Game 42
Isles 4, Toronto 3 (OT)
Imagine if he was feeling okay? Matthew Schaefer, who described himself post-game as being 'under the weather', scored a highlight reel goal in the second period and the overtime winner with 48.1 seconds to play as the Isles rallied from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits for a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.
Adam Pelech scored for the third time in the last fifteen games to give the Isles the lead, but Auston Matthews scored twice in a 7:49 span to become the Leafs' all-time goal scoring leader with 421.
The Isles are 8-2-0 in their last ten home games and 19-10-3 in their last 32 games overall; they will host New Jersey on Tuesday before embarking on their second seven-game road trip of the season.
The Scoring:
1st Period
No Goals
2nd Period
Adam Pelech (3) Jonathan Drouin (15) 01:10 TOR 0,NYI 1
Auston Matthews (19) 09:30 TOR 1,NYI 1
Auston Matthews (20) Bobby McMann (10), Max Domi (15) 17:19 TOR 2,NYI 1
3rd Period
Matthew Schaefer (11) Jonathan Drouin (16), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (10) 11:10 TOR 2,NYI 2
Nicholas Robertson (9) Nicolas Roy (11) 12:12 TOR 3,NYI 2
Emil Heineman (13) Mathew Barzal (21), Tony DeAngelo (13) 17:15 TOR 3,NYI 3
OT
Matthew Schaefer (12) Mathew Barzal (22), Emil Heineman (7) 04:11 TOR 3,NYI 4
The Skinny
The Isles are 23-12-4 since they opened 0-3-0; the 50 points since October 16th are the most of any team in the Eastern Conference…The Isles went 0-1 on the power play and killed the only Leaf power play; the Isles are 11-53 on the power play in the last eighteen games and have killed 17-22 over the last eight games…The Isles improve to 3-12-1 when trailing after two periods … Schaefer's two goals give the Isles 23 rookie goals this season, tying Montreal for the NHL lead. … The Isles match a season high by going eight games over NHL-.500 for the fourth time this season…David Rittich started a seventh straight game, matching his career high that was set with Calgary in 2019… The Isles have sold out the last six home games and 11 of their 23 home games this season...The Isles scored four times after being held to two goals or fewer in nine consecutive games (4-4-1); it was the club's longest streak since they went ten games (1-8-1) from November 6-December 2, 2021…Each of the last six home overtime games had gone to a shootout; it was the first overtime decision since Nazem Kadri scored for Calgary on March 22, 2025; Bo Horvat had scored two days earlier in overtime against Montreal…The Isles have outscored opponents 4-0 in overtime, and have not allowed a goal in twelve overtime periods this season…Jonathan Drouin had two assists for his first multi-point game since mid-March; he is tied for second on the team in assists with 16…Emil Heineman scored the tying goal, and assisted on the overtime goal to reach 20 points; he had 18 points last season…Heineman is one of four players to change teams this season and score at last 13 goals…Max Tsyplakov played his 100th career game; Oliver Ekman-Larsson played his 1,100th career game…Morgan Rielly was on for all four Isles goals and was -4.
The Standings
The Isles remain in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division as they climb within one point of Carolina and remain one point ahead of Philadelphia.
Milestone Men
• Matthew Schaefer (18 years, 120 days) is the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record two multi-games; Zach Bogosian (19 years, 106 days) held the previous record.
• Schaefer is also the youngest defenseman to reach twelve goals; Phil Housley did it at 18 years, 325 days). Since World War II, only three forwards have done it at a younger age (Sidney Crosby, Brian Bellows and Jordan Staal).
• Schaefer is the sixth NHL rookie defenseman with at least two overtime goals in a season; Shayne Gostisbehere holds the record with 4; Schaefer is tied-2nd with his two overtime winners.
• Schaefer is the youngest player in NHL history with multiple overtime goals (26 days younger than Sidney Crosby); Crosby is the only other 18-year-old with multiple overtime goals (he had three).
• Only three Islander defensemen have recorded more than two career overtime goals (Thomas Hickey-5, Roman Hamrlik and Ryan Pulock-3). Hickey and Hamrlik are the only other Islander defensemen to score two overtime goals in a season.
• Mathew Barzal recorded two assists to reach 350 assists, passing John Tavares for 6th place on the club's list. He now needs six points to reach 500 points for his career.
• Patrick Roy now has 98 wins as the Islander coach.
• Anders Lee still needs one goal to become the fifth Islander with 300 goals.
• Ryan Pulock remains at 231 points, one point behind Kenny Jonsson for 5th on the club's defenseman point list.
First Times in a Long Time
• Mats Sundin is no longer the leading goal scorer in Leafs history; ironically, he scored against the Isles on October 11, 2007, to pass Darryl Sittler for the then-club record.
