Game 53
Isles 5, Rangers 2
Ondrej Palat celebrated his Islander debut with a goal and an assist, and Simon Holmstrom had his second three-point game of the season as the Isles beat the Rangers 5-2 before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.
The Isles have won all three meetings from the Blueshirts this season, outscoring them 12-2.
The Isles are 16-9-2 in their last 27 games and now lead the Flyers, Capitals, and Blue Jackets by six points.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Ondrej Palat (5) Simon Holmstrom (13), Matthew Schaefer (22) 14:59 NYR 0,NYI 1 PPG
Simon Holmstrom (13) Tony DeAngelo (19), Jean-Gabriel Pageau (12) 16:10 NYR 0,NYI 2
Mika Zibanejad (22) J.T. Miller (20), Vladislav Gavrikov (10) 18:04 NYR 1,NYI 2 PPG
2nd Period
Mathew Barzal (13) Simon Holmstrom (14), Bo Horvat (13) 13:12 NYR 1,NYI 3 PPG
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (11) Marc Gatcomb (2), Kyle MacLean (3) 13:59 NYR 1,NYI 4
Taylor Raddysh (8) Noah Laba (10), Will Borgen (3) 15:42 NYR 2,NYI 4
Emil Heineman (15) Adam Pelech (6), Ondrej Palat (7) 19:12 NYR 2,NYI 5
3rd Period
No Goals
The Skinny
The Isles went 2-5 on the power play and killed one of two Ranger power plays; the Isles are 6-24 on the power play in the last six games and have killed 43-51 over the last nineteen games, including 16-18 over the last seven… The Isles scored the first nine goals of the season series, before Mika Zibanejad scored 138:04 into the season series…Ondrej Palat joins Jonathan Drouin and Max Shabanov as Islanders to score in their team debut this season; Palat is the first Islander since Anthony Duclair to have a goal and an assist in his team debut…The Isles have allowed only 37 shots in their last two games…Emil Heineman increased his career-high total to 15 goals…Artemi Panarin was held out of the game by the Rangers…Carson Soucy played 15:49 and Ondrej Palat played 11:53 in their Islander debut… David Rittich is now 5-0-0 in his career against the Rangers, allowing a total of five goals…Mika Zibanejad reached 50 points for the eighth straight season, and ninth time in his career; it was his 272nd goal, tying Andy Bathgate for fifth in club history…The Isles scored five goals against the Rangers for the first time at UBS Arena…Mathew Barzal (2-12-14) broke a tie with Matthew Schaefer for the club power play point scoring lead.
First Time in a Long Time
The Isles held the Rangers to 16 shots, matching the fewest shots allowed in the 300 meetings between the teams; the Rangers had only 16 in a 4-2 win at the Coliseum on December 4, 2003.
The Standings
The Isles tie Pittsburgh for 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division in points, although they have played two more games; they are six points ahead of Columbus, Philadelphia, and Washington.
Milestone Men
• Mathew Barzal remained tied with Clark Gillies for 5th place in club history with 359 assists.
• Barzal tied Pierre Turgeon for 18th in club history with 147 goals.
• Matthew Schaefer set a club record for points by an 18-year-old (35), passing Tim Connolly.
• Ryan Pulock remains tied with Noah Dobson for 5th on the club's defenseman assist list with 180 assists.
Rittich vs. the Rangers
• David Rittich is the second goalie with a career record of 5-0-0 or better against the Rangers (Benny Grant 7-0-0, all of which were in 1943 or earlier).
• Among goalies who have faced the Rangers multiple times, Rittich's career goals against average of 1.00 is the lowest, while his save percentage of .963 is tied for the highest.
Return to Form
Ilya Sorokin was 2-4-1 (.868 and 3.75) in his first seven games this season; he is 15-8-1 (NHL-best .929 save percentage, and a 2.05 goals-against average) with an NHL-leading six shutouts since then.
Sorokin is 13-0-0 when facing more than 30 shots; he holds the club record for consecutive wins when facing more than 30 shots.
The Shutout Leader
Sorokin not only leads the NHL in shutouts this season; his 28 career shutouts are the most by an NHL goalie since Sorokin debuted in 2020-21; Connor Hellebuyck has 25 and Igor Shesterkin has 22 in that span.
