Matthew Schaefer, improved penalty kill signs the Islanders could be real playoff contenders
Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period of a game at UBS Arena on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Islanders are what their record says they are until proved otherwise. For now, that’s a middle-of-the-pack team that should battle for a playoff spot with no guarantees of qualifying.
But perhaps there are some telltale signs that they can elevate themselves into a real postseason contender.
The first is obvious: No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer actually is better than advertised coming out of June’s draft as he continues his historic start to his NHL career as an 18-year-old defenseman, having turned 18 just before training camp opened. He is well on his way to becoming the Islanders’ most dynamic defenseman since Hall of Famer Denis Potvin’s Stanley Cup prime.
More subtly, the Islanders’ penalty kill — the one that finished 31st in the 32-team NHL last season as the Islanders missed the playoffs by nine points — is showing it can make a positive difference.
The Islanders (6-5-1) enter Tuesday night’s middle match of a three-game homestand at UBS Arena against the Bruins 9-for-9 on the penalty kill in their last three games. They’ve won two straight, including Sunday’s thrilling last-minute, 3-2 comeback victory over the Blue Jackets, by killing off all four power-play chances in both games.
It’s elevated the Islanders’ penalty kill to 18th in the NHL at 31-for-40 (77.5%) overall. At home, where the Islanders are 4-2-0, they are 18-for-21 (85.7%) on the penalty kill, good for 12th in the league.
Assistant coach Bob Boughner was brought in to reshape the penalty kill, and there are differences with the system run last season under former assistant Tommy Albelin. Gone is the more passive flush system Albelin coached for one that emphasizes putting pressure on opponents at the points and on the walls while also looking to turn turnovers into quick transitions.
It just may have taken the Islanders’ penalty-killers a while to get used to the new system.
“I would say yes,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Every time you’re making some changes, it takes a bit of time to adjust and adapt, and I think our guys are, right now, buying into it. We’ve doing a good job. [Sunday] was a good example.”
The Islanders have scored three shorthanded goals, and three of third-line center Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s seven points have come on the penalty kill. There was a definite buzz at UBS Arena on Sunday whenever Pageau and penalty-kill partner Simon Holmstrom touched the puck trying to head up ice while skating shorthanded.
“I think we’re doing a great job,” Holmstrom said. “I think we’ve been doing a great job all season. We’ve been getting a couple of unlucky bounces, if that’s what you want to call it.”
Schaefer received 36 seconds of ice time on the penalty kill on Sunday. His role playing shorthanded has diminished with the healthy return of defenseman Alexander Romanov.
It’s perhaps the one thing the precociously mature Schaefer is not being asked to dominate.
Sunday marked his first two-goal game as Schaefer knocked Hall of Famer Bobby Orr out of the NHL record book as the youngest defenseman in league history to score twice in a match.
He was named October’s rookie of the month — he has to be considered the early leading candidate for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year — and he’s tied for the NHL rookie scoring lead with 10 points (five goals, five assists).
“It’s pretty incredible coming off a pretty good month,” Kyle Palmieri said of being able to watch Schaefer’s rapid development. “He’s just going to continue to get better. He’s a joy to have in the locker room, always has a smile on his face and that 18-year-old kid energy.”
The Islanders still are too inconsistent game to game, period to period, to be thought of as anything more than their record says they are.
But there is hope.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