• The Isles got three goals from defensemen for the first time since March 7, 2024 (Aho, Dobson, Romanov at San Jose).
• Matthew Schaefer now has two multi-goal games this season; Islander defenseman had combined two multi-goal games over the prior six seasons (both Scott Mayfield and Robin Salo did so on October 15, 2022, vs. Anaheim.) Schaefer is the first Islander defenseman with two multi-goal games in the same season since Doug Crossman (1/2/1990 and 2/2/1990). Crossman is the only other defenseman with the surname other than Potvin (Denis in 7 seasons, Jean in 1) to do so.
Return to Form
Ilya Sorokin was 2-4-1 (.868 and 3.75) in his first seven games this season; he is 10-6-1 (.927 and 2.06) since October 31st with three shutouts. Only Jesper Wallstedt (4) has more shutouts in that span or this season; no goalie has more than eleven wins in that span.
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.
Big Save Dave
David Rittich is 11-5-2 on the season. In his last thirteen games (8-3-2), he has stopped 307 of 335 shots for a 2.13 GAA and a .916 save percentage. He has started the last seven games (4-2-1, 2.30, .911).
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).
Schaefer and Penalties
Matthew Schaefer has drawn 24 penalties this season, more than any other NHL defenseman, and second to Connor McDavid's 25. He is a net +14 (having taken only 10 penalties), which is also second to McDavid's +17.
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 24
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. Matt Martin 2010-11 25
3. Matthew Schaefer 2025-26 24
[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)
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)
6. 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)
Schaefer has played at least 27 minutes six times and at least 26 minutes eleven 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
1. Phil Housley (BUF) 17 (1982-83)
2. Bobby Orr (BOS) 13 (1966-67)
3. Matthew Schaefer 12 (2025-26)
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 12
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' 26. David Chyzowski (13) is the one now above Schaefer.
Most Assists by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 32
2. Matthew Schaefer 16
Only eight Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 16 assists, led by Bryan Trottier's 63 and Tim Connolly's 51. Josh Bailey (18) is the one now above Schaefer.
Most Points by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 39
2. Matthew Schaefer 28
Only eight Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 28 points, led by Bryan Trottier's 95 and Tim Connolly's 75. David Chyzowski (28) is now tied with Schaefer.
Schaefer will still be a Teenager for the next 124 Isles games.
Most Games Played as an 18-Year-Old (Isles history)
1. Tim Connolly 81 (14-20-34)
2. Mathew Schaefer 42 (12-16-28)
Most Goals by an Islander Rookie Defenseman
1. Denis Potvin 17 (1973-74)
2. Vladimir Malakhov 14 (1992-93)
3. Matthew Schafer 12 (2025-26)
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have eleven come-from behind wins this season, including five when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win eight times this season, including four times in the third period.
Overtime Is Our Time
The Isles are 4-0 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 4-4 in shootouts.
The Sixth Attacker
The Isles have scored six goals with the 6th attacker (most in NHL) and allowed eight empty net goals.
Opponents have scored five 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. 2019-20 and 2023-24 7
4. Five years, including 2025-26 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 and Casey Cizikas 11
Building on a Lead
The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 21 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 8 times
• Allowed the next goal: 9 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 4 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2025-26 23-15-4 for 50 points in 42 games
• 2024-25 17-18-7 for 41 points in 42 games; they reached 50/51 points in their 49th game.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 3-1-4
• Season: 19-57-76
• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161
Rookie Scoring
• Today: 2-0-2
• Season: 23-33-56
• Last Season (Final) 19-30-49
• This season's totals are the most since 2017-18 (38-101-139)
The 23 rookie goals are tied with Montreal for the most in the NHL while the 56 points are 3rd.
Home and Road
The Isles are 23-15-4 overall; they are 13-8-2 at home and 10-7-2 on the road.
Toronto is 19-15-7 overall; they are 14-5-5 at home and 5-10-2 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 13-9-4 against the East (6-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-4-2 vs. Atlantic) and 10-6-0 against the West (4-5-0 vs. Central and 6-1-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 17-4-2 when scoring first and 6-11-2 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 7-6-10-2=25
Toronto 7-11-3-0=21
The Isles are 6-10-3 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-0-1 when the shots are even and 16-5-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
David Rittich made 18 saves; he is 11-5-2 this season and 4-1-1 vs. Toronto.
Joseph Woll made 21 saves; he is 8-4-2 this season and 3-1-1 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-1 (2:00); Toronto was 0-1 (2:00)
The Isles are 12-4-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 11-11-2 when they do not. The Isles are 7-7-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 16-8-0 when they do not.
The Isles are 11-1-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 3-7-1 when they are outscored, and 9-7-3 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 18-1-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 5-14-1 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 14-3-4 in games decided by a single goal including 6-3 in regulation. They are 4-0 in games decided in overtime and are 4-4 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: Adam Pelech (24:04); Toronto: Morgan Reilly (27:31)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (22:49).
