
This is the second seven-game road trip for the Isles this season; they are 3-2-1 so far:
8-Jan-26 @ NASH 1-2 Lso
10-Jan-26 @ MINN 4-3 Wot
13-Jan-26 @ WINN 4-5 L
15-Jan-26 @ EDM 1-0 W
17-Jan-26 @ CGY 2-4 L
19-Jan-26 @ VAN 4-3 W
21-Jan-26 @ SEA 9:30pm
(All times Eastern)
Return to Form
Ilya Sorokin was 2-4-1 (.868 and 3.75) in his first seven games this season; he is 14-7-1 (.929 and 2.09) since October 31st with five shutouts.
Sorokin is 13-0-0 when facing at least 30 shots; extending his club record for consecutive wins when facing at least 30 shots.
Big Save Dave
David Rittich is 11-6-3 on the season. In his last fifteen games (8-4-3), he has stopped 348 of 381 shots for a 2.19 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He had started nine of the last fourteen games (4-3-2, 2.36, .907).
Islander goalies other than Sorokin won only five games last season (tying a franchise record for fewest by the non-winningest goalies on the team).
Schaefer and Penalties
Matthew Schaefer has drawn 26 penalties this season, more than any other NHL defenseman, and tied for third in the NHL. He is a net +14 (having taken only 12 penalties), which is also tied-3rd in the NHL.
Since penalties drawn was tracked in 2009-10, no Isle defenseman has finished a season higher than +11 (Noah Dobson 2021-22), John Tavares holds the club record for a season at +29 in 2011-12, while Mathew Barzal +26 in 2017-18 is the only other Islander to finish higher than +15. Cale Makar is the only NHL defenseman to finish higher than +16 (Makar was +19 in 2024-25 and +17 in 2023-24).
Most Penalties Drawn by an Islander Defenseman (Season, Since 2009-10)
1. Matthew Schaefer 2025-26 26
2. Matt Carkner 2013-14 23
3. Thomas Hickey 2016-17 22
Most Penalties Drawn by an Islander Rookie (Season, Since 2009-10)
1. Mathew Barzal 2017-18 40
2. Matthew Schaefer 2025-26 26
3. Matt Martin 2010-11 25
[Travis Hamonic (17 in 2010-11) is the only other Islander rookie defenseman to draw more than 10.)
Most Ice Time by an Islander Teenager, Game
1. Matthew Schaefer 28:53 11/28/2025 vs PHI (SO)
Matthew Schaefer 28:53 1/8/2026 vs NAS (SO)
3. Matthew Schaefer 28:12 12/9/2025 vs VEG
4. Matthew Schaefer 27:41 1/10/2026 vs NAS (OT)
5. Matthew Schaefer 27:40 10/25/2025 at PHI (SO)
6. Matthew Schaefer 27:30 11/22/2025 vs. STL
7. Matthew Schaefer 27:23 11/23/2025 vs. SEA (SO)
8. Matthew Schaefer 27:03 12/27/2025 vs. NYR
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)
Matthew Schaefer 28:53 1/8/2026 vs NAS (SO)
Schaefer has played at least 27 minutes eight times and at least 26 minutes thirteen times. He is the first 18-year-old to do either of these things since ice time became official.
Schaefer has played at least 20:00 in 37 straight games; it is the longest streak in NHL history by an 18-year-old, and the fourth-longest by a teenager (Tyler Myers -47) since ice-time became official.
