Oct 11, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) watches the puck during the first period against the Washington Capitals at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
ELMONT, NY — Mathew Schaefer helped turn the tide of what was shaping up to be a blowout night with his first career NHL goal, but it still was not enough to bail the New York Islanders out, as they dropped their home opener 4-2 to the Washington Capitals on Saturday night at UBS Arena.
Aliaksei Protas scored twice to lead the Capitals, while the Islanders fellto 0-2 to start the season.
It spoiled the home opener Schaefer — the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft — who poked his first career goal home 4:28 into the third period to halve the Islanders’ deficit after falling behind by four goals
On the power play, a play started by Schaefer at the point found Anthony Duclair at the left post, who went cross crease to Kyle Palmieri on the doorstep. The shot hit the post and deflected into a scrum of bodies in front of Logan Thompson’s goal. Schaefer bombed in and popped a lunging backhander into the roof of the net, making him the youngest defenseman to score an NHL goal in 81 years (Ross Johnstone, 17 years old in 1944).
He played 25:36, including time quarterbacking the Islanders’ top power-play unit — a clear indication of his comfort level in the pros and his team’s confidence in him.
“He’s forced us to play him,” head coach Patrick Roy said. “So we’re going to give it to him… I mean, he’s so good. He was our best player out there tonight… He’s exciting to watch. If I’m a fan, I’ll pay to watch him play, there’s no doubt about that.”
Martin Fehervary was gifted Washington’s opener 1:50 into the game when Alex Ovechkin’s point shot was blocked in front by Islanders defenseman Alex Romanov. The puck caromed right to the Capitals defender down low, who was standing at Ilya Sorokin’s right post, to finish into an open net.
“I think I’ve seen this exact same scene in the Mighty Ducks,” Schaefer joked with a nod to the famous 90’s movie. “Just trying to reenact that… It was crazy. I love these fans. Crazy, your name being chanted out there. It feels like home.”
With 6:08 to go in the first, Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s pass to Simon Holmstrom at the Islanders’ blue line resulted in a turnover that gave Aliaksei Protas possession all alone between the circles in front of Sorokin. He snapped a wrister home stick side.
The Capitals’ two goals matched the number of shots the Islanders could muster on goal through the opening 20 minutes, but the hosts would find their attacking skates in the second, outshooting the Capitals 9-3 in the first eight minutes of the middle frame.
Their momentum was stymied by a questionable Palmieri tripping penalty on Protas. On the right boards of the Islanders’ zone, Palmieri’s stick grazed Protas’ calf, to which the Capital made a meal of a dramatic dive that caught the attention of the officiating crew.
As time expired on the infraction, Ryan Leonard made it 3-0 when his wrister deflected off New York defenseman Scott Mayfield and past the outstretched glove of Sorokin.
Protas picked up his second goal of the night thanks to a Tony DeAngelo whiff at the Islanders’ blue line, sending the left-winger on a breakaway against Sorokin, roofing a wrister to turn New York’s home opener into a rout.
“They did a lot of good things,” Islanders forward Bo Horvat said. “Especially on the forecheck tonight, and they gave us a lot of trouble to break pucks out… We have to start right off the bat. I don’t know if they caught us by surprise or whatever, but we got to be more prepared and ready to go for the next game.”
Duclair opened the scoring for the Islanders with 1:09 left in the second period, just eight seconds into their first power play of the night, when he snapped a wrister through traffic past Thompson, who made 32 saves on the night.
“We were better in the third,” Roy said. “I loved the urgency we showed there and the push that we tried to make. The power play went 2-for-3.”
Schaefer got the Islanders within two after his first-career NHL goal was confirmed following a lengthy review ushered by the Capitals, who believed Horvat played the puck along in front of Thompson’s goal with a hand pass.
“I had no idea [why they were challenging],” Horvat said. “The puck was loose. I guess they were saying it hit my hand. But I hit the puck and it hit [Thompson’s] pad and it came right back out. I think [Palmieri got the last touch and Schaefer put it home. Obviously, it didn’t hit my hand.”
For more on the Islanders, visit AMNY.com
→ Continue reading at amNY