Sorokin now has three seasons of at least six shutouts; he is the only goalie in club history with more than one such season (Varlamov, Resch, Halak, and Lehner each did it once.) Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky are the only other actives with three seasons.
Shutouts in Highest Percentage of Games Played (minimum 25 shutouts)
1. Roman Cechmanek (25/212) 11.8%
2. Ken Dryden (46/397) 11.6%
3. Dominik Hasek (81/735) 11.0%
4. Martin Brodeur (125/1266) 9.87%
5. Ilya Sorokin (28/284) 9.86%
Big Save Dave
David Rittich is 12-7-3 on the season. In his last seventeen games (9-5-3), he has stopped 378 of 417 shots for a 2.29 GAA and a .906 save percentage.
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).
Most Islander Shutouts in a Season
• 11 2018-19
• 10 2020-21 and 1975-76
• 9 2021-22
• 8 2025-26, 2022-23 and 1997-98
Schaefer and Penalties
Matthew Schaefer has drawn 27 penalties this season, more than any other NHL defenseman, and tied for third in the NHL. He is a net +14 (having taken only 13 penalties).
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 27
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 27
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 41 straight games; it is the longest streak in NHL history by an 18-year-old and the second-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 (13-22-35 in 53 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 22
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 35
Only seven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 35 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 113 Isles games.
Most Games, Goals, Assists and Points as an 18-Year-Old (Isles history)
Matthew Schafer now holds the club record for assists (22) and points (35). He is one goal behind Tim Connolly for that record; Connolly played 81 games as a rookie – the only 18-year-old to play more games than Schaefer.
Most Goals by an Islander Rookie Defenseman
1. Denis Potvin 17 (1973-74)
2. Vladimir Malakhov 14 (1992-93)
3. Matthew Schaefer 13 (2025-26)
Most Points by an Islander Rookie Defenseman
1. Stefan Persson 56 (1977-78)
2. Denis Potvin 54 (1973-74)
3. Vladimir Malakhov 52 (1992-93)
4. Bryan Berard 48 (1996-97)
5. Matthew Schaefer 35 (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 Schaefer 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 ten times this season, including four times in the third period.
The Isles have two multi-goal comeback wins (none in the third period); opponents also have two (none 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 nine 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 27 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 12 times
• Allowed the next goal: 11 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 4 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2025-26 29-19-5 for 63 points in 53 games
• 2024-25 25-21-7 for 57 points in 53 games; they reached 63 points in their 61st game, which was Brock Nelson's final game with the Islanders.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-3-3
• Season: 24-78-102
• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161
Rookie Scoring
• Today: 0-1-1
• Season: 25-44-69
• 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 69 points are 3rd. Islander rookies have scored 16.6% of the team's goals, which is the highest percentage in the NHL.
Home and Road
The Isles are 29-19-5 overall; they are 15-9-2 at home and 14-10-3 on the road.
The Rangers are 22-26-6 overall; they are 6-13-4 at home and 16-12-2 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 16-10-4 against the East (9-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-5-2 vs. Atlantic) and 13-9-1 against the West (5-6-1 vs. Central and 8-3-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 21-5-3 when scoring first and 8-14-2 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 14-14-8=36
Rangers 7-6-3=16
The Isles are 9-13-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-1-1 when the shots are even and 19-5-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
David Rittich made 14 saves; he is 12-7-3 this season and 5-0-0 vs. the Rangers.
Spencer Martin made 31 saves; he is 1-3-0 this season and 0-4-0 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 2-5 (5:28), although they did not score on a 2:00 5-on-3; the Rangers were 1-2 (5:28).
The Isles are 16-5-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-14-3 when they do not. The Isles are 9-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 20-10-1 when they do not.
The Isles are 15-1-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 3-8-2 when they are outscored, and 11-10-3 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 23-2-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 6-17-2 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
Including tonight, the Isles are 4-4-0 on the front end and 4-2-1 on the back end this season. This back-to back concludes Thursday at MSG. The next back-to-back will be February 2-3 when they visit Washington and host Pittsburgh.
