Islanders 4, Maple Leafs 3 (OT): This kid’s incredible

5 days ago 2

Matthew Schaefer scored two highlight reel goals, including a tying goal and an overtime winner, as the Islanders came back and beat the Maple Leafs, 4-3, Saturday night on Long Island.

Rumors of Auston Matthews’ demise have been greatly exaggerated, as the maligned Maple Leafs captain continued his tear with two goals*, but the Islanders’ own #1 overall pick of a decade later matched him goal for goal.

*Interestingly, the Leafs emptied the bench for his second goal, as it moved him past Mats Sundin into first place all-time among Maple Leaf goal scorers. It seems the bar for stop-the-game-and-empty-the-bench** activities, even on the road, gets ever lower.

Barzal’s two assists, including a spinaround turn that drew away both defenders on Schaeffer’s winner, moved him past John Tavares to fifth on the Islanders all-time assist leaderboard. **The Islanders promptly emptied the bench after the that one, but that’s because they had won the game.

[NHL Gamecenter | Game Summary | Event Summary | Natural Stat Trick]

The OT bonus point nearly went the other way when Simon Holmstrom, stretching to prevent a Matthews hat trick and game-ender, knocked down a low-slot pass out of the air and off the post behind David Rittich. Thankfully, the script makers had a different narrative in mind tonight.

Indeed, the Islanders were not in position to take even one point until Emil Heineman tied it at 3-3 with under three minutes to go, a one-timer off a swift pass from Barzal.

The Isles entered the third period trailing 2-1 and that score stood at the halfway mark when Schaefer scored a stunning goal, knifing through and around the entire Leafs’ defense, then completing it with a move that mirrored Matthews’ first goal.

This was, simply, beautiful:

Alas, Schaefer’s first highlight did not last long. The home crowd was still singing “Mat-thew Schae-fer” when the Isles third pairing — more on them later — was victimized again, yielding an open look for Nicholas Robertson.

That was frustrating and deflating, but the Isles tied it once again before Patrick Roy could even pull Rittich for a sixth attacker. Heineman’s goal allowed him to stay ahead of Schaefer’s pace…at least temporarily.

Mercifully, there was no more deflation in store. The teams made it to overtime and Barzal and Schaefer worked their magic to give the Isles the extra point and another highlight to remember:

Notes

The Isles’ latest trial on the third pairing, after sending Marshall Warren back to Bridgeport, was not Adam Boqvist Part XIII. This time they recalled Ohio State product Cole McWard, a right shooter, for his seventh NHL game, and Mayfield slid over to his off hand.
Being next to Mayfield right now is no easy assignment, and likewise I’m sure it’s tough for Mayfield to have a revolving cast for his partners. But for the night, they were well underwater along with the Isles’ fourth line. Highlights-wise, Mayfield was turned around on Matthews’ first goal, and McWard was caught behind the net on Robertson’s go-ahead.
Adam Pelech opened scoring in the second period with a seeing-eye shot through traffic from the point after a Jonathan Drouin faceoff win against Tavares. That meets Pelech’s annual quota of three for the season, and two in the last couple of weeks — affirming that nothing in hockey is more random than goals by stay-at-home defensemen.
The Max’s got their first look on a line together, with Shabanov and Tsyplakov first flanking J-G Pageau and then Calum Ritchie. They didn’t get a lot of ice time and didn’t do a ton with what they were given. By the very end, Shabanov was taking shifts with Casey Cizikas and Marc Gatcomb while Tsyplakov was sitting.
Ilya Sorokin is alive: As announced yesterday, he was dressed as backup thought David Rittich got his seventh consecutive start. Sorokin is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Devils.