The New York Islanders have yet to record a win through their first two games.
But the Islanders have found a cornerstone player in rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
The Islanders will look to earn their first win when they host the Winnipeg Jets in a Monday matinee in Elmont, N.Y.
Both teams were off Sunday after playing at home Saturday, when the Islanders fell to the Washington Capitals 4-2 and the Jets edged the Los Angeles Kings 3-2.
The 0-2-0 start is the first since 2021-22 for the Islanders, who led for just 97 seconds in Thursday’s 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins before falling into a 4-0 hole in the second period Saturday.
But their comeback bid against the Capitals was sparked by Schaefer, who was on the power-play unit that scored twice in a span of fewer than six minutes bridging the final two periods.
After Anthony Duclair scored with 1:09 left in the second, Schaefer scored his first NHL goal at 4:28 of the third by diving into a pile of bodies in the crease and poking home the loose puck.
The 18-year-old, who was selected first overall in the NHL Draft in June, is the youngest defenseman to score a goal since 17-year-old Ross Johnstone did so for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 29, 1944, in Boston. He also became the youngest player in NHL history to score a power-play goal.
Schaefer paced the Islanders with eight shots and 26:04 of ice time. He is the first player 19 years or younger to finish with at least eight shots and play at least 26 minutes since Rasmus Dahlin had eight shots over 28:34 for the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 11, 2018.
“He was our best player out there tonight,” said Islanders head coach Patrick Roy. “He’s exciting to watch. If I’m a fan, I’ll pay to watch him play. There’s no doubt about it.”
The Jets’ franchise player, Mark Scheifele, provided plenty of excitement earlier Saturday when Winnipeg squandered an early 1-0 lead by allowing a pair of goals within the first 10 minutes of the second period.
But Scheifele keyed Winnipeg’s comeback by scoring the game-tying goal with 1:03 left in the second and collecting the game-winner 11:47 into the third.
The game-winning goal was the 60th for Scheifele, which tied teammate Kyle Connor for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history. Scheifele has a club-record 338 goals and 809 points, three points shy of tying Blake Wheeler’s franchise record.
Scheifele’s goals helped the Jets, who won the Presidents’ Trophy last season, avoid their first 0-2-0 start since 2021-22. Winnipeg nearly overcame a four-goal third-period deficit in a 5-4 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
“We weren’t happy with the last game,” Scheifele said. “We knew we had to come out strong and we were happy with the way we started. We kind of had a little lull, but kudos to the boys for sticking with it.”
