Defenseman has goal, assist for New York; Celebrini scores for San Jose, which loses 6th in row
Sharks at Islanders | Recap
ELMONT, N.Y. — Matthew Schaefer had a goal and an assist for the New York Islanders in a 4-3 win against the San Jose Sharks at UBS Arena on Tuesday.
Schaefer, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, extended his point streak to six games (two goals, five assists) to become the second defenseman in NHL history with at least one point in each of his first six career games, joining Marek Zidlicky (six games from Oct. 9-23, 2003). It was also the first multipoint game of his NHL career.
“I love winning. I hate losing. It’s even more fun winning with this team and this group of guys,” Schaefer said when asked about extending his streak. “After the game, there’s a lot of happy guys in the room, and you feel good. But honestly, I mean, now we go back to work again, practice tomorrow, and then we have a game on Thursday, so go back to work, get our work boots on, and keep the streak going.”
Bo Horvat, Casey Cizikas and Emil Heineman scored for the Islanders (3-3-0), who have won three in a row. Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves.
“We found a way to win,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “Our power play was solid. Our penalty killing was outstanding. I don’t think we gave a scoring chance on the penalty kill. Ilya [Sorokin] was, to me, the star of the game. I know Matthew [Schaefer] had a great game as well, one goal and one assist, probably his best game since he’s been here. But I thought Ilya made some really good saves, especially in the first period, where we were not at our best. I thought he kept us in and gave us a chance to win. He [allowed us] to come out of the first actually up 3-2.”
Collin Graf, Adam Gaudette, and Macklin Celebrini each scored for the Sharks (0-4-2). Yaroslav Askarov made 23 saves. Michael Misa, who was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, recorded his first career NHL point with an assist.
Graf gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead while short-handed at 8:29 of the first period. After Mathew Barzal turned the puck over at the San Jose blue line, Ty Dellandrea started a rush up the ice. Dellandrea then sent a pass to Graf in the slot, who beat Sorokin with a quick snap shot.
SJS@NYI: Graf puts Sharks on top with SHG in opening period
Horvat tied the game at 1-1 on the power play at 9:26 with a wrist shot from the right circle off a pass from Barzal.
Cizikas put the Islanders up 2-1 just 1:04 later, when he beat Askarov from in tight following a misplayed pass from Sharks defenseman Sam Dickinson.
Gaudette evened it 2-2 after Misa found him alone in the low slot at 14:16.
“It was a good play by Graf to find me with a no-look pass,” Misa said. “And then I saw Gaudette coming down for a one-time so fed it over and, yeah, it was a good play.”
Heineman gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal at 19:28 after he jammed the puck over the goal line between Askarov’s pad and the left post.
Schaefer extended it to 4-2 at 6:38 of the second period. Anthony Duclair sent a pass out front from behind the net, and Schaefer lifted a shot past Askarov.
“We have the channels on in the room, so I get to see what’s on the bottom ticker,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said about Schaefer’s start to his career. “And it’s pretty incredible. But it feels like, within the room, that it’s just who he is. I think he’s had his game from the get-go. I said it the other day, like it’s surprising, but it’s not, if that makes sense. I get to play with him every day and practice and see him in the games, and he’s just a hell of a hockey player, and is making a big difference on this team and on our back end.”
SJS@NYI: Schaefer increases Islanders’ lead in 2nd period
Celebrini cut the Sharks’ deficit to 4-3 at 10:16 of the third with a wrist shot from the edge of the slot past Sorokin’s glove.
“The big mistake was the fourth goal, a line change, and that’s what’s going on right now,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. “We’re making one drastic mistake in the back of the net, and that’s ultimately costing us the game. I thought this was probably our most complete game of the year. I liked our effort. We had some scoring, good scoring chances. I think we only had them for nine chances against 5-on-5. Those are wins more times than not. So it’s got to keep plugging away.”
NOTES: Misa became the fifth-youngest player in Sharks history at the time of his first NHL point. … Schaefer became the fourth 18-year-old to begin his career with a six-game point streak (Alexandre Daigle (seven games), Sidney Crosby (six), and Wayne Gretzky (six)). He also became the second player in Islanders history with at least one point in each of his first six career games, following Bob Bourne (six games from Oct. 9-22, 1974). … Schaefer (18 years, 46 days) became the youngest defenseman in NHL history with a game-winning goal, besting the previous mark set by New Jersey’s Craig Wolanin (18 years, 135 days on Dec. 9, 1985).
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