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 (24:36); Rangers: Braden Schneider (22:52)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (20:09).
Face-offs
Isles 31, Rangers 23 (57%)
Bo Horvat won 10 of 15 for the Isles; Vincent Trocheck won 9 of 14 for the Rangers.
Hit Count
Isles 23 (Emil Heineman -4)
Rangers 29 (JT Miller -6)
Fights
None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, MacLean, Lee, DeAngelo)
Blocked Shots
Isles 15 (Matthew Schaefer -3)
Rangers 11 (Two with 2)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 63, Rangers 44
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 46, Rangers 36
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Matthew Schaefer and Marc Gatcomb +11
Rangers: Two with +2
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 18, Rangers 9
5-on-5: Isles 13, Rangers 7
Scratches
(Pierre Engvall-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Alex Romanov-IR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), (Cal Ritchie -INJ), Adam Boqvist, Max Shabanov
Games Lost to injury: 259. (Last season's total: 304)
The Ironmen
Casey Cizikas is the Islanders' ironman, having played 161 consecutive games. Anders Lee (135) is the only other Isle to have also played every game since the start of last season.
National TV Games
The Isles are 3-2-1 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners. Their next appearance will be on TNT on February 3rd vs Pittsburgh.
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 2-6-2 in matinee games this season; the remaining matinees are on March 28th vs Florida and April 11th vs Ottawa, both at 1:00pm. 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 17-23-14 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, NYR 1/28
Vs (6): BOS 10/28, COL 11/16, PHI 11/28, TB 11/30, WPG 1/13, BUF 1/24
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 950 * 5. Brock Nelson 901 6. Bobby Nystrom 900 ** 7. Anders Lee 894…
17. Billy Harris 623 * 18. Stefan Persson 622 19. Adam Pelech 613 20. Ryan Pulock 611 21. Frans Nielsen 606 22. Kenny Jonsson 597 23. Garry Howatt 596 24. John Tonelli 594 25. Scott Mayfield 586 ** 26. Mathew Barzal 582
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 and Mathew Barzal 147…
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 and Mathew Barzal 359…
18. Tomas Jonsson 249 * 19. Anders Lee 236…
23. Pierre Turgeon 193 * 24. Ed Westfall 181 * 25 Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock 180…
32. Ziggy Palffy 163 * 33. Casey Cizikas 156
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 536 *
13. Bob Nystrom 513 * 14. Mathew Barzal 506…
27. Ed Westfall 286 * 28. Casey Cizikas 276
+/-
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 +67 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. Adam Pelech 141…
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 169…
14. Dave Lewis 141 * 15. Tom Kurvers 134 * 16. Scott Mayfield 132
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 * 2. Rick DiPietro 318 * 3. Ilya Sorokin 283…
8. Jaroslav Halak 177* 9. Glenn Healy 176 * 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 * 2. Glenn Resch 157 * 3. Ilya Sorokin 142 …
7. Jaroslav Halak 88 * 8. Roland Melanson 77 * 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Ilya Sorokin 28 * 2. Glenn Resch 25 3. Billy Smith 22 **
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
Bridgeport is 17-18-2-2 on the season and hold a one-point lead over Hartford for the final playoff spot; the teams will play on Friday in Hartford.
Leaders: Goals: Adam Beckman 15; Assists: Alex Jefferies 17; Points: Beckman 25.
Goalies: Marcus Hogberg 8-9-3, 2.85, .896; Henrik Tikkanen 7-4-1, 2.39, .906
Season Series Stats
The Isles lead the season series, 3 games to 0 (and 6 points to 0). The final meeting of the season will be on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
This week marks the first time since December 2-3, 2010, that the teams have played on consecutive days.
UP NEXT
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29th —ISLANDERS AT RANGERS 7:00PM
[MSGSN (Pre-game at 6:30); WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The Isles look to sweep the home-and-home, and the season series, as they visit the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
The Rangers have been shut out six times at home this season, including by Ilya Sorokin on November 9th.
The Isles will be looking to win all of the meetings of the season series from the Rangers for the third time, having also done it in 2015-16 and 2017-18; in both of those seasons they won three times in regulation and one time in a shootout.
