Nashville Predators Beat New York Islanders 4-3 As Matthew Schaefer Continues To Climb the Record Books
The Predators started this season slowly, but have rebounded to be an average team in the National Hockey League. This was a dangerous game for the Islanders as they looked for their fourth win in a row.
The Islanders lost this game 4-3. Of note for the Islanders were the performances of newcomers Carson Soucy and Ondrej Palat. Also of note for the Islanders was the performance of record-setting rookie phenom Matthew Schaefer and star Bo Horvat. Do you think these stars will be enough to carry the Islanders to the NHL Playoffs?
Predators and Islanders Scoring Summary
The Predators have several good players and have righted the ship. However, they are coming off back-to-back 3-2 overtime losses, with the most recent against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Michael McCarron and Filip Forsberg scored in the loss to the Devils. The Islanders, on the other hand, came into this game having won three games in a row, including a back-to-back against the rival Rangers. Here is a scoring summary from the game.
In the first period, the Islanders got off to a great start as Matthew Barzal and Scheafer scored early for the Islanders, giving them a 2-0 lead. Defensive breakdowns for the Islanders led the Nashville Predators to tie the game at 2. Forsberg scored, and then Matthew Wood scored.
In the second period, Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders to lead 3-2. Then, Forsberg scored his goal of the game to tie it up again at 3. In the third period, Roman Josi scored for the Nashville Predators. That proved to be the game-winner. He scored with 1:14 left in regulation.
Incomparable Matthew Schaefer
Schaefer scored the game-winning goal to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead in the second period on Thursday night. It says something that he scored in a rival’s home building, and it says something that he scored in the second game of a back-to-back.
He has 5 goals this month and 15 for the season. With the goal, he passed Bobby Orr for the second-most goals by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history. 17 goals is the next magic number for Schaefer, as he would tie both Phil Housley and Denis Potvin.
He said, “You don’t really think about it that much, but when … you hear those names, it’s an honor to be with those guys.” Schaefer leads all rookie defensemen and ranks third among rookies with 36 points this season. However, a bright spot is that his four game-winners lead all rookies. He might win the Calder trophy as the best rookie.
Soucey Scores Against Former Team
Soucy scored at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. He did so against his former team, the New York. He said, “It’s definitely weird at first. Once the game gets going, though, it’s kind of just hockey. Like I’ve kept saying, I want to help this team win, [it] doesn’t matter who it’s against.”
Player Of the Game
The player of the game was Schaefer, who scored again, his 15th. As he continues to gather points, records keep falling. With his first-period goal, he now needs only two more goals to tie Housley and Potvin.
Turning Point
The turning point of this game was Schaefer’s second-period goal. It was his 15th goal of the season, three behind Potvin for the most goals by an Islanders rookie defenseman. That goal also proved to be the game-winning goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
The final score of the game was 4-3, Nashville. The Islanders gave up 42 shots and did not deserve a point. The player of the game was Schaefer, who continued to climb up the all-time defenseman goal-scoring list. The Predators host the St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. on Monday. The Blues are horrible. The Islanders play on Monday at 7 p.m. against the Washington Capitals.
Parting Shots
Steven Stamkos of the Nashville Predators scored the 600th goal of his career on New Year’s Eve. He has been one of the best goal-scorers in the National Hockey League for a long time. The Predators may trade him.
For the Islanders, there is less than a week to play before they, and the entire league, go on an extended Olympic break. They played a sloppy game tonight, betraying just how far they need to come.
