Copyright AM New York
ELMONT, NY — New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy labeled Matthew Schaefer’s performance in Tuesday night’s 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks as his best performance yet. The 18-year-old rookie drafted No. 1 overall just four months ago, posted his first career multi-point game at the NHL level with a goal and an assist. He has recorded at least one point in each of his first six career games, making him just the second defenseman in NHL history to do so. “I thought he was really good in both ends,” Roy said. “Getting pucks out of the zone, competing in front of our net, joining the rush, moving up, getting in the o-zone.” The bar continues to rise for the blue liner, who not only has come as advertised and then some, but is providing a culture shock for a franchise that has not seen this sort of marauding style of play from a defenseman in quite some time. That says a lot considering ex-Islander D-man Noah Dobson posted a 70-point season two years ago. But, to put it plainly, Schaefer is different. He is one of the fastest skaters on the ice every night and has the wherewithal to balance his defensive duties with divebombing forays into the offensive zone, whether it be on the rush or having the instinct to pinch toward the opposition’s goal to ramp up the pressure. After nabbing a secondary assist on Bo Horvat’s first-period power play goal, Schaefer drove to the front of the crease to get on the end of Anthony Duclari’s centering pass from behind the net to pop his second career goal past Yaroslav Askarov to give the Islanders a 4-2 lead 6:38 into the second period. That sort of play, especially during an even-strength situation, has been as foreign a concept as ever for an Islanders team that preached stay-at-home defense for nearly a decade under its previous regime. “It’s 100% instinct,” Schaefer said. “I think it takes over. You watch the game throughout, and you don’t need to go as much, but if it’s there, and you read it, then it’s my time to go.” His five assists are the most amongst Islanders skaters, while his seven points are tied with Horvat for the team lead. The sample size is obviously small, but at this pace, Schaefer could become the first Islanders defenseman to average a point per game since the legendary Denis Potvin posted 85 points in 1983-84. “Look at what he’s doing to start his career off, first six games in the NHL,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said. “We have the [sports] channels on in the room, and we see what’s on the bottom ticker. It’s pretty incredible. But it feels like in the room, that’s just who he is. He’s had his game from the get-go. The last month-and-a-half, it’s surprising, but it’s not. I get to play with him every day at practice and see him in the games. He’s just a hell of a hockey player and is making a big difference on this team and in our back end.” And to think, this is just the beginning for a franchise that is trying to retool on the fly. “I know that, eventually, Matthew will bring a lot of people to this building,” Roy said. “I have no doubt in my mind… Our fans are going to love him for a while.”