Face-offs
Isles 24, Toronto 32 (43%)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 7 of 13 for the Isles; Nicolas Roy won 6 of 8 for Toronto.
Hit Count
Isles 21 (Marc Gatcomb -7)
Toronto 19 (Simon Benoit -7)
Fights
None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, MacLean, Lee, DeAngelo)
Blocked Shots
Isles 11 (Marc Gatcomb -2)
Toronto 11 (Matthew Benning -3)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 58, Toronto 54
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 50, Toronto 48
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Tony DeAngelo +13
Toronto: Easton Cowan +10
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 9, Toronto 8
5-on-5: Isles 7, Toronto 7
Scratches
(Pierre Engvall-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Alex Romanov-IR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), (Bo Horvat -INJ), Adam Boqvist, Anthony Duclair.
Games Lost to injury: 202. (Last season's total: 304)
The Ironmen
Casey Cizikas is the Islanders' ironman, having played 150 consecutive games. Anders Lee (124) 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
The Isles are 2-4-2 in matinee games this season; the next matinee will be at 3:00pm ET on January 17th in Calgary. 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 17-21-14 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 (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 (4): Mathew Barzal 11/10 @ NJ, JG Pageau 11/13 @ VEG, Matthew Schaefer 11/14 @ UTA and 1/3 Vs TOR
Vs (0):
Shootout Winners
For (3): SEA 11/23, VEG 12/9, TBL 12/13, CHI 12/30
Vs (4): PHI 10/25, BOS 11/4, PHL 11/28, BUF 12/20
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 939 * 5. Brock Nelson 901 6. Bobby Nystrom 900 ** 7. Anders Lee 883…
19. Frans Nielsen 606 * 20. Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock 602 22. Kenny Jonsson 597 23. Garry Howatt 596 24. John Tonelli 594 25. Scott Mayfield 575 * 26. Mathew Barzal 571
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 * 2. Bryan Trottier 500 3. Denis Potvin 310 **
4. Clark Gillies 304 * 5. Anders Lee 299 …
18. Pierre Tugeon 147 \\\19. Mariusz Czerkawski 145 \\\ 20. Mathew Barzal 144…
24. Alexei Yashin and Frans Nielsen 119 * 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. Mathew Barzal 350…
18. Tomas Jonsson 249 * 19. Anders Lee 233…
24. Ed Westfall 181 * 25 Noah Dobson 180 * 26. Ryan Pulock 177…
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…
10. John Tonelli 544 * 11. Bob Bourne 542 12. Anders Lee 532 13. Bob Nystrom 513 *
14. Derek King 499 * 15. Mathew Barzal 494
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 +85 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 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 180 * 6. Ryan Pulock 177 …
9. Jeff Norton 166 \\\10. Mark Streit 139 \\\ 11. Adam Pelech 138…
15. Tom Kurvers and Gerry Hart 108 * 17. Scott Mayfield 101
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 * 2. Stefan Persson 369 3. Tomas Jonsson 333 **
4. Nick Leddy 243 * 5. Kenny Jonsson 232 * 6. Ryan Pulock 231…
10. Mark Streit 179 * 11. Adam Pelech 166…
15. Tom Kurvers 134 * 16. Johnny Boychuk and Bryan Berard 131 * 18. Scott Mayfield 130
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 * 2. Rick DiPietro 318 3. Glenn Resch 282 **
4. Ilya Sorokin 277 …
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
Bridgeport fell to 12-16-2-1 on the season as they fell 4-2 on Friday in Springfield and 4-1 at home on Saturday against Hartford.
They will head to Providence on Friday to begin a 3-in-3 weekend.
Leaders: Goals: Joey Larson- 12 (one of five AHL rookies with at least 12); Assists: Matthew Maggio-15; Points: Larson and Jefferies 21.
Goalies: Marcus Hogberg 5-8-2, 3.15, .880; Henrik Tikkanen 5-3-1, 2.62, .900
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 1). The teams will meet again on St. Patrick's Day in Toronto before completing the season series at UBS Arena on April 9th.
The Isles are 7-3-0 in their last ten games against the Leafs and have won four of the last five meetings at UBS Arena.
UP NEXT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6th — NEW JERSEY AT ISLANDERS 7:00PM
[ESPN+/Hulu, WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The Isles conclude the homestand and play their final home game until January 24th when they welcome the New Jersey Devils to UBS Arena in the third meeting of the teams this season.
The Isles have already won a pair of one-goal games from the Devils, overcoming a late goal from Simon Nemec to win in overtime in Newark in November and getting an Adam Pelech goal with 75 seconds to play for the winner on December 23rd at UBS Arena.
The Isles are 4-2-2 in eight games against the Devils at UBS Arena.
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