Most Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman
1. Phil Housley (BUF) 17 (1982-83)
2. Bobby Orr (BOS) 13 (1966-67) and Matthew Schaefer 13 (2025-26)
(Housley had 19 goals as a rookie, but the final two occurred after his 19th birthday)
Most Points by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman
1. Phil Housley (BUF) (17-40—57 in 66 GP) 1982-83
2. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) (9-35—44 in 82 GP) 2018-19
3. Bobby Orr (BOS) (13-25—38 in 56 GP) 1966-67
4. Matthew Schaefer (13-21-34 in 49 GP )
Most Power Play Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman
1. Phil Housley (BUF) 10 (1982-83)
2. Matthew Schaefer 6 (2025-26)
3. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 5 (2018-19)
Most Goals by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Matthew Schaefer 13
2. Bryan Berard 7
Only seven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have scored at least ten goals, led by Bryan Trottier's 32 and Pat LaFontaine's 26. David Chyzowski (13) is now tied with Schaefer.
Most Assists by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 32
2. Matthew Schaefer 21
Only seven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 19 assists, led by Bryan Trottier's 63 and Tim Connolly's 51. Brent Sutter (24) is the one now above Schaefer.
Most Points by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 39
2. Matthew Schaefer 34
Only seven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 32 points, led by Bryan Trottier's 95 and Tim Connolly's 75. Bryan Berard (39) is the one now above Schaefer.
Schaefer will still be a Teenager for the next 117 Isles games.
Most Games, Goals, Assists and Points as an 18-Year-Old (Isles history)
1. Tim Connolly 81 (14-20-34)
2. Mathew Schaefer 49 (13-21-34)
Most Goals by an Islander Rookie Defenseman
1. Denis Potvin 17 (1973-74)
2. Vladimir Malakhov 14 (1992-93)
3. Matthew Schafer 13 (2025-26)
Most Goals by an NHL Rookie Defenseman (Last 30 seasons)
1. Dion Phaneuf – CGY 20 (2005-06)
2. Shayne Gostisbehere - PHI 17 (2015-16)
3. PK Subban -MTL 14 (2010-11) and Torey Krug-BOS 14 (2013-14)
5. Matthew Schafer 13 (2025-26) and Tom Gilbert- EDM (2007-08)
The NHL record is 23, held by Brian Leetch-NYR (1988-89)
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have thirteen come-from behind wins this season, including five when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win nine times this season, including four times in the third period.
Overtime Is Our Time
The Isles are 5-0 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 4-5 in shootouts.
The Sixth Attacker
The Isles have scored eight goals with the 6th attacker (most in NHL) and allowed eight empty net goals.
Opponents have scored six goals with 6th attacker and allowed six empty-netters to the Isles.
Most Extra Attacker Goals, Isles (since 2009-10)
1. 2017-18 9
2. 2025-26 8
Most Career Empty Net Goals
1. Bryan Trottier 27
2. John Tavares 20
3. Mike Bossy 15
4. Brock Nelson 13
5. Jason Blake and Casey Cizikas 11
Building on a Lead
The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 23 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 9 times
• Allowed the next goal: 10 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 4 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2025-26 27-17-5 for 59 points in 49 games
• 2024-25 22-20-7 for 51 points in 49 games; they reached 59 points in their 58th game.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 2-3-5
• Season: 23-73-96
• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161
Rookie Scoring
• Today: 0-3-3
• Season: 25-42-67
• Last Season (Final) 19-30-49
• This season's totals are the most since 2017-18 (38-101-139)
The 25 rookie goals trail only Montreal (28) for the most in the NHL while the 67 points are 3rd. Islander rookies have scored 17.7% of the team's goals, which is the most in the NHL.
Home and Road
The Isles are 27-17-5 overall; they are 14-8-2 at home and 13-9-3 on the road.
Vancouver is 16-28-5 overall; they are 4-14-3 at home and 12-14-2 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 14-9-4 against the East (7-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-4-2 vs. Atlantic) and 13-8-1 against the West (5-6-1 vs. Central and 8-2-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 19-4-3 when scoring first and 8-13-2 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 9-14-9=32
Vancouver 12-12-8=32
The Isles are 6-12-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 2-0-1 when the shots are even and 19-5-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
Ilya Sorokin made 29 saves; he is 16-11-2 this season and 3-4-1 vs. Vancouver.
