The Islanders exercised plenty of caution with Matthew Schaefer throughout the preseason.
They threw it to the wind on Saturday, maybe for good.
As coach Patrick Roy put it, Schaefer gave them no choice.
The Islanders went down 4-2 to the Capitals in their home opener, but they got Schaefer’s coming out party in lieu of two points, and it was something to behold.
“He’s so good,” Roy said afterward of the 18-year-old who is brimming with possibility. “He was our best player out there tonight. … If I’m a fan, I’ll pay to watch him play. There’s no doubt about it.”
Here was what Schaefer gave the 17,255 at UBS Arena for their money on Saturday: 25:36 time on ice, eight shots on goal, 14 total shot attempts, a blocked shot and his first career goal — which came after Schaefer dove head-on into a goal-mouth scramble 4:28 into the third period to push a loose puck past Logan Thompson.
He popped up like a kid who had just gone into a snowbank, all smiles. The UBS faithful began chanting his name. There was an interminable wait for the Capitals to decide whether to challenge, and then for a hand-pass review. The goal was confirmed. Schaefer grinned.
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“I love these fans,” he would say after the 4-2 loss. “It’s crazy. Getting your name chanted out there. It’s awesome. It feels like home, for sure.”
He was asked about his mother, Jennifer, who died of cancer when he was 16, and what she would make of all this.
“I think she’s up there with the hockey gods,” Schaefer said. “Maybe slipped them a 20 to get that goal.”
There were not many positives for the Islanders from this game. But Schaefer looking this good, this soon, is beyond their wildest expectations for someone who played just 17 games last season in the Ontario Hockey League.
Schaefer didn’t just lead the Islanders in time on ice in his second-ever NHL game. He became the youngest player in history to record over 25 minutes in a game, beating a record set by Sidney Crosby on Dec. 3, 2005.
On the ice from Long Island
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And, when given the opportunity to pump the breaks, Roy only stepped on the gas.
“I’m not balancing anything right now the way he’s playing,” the head coach said, regarding Schaefer’s workload. “He forced me to play him. He forced us to play him. So we’re gonna give it to him.”
Without Jonathan Drouin (suspension), Marc Gatcomb came into the lineup, taking a spot on the fourth line while Anthony Duclair moved into Drouin’s spot on the second line.
Calum Ritchie (lower body) participated in morning skate, his first time skating with the team since getting hurt in the preseason finale.
