From the moment that Matthew Schaefer was drafted first overall by the Islanders back in June, there has been a love affair growing between the rookie defenseman and Islanders Country. That mutual admiration reached an all-time…well, a six-game high Tuesday night, during and after the Islanders’ 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks at UBS Arena.
Schaefer recorded his first multi-point NHL game, as he tallied his second goal along with an assist. The fans were chanting “Matthew Schaefer” during the game, and again when he skated onto the ice after the game to be recognized as the game’s first star.
“I love this place…let’s go Islanders, baby,” Schaefer told MSGSN’s Shannon Hogan during the post-game interview that was also played on the jumbotron in the arena.
Schaefer’s second period goal turned out to be the game-winning goal, the first of his NHL career, and he became the youngest player (18 years, 48 days) in NHL history to have a game-winning goal.
In the victory, Schaefer was a factor on both ends of the ice with two points and a plus-one rating.
“It was probably his best game since he’s been here,” said Islanders Head Coach Patrick Roy. “I thought it was his most complete game. He was as good offensively as he was defensively. It’s nice to see him be rewarded. Matthew is playing really well. It’s impressive to see the confidence. I think our fans are going to love him for a while.”
After losing their first three games of the season, Schaefer and the Islanders have bounced back with three straight wins to even their record at 3-3-0. But while the Islanders will gladly take the two points and the win, they know, to a man, that their performance on Tuesday night was not great and there are things to clean up.
But a win is a win and the Islanders will now turn the page towards Thursday night’s home game with the Detroit Red Wings.
“I think we just keep looking for more wins,” said Schaefer. “I don’t think that was our best game tonight but I think we fought and got the win. We’ll move on from it but we’ll learn from it as well.”
While Schaefer continues to learn on the job, he continues his assault on the NHL and Islanders record books:
-Schaefer is the youngest player in Islanders history with a multi-point game.
-He is the second defenseman in NHL history with at least one point in each of his first six career games.
-Schaefer joins Bob Bourne as the only players in Islanders history to begin their careers with a six-game point streak.
-He became the fourth 18-year-old in NHL history, joining Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby and Alexandre Daigle, to have a six-game point streak at the start of a career.
-If Schaefer gets a point on Thursday, he’ll equal Daigle’s NHL record for an 18-year-old with a seven-game point streak to begin a career.
To stay that Schaefer has been impressive would be an understatement.
“He’s just so calm back there,” said Islanders Captain Anders Lee. ‘He’s continuing to grow. He reads the game and sees the game so well that when his skill takes over it’s a pretty lethal combination. He’s continuing to make a lot of people happy around here and he’s been huge for our team to get us going, especially the last few games.”
While his skill and hockey sense have made Schaefer’s jump from juniors to the NHL a smooth transition so far, it probably doesn’t happen without the help and advice from his Islanders teammates.
To quote The Beatles, Schaefer has received a little help from his friends.
“My teammates have been so amazing to me in the room and off the ice,” Schaefer told MSGSN during the second intermission on Tuesday night. “I think that’s helped me so much as a young kid coming into the league.”
Schaefer was just one of several high-profile rookies on the ice Tuesday night. After the Islanders took Schaefer first overall in June, the Sharks took forward Michael Misa second overall, and Misa notched his first NHL point on Tuesday night. And forward Macklin Celebrini, the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, scored in the third period to cut the Islanders lead to a goal.
The NHL is in good hands with some great young players that will draw fans to arenas all over North America, including UBS Arena.
“I think it’s just good for our game,” said Roy. “Watching these guys playing will bring a lot of people to the games. They will bring a lot of fans to the games. I know that eventually Matthew will bring a lot of people into this building. I have no doubt in my mind.”
Matthew Schaefer is a big part of the Islanders' future, but he is already having an impact as a rookie, with both his play on the ice and the immediate connection he has made with the fans. Through the first four home games, there are already tons of “SCHAEFER 48” jerseys around UBS Arena.
That number is only going to grow as the season goes on.
And if the Islanders can win games while Schaefer continues to grow, it will be the perfect storm on Long Island.
“We got a lot of talented guys,” said Schaefer. “We all have really high hockey sense. It’s fun to be out there with these guys.”
It’s been fun for Schaefer, the Islanders and the fans so far.
And he’s just getting started.