Islanders beat the Wild 4-3 on Oct. 29. Matthew Scheafer scored two goals for the team, had an assist, and played more than 30 minutes. Ryan Pulock left the game after only two shifts and fifty-one seconds played. That is the fifth injury for the team, but as long as Schafer is playing this way, the team ought to be fine.
One concern in this game was goaltender Ilya Sorokin. He played a bad game, perhaps his worst game of the season. The Islanders need their star goaltender to play well, particularly with the injuries they have suffered. The Islanders beat the Wild and were fortunate to do so. How many more injuries will the Islanders have to endure?
Islanders Beat the Wild 4-3 in Overtime
The Wild are one of the best teams in the National Hockey League and were coming off a road trip where they went 3-1-1. It was not looking good for the Islanders, who had to play this game in Minnesota with just five defensemen after Ryan Pulock got hurt in the first period. However, the Islanders beat the Wild 4-3 in overtime. Here is how the game played out.
In the first period, the Wild scored less than a minute into the game when Joel Eriksson Ek scored. They had a quick 1-0 lead. That lead did not last long, as Matthew Schaefer scored his first goal of the game to tie it up at 1. In the period, the Wild had the better of the play until Schaefer scored. At this point, the game was tied, but it was looking like the Islanders might beat the Wild.
In the second period, Bo Horvat scored for the Islanders on the power play. That goal gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead. Schaefer had an assist on this goal. Now with the lead, it was looking like it might be possible for the Islanders to beat the Wild. However, Quinn Hughes scored for the Wild near the end of the period to tie the game at two.
In the third period, Adam Pelech scored for the Islanders, giving them a 3-2 lead. That was an important goal with his longtime defense partner hurt. It was also looking at this point that it might be possible for the Islanders to win this game. The Islanders beat the Wild. However, the Islanders gave up the lead when Matt Boldy scored late in the game to tie the score at three.
Just 33 seconds into overtime, Matthew Schaefer scored his second goal of the game to win it, 4-3. The Islanders beat the Wild.
The Cream Rises to the Top
Many people were concerned that Matthew Schaefer came into this game with just two goals. That problem seems to be over as he doubled his season total in goals in this game. He also had an assist, and he now has 4 goals and 10 assists, good for 14 points. With his two goals in this game, he passed Bobby Orr for the most goals in League history by a teenager.
This Game and the Next
The Islanders beat the Wild 4-3 in this game. The player of this game was the incomparable Matthew Schaefer. He had 3 points and played 30:01. This ends a three-game road trip for the Islanders, who come home to face the Edmonton Oilers at 2 pm on Saturday. The Wild travel to play the Washington Capitals at 3:30 on Nov. 1.
Conclusion: Schaefer the Savior
The Islanders have a lot of injuries. Forwards Mat Barzal, Callum Ritchie, and Mattias Meccelli, and defenseman Aleksander Romanov did not make the road trip. Now it looks like defenseman Ryan Pulock will miss time. The team is not deep enough to have these injuries, but if Matthew Schaefer plays this way, the team should be okay, though Edmonton provides a challenge in the next game.
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