So after Matthew Schaefer's circus goal — a one-timer from the right circle that somehow hit off the forest of legs in front of him, looped off the crossbar,
Mar 1, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer celebrates with the crowd after the victory over the Florida Panthers during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn ImagesHow many times have you heard a sold-out NHL arena chanting the name of an 18-year-old defenseman? Probably not many.
So after Matthew Schaefer’s circus goal — a one-timer from the right circle that somehow hit off the forest of legs in front of him, looped off the crossbar, off the back of Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and in to cut the New York Islanders’ first-period deficit to 2-1 with 1:59 to go in the first period — the 17,000-plus in attendance’s boisterous support of the rookie phenom could not be ignored.It was the first of two goals on Sunday night against the two-time defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers for the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, and his third and fourth in the last three games. He became the first 18-year-old defenseman ever to score 20 goals in a single season and is now just the second Islanders defenseman ever to light the lamp that many times.“He’s a stud, he’s an absolute stud,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “He just puts himself in positions to score, and regardless of if he got a bounce or two, he’s putting himself there and he’s getting the puck through to the net. And he does that night in and night out.” He is just the 22nd 18-year-old at any position to record 20 goals in a season, too — the benchmark tally coming with 9:31 left in regulation to give the Islanders a 4-3 lead after overturning deficits of 2-0 and 3-2. After Sam Reinhart tied the game for Florida with 1:58 remaining, Anders Lee powered his way to the “How many times have I said the word impressive?” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said of Schaefer. “He’s doing things very special out there. The quality of decision-making is impressive as well. He’s jumping into the plays, shooting with confidence. As a result, he got a couple of goals. One was a lucky one… but the second one was a nice play in the entry.” Mar 1, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer celebrates his second goal against the Florida Panthers during the third period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images The stats speak for themselves, but Schaefer’s sheer presence has injected new life and exuberance, revitalizing a franchise that had been mired in mediocrity — even grown stale — after two straight Stanley Cup semifinal appearances in 2020 and 2021. What used to be common pitfalls for the Islanders are becoming their strengths. They lead the NHL with 15 wins when tied after two periods. They’ve won three straight games when they’ve trailed 2-0. An organization whose brand of hockey had become so monotonous, almost one-dimensional, plays an intense, offensive style implemented by new general manager Mathieu Darche, sustained by Roy, and executed in part by Schaefer. He constantly joins New York’s rush in transition, bombs down from the blue line to support the attack, and is hardly gun-shy when the puck is on his stick. “There’s a buzz in the air when he touches the puck,” Lee said. “He’s creating so much, and he’s all over the ice offensively and defensively, and there’s no doubt we feed off that.” A team that was not expected to factor into the playoff race is very much entrenched in a postseason push with 21 games to go. The Islanders hold the No. 3 seed in the Metropolitan Division, which is the final automatic playoff berth in the division. They are level on points . He is also a member of the Pro Hockey Writers’ Association and has covered the New York Islanders for nearly a decade. His previous stops include Bleacher Report and Metro New York, while his work has been featured in the New York Post, Newsday, and Yahoo! Sports.Islanders are right where they expected to be as final push begins: ‘The window is always open’St. Pat’s for All draws thousands to Sunnyside, celebrates New York’s immigrant community Texas mass shooting: Dead gunman had lived, married and was arrested in New York years before unleashing violence in AustinFDNY Bravest boxing team expanding its reach ahead of Battle of the Badges III at MSGand modern luxury in Midtown Texas mass shooting: Dead gunman had lived, married and was arrested in New York years before unleashing violence in Austin
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