Kevin Lankinen made 28 saves; he is 6-14-4 this season and 1-3-0 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 1-3 (3:45); Vancouver was 0-2 (4:00).
The Isles are 14-4-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-13-3 when they do not. The Isles are 8-8-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 19-9-1 when they do not.
The Isles are 13-1-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 3-8-2 when they are outscored, and 11-8-3 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 21-2-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 6-15-2 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 17-4-5 in games decided by a single goal including 8-4 in regulation. They are 5-0 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 3-4-0 on the front end and 4-2-1 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be January 28-29 when they face the Rangers in a home-and-home series.
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 (25:04); Vancouver: Filip Hronek (28:01)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (20:38).
Face-offs
Isles 22, Vancouver 27 (45%)
No Islander who took more than 3 face-offs won more than he lost; David Kampf won 7 of 9 for Vancouver.
Hit Count
Isles 17 (Kyle Mac Lean -3)
Vancouver 20 (Evander Kane -4)
Fights
None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, MacLean, Lee, DeAngelo)
Blocked Shots
Isles 16 (Emil Heineman -3)
Vancouver 8 (Marcus Pettersson -2)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Vancouver 63
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 45, Vancouver 50
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Adam Boqvist +7
Vancouver: Filip Hronek +9
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 14, Vancouver 20
5-on-5: Isles 11, Vancouver 17
Scratches
(Pierre Engvall-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Alex Romanov-IR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), (Bo Horvat -INJ), Cole McWard, Maxim Shabanov
Games Lost to injury: 237. (Last season's total: 304)
The Ironmen
Casey Cizikas is the Islanders' ironman, having played 157 consecutive games. Anders Lee (131) is the only other Isle to have also played every game since the start of last season.
National TV Games
The Isles are 3-1-1 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners. Their next appearance will be on TNT on January 21st in Seattle.
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 2-5-2 in matinee games this season; the next matinee will be at 1:00pm on January 24th vs. Buffalo. 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 17-22-14 in matinees.
Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 2 failures (No goalie interference – VEG 11/14), (No goalie interference – WPG 1/13)
Opponents: 2 successful, 4 failures (No hand pass – WAS 10/11), (No interference – DET 10/23), (No offside – WAS 10/31), (No interference – COL 12/4), (Puck not shot out – EDM 1/15), (Offside – VAN 1/19)
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 (3): DET 10/23, CBJ 11/2, NJ 1/6
Vs (5): BOS 10/28, COL 11/16, PHI 11/28, TB 11/30, WPG 1/13
Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)
Isles responses (4): OTT 10/18, SJS 10/21, BOS 11/4, CGY 1/17
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 (8): 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 GTG (17:23 11/13 VEG)- Isles won in OT; Emil Heineman GTG (19:31 12/20 BUF)- Isles lost in OT; Adam Pelech GWG (18:45 12/23 NJD); Emil Heineman GTG (17:45 1/3 TOR) – Isles won in OT
Vs (3): 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; Alex DeBrincat GWG (17:43 12/16 DET)
OT Winners
For (5): Mathew Barzal 11/10 @ NJ, JG Pageau 11/13 @ VEG, Matthew Schaefer 11/14 @ UTA and 1/3 Vs TOR, Simon Holmstrom 1/10 @ MIN
Vs (0):
Shootout Winners
For (4): SEA 11/23, VEG 12/9, TBL 12/13, CHI 12/30
Vs (5): PHI 10/25, BOS 11/4, PHL 11/28, BUF 12/20, NAS 1/8
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 946 * 5. Brock Nelson 901 6. Bobby Nystrom 900 ** 7. Anders Lee 890…
