Matthew Schaefer’s march toward history keeps on rolling.
Schaefer scored his 23rd goal of the season Thursday to tie Brian Leetch’s single-season record for a rookie defenseman, giving the Islanders a 3-2 lead they never relinquished in an eventual 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs.
“You don’t really think about that stuff much, but when it gets brought up, it’s crazy to think [about],” Schaefer said. “It’s definitely an honor to see some of those guys and what they’ve done. I don’t really worry about that. We just gotta worry about the games and winning games.”
Matthew Schaefer (48) skates with the puck away from Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Easton Cowan (53) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Elmont, N.Y. on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
Schaefer had been on something of a scoring drought, with his last goal back on March 21, though he did have seven assists in the seven games since then.
The UBS Arena crowd chanted Schaefer’s name for a few minutes straight after his goal Thursday, and the scoreboard acknowledged that he’d tied Leetch’s record.
Schaefer waved to the crowd and smiled despite himself.
“How can you not smile when you have the best fans in the league chanting your name?” Schaefer said. “It’s a team game and they’re always behind us every step of the way.”
Islanders players celebrate a goal by defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48), left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Elmont, N.Y. on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post
Mathew Barzal firmly denied a report that the Islanders had grown tired of hearing Patrick Roy talk about his Stanley Cup titles in the run-up to Roy’s firing on Saturday.
“That couldn’t be more untrue,” Barzal said before the Islanders faced Toronto on Thursday. “If anything, I loved hearing the stories, and us as a group loved hearing stories about the teams he [played on] that won the Cup. Especially his [1986] team in Montreal, he’d always bring up how they were an underdog all year. That kind of stuff fueled us.
“So that report, it’s