Islanders phenom Matthew Schaefer somehow continuing to raise the bar | amNewYork

"That got me fired up, Schaefer admitted. It was the first of two goals on Sunday night against the two-time defending Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers for the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, and his third and fourth in the last three games. He became the first 18-year-old defenseman ever to score 20 goals in a single season and is now just the second Islanders defenseman ever to light the lamp that many times."

"He's a stud, he's an absolute stud, Islanders captain Anders Lee said. He just puts himself in positions to score, and regardless of if he got a bounce or two, he's putting himself there and he's getting the puck through to the net. And he does that night in and night out."

"a one-timer from the right circle that somehow hit off the forest of legs in front of him, looped off the crossbar, off the back of Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and in to cut the New York Islanders' first-period deficit to 2-1 with 1:59 to go in the first period"

Matthew Schaefer delivered a standout performance for the New York Islanders against the Florida Panthers, scoring two goals in a thrilling victory. His first goal, a circus shot that bounced off multiple surfaces before finding the net, energized the sold-out UBS Arena crowd. With this performance, Schaefer became the first 18-year-old defenseman ever to score 20 goals in a single season, joining Denis Potvin as only the second Islanders defenseman to achieve this milestone. He is also just the 22nd 18-year-old at any position to record 20 goals in a season. His second goal gave the Islanders a 4-3 lead, and Anders Lee scored the game-winner with 30.9 seconds remaining, securing New York's fifth consecutive victory.

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