17. Billy Harris 623 * 18. Stefan Persson 622 19. Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock 609 21. Frans Nielsen 606 22. Kenny Jonsson 597 23. Garry Howatt 596 24. John Tonelli 594 25. Scott Mayfield 582 * 26. Mathew Barzal 578
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 * 2. Bryan Trottier 500 3. Denis Potvin 310 **
4. Clark Gillies 304 * 5. Anders Lee 300 …
17. Patrick Flatley 160 * 18. Pierre Tugeon 147 *19. Mariusz Czerkawski and Mathew Barzal 145…
22. Jason Blake 127 * 23. Duane Sutter 121 * 24. Casey Cizikas 120
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 * 2. Denis Potvin 742 3. Mike Bossy 553 **
4. Josh Bailey 396 * 5. Clark Gillies 359 * 6. Mathew Barzal 357…
18. Tomas Jonsson 249 * 19. Anders Lee 235…
23. Pierre Turgeon 193 * 24. Ed Westfall 181 * 25 Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock 180…
32. Ziggy Palffy 163 * 33. Casey Cizikas 155
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 * 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 * 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
9. Pat LaFontaine 566 * 910. John Tonelli 544 11. Bob Bourne 542 12. Anders Lee 535 *
13. Bob Nystrom 513 * 14. Mathew Barzal 502…
27. Ed Westfall 286 * 28. Casey Cizikas 275
+/-
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 +66 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 55…
12. Adrian Aucoin 33 * 13. Bryan Berard 31 * 14. Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech 29
Defense Assists
1. Denis Potvin 742* 2. Stefan Persson 317 3. Tomas Jonsson 249 **
4. Nick Leddy 198 * 5. Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock 180 …
9. Jeff Norton 166 *10. Mark Streit and Adam Pelech 139…
15. Tom Kurvers and Gerry Hart 108 * 17. Scott Mayfield 103
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 * 2. Stefan Persson 369 3. Tomas Jonsson 333 **
4. Nick Leddy 243 * 5. Ryan Pulock 235…
10. Mark Streit 179 * 11. Adam Pelech 167…
14. Dave Lewis 141 * 15. Tom Kurvers 134 * 16. Scott Mayfield 132
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 * 2. Rick DiPietro 318 * 3. Glenn Resch and Ilya Sorokin 282…
8. Jaroslav Halak 177* 9. Glenn Healy 176 * 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 * 2. Glenn Resch 157 * 3. Ilya Sorokin 141 …
7. Jaroslav Halak 88 * 8. Roland Melanson 77 * 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Ilya Sorokin 27 * 2. Glenn Resch 25 3. Billy Smith 22 **
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
Bridgeport is back to AHL-.500 (17-17-2-1 on the season) after a 4-1 win over Springfield on Saturday and a 6-2 victory Monday afternoon over Lehigh Valley. In Saturday's win, Eetu Liukas had a goal and an assist while on Monday Adam Beckman had a natural hat trick to take over the team lead in goals with 15.
The two wins gives Bridgeport a four point lead for the final playoff spot
Bridgeport will be at Hartford on Friday and then host Providence on Saturday night.
Leaders: Goals: Adam Beckman 15; Assists: Alex Jefferies 17; Points: Beckman, Jefferies and Joey Larson- 24.
Goalies: Marcus Hogberg 8-9-2, 2.86, .895; Henrik Tikkanen 7-3-1, 2.42, .906
Season Series Stats
The teams split the season series, 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2).
The Isles are 7-0-3 in their last ten trips to British Columbia, where they have not lost in regulation in eleven years (January 6, 2015). On the other hand, the Canucks have won all five games at UBS Arena, and all have been decided in regulation.
UP NEXT
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21st —ISLANDERS AT SEATTLE 9:30PM
[TNT; WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The seven-game road trip finally comes to an end as the Isles look to sweep the season series from the Seattle Kraken.
The Isles earned a 1-0 shootout win at UBS Arena back on November 23rd as David Rittich made 19 saves and Kyle Palmieri scored the deciding goal in the shootout.
All-time the Isles are 1-2-1 in the Pacific Northwest.
Brendan Burke and Darren Pang will have the call on TNT.
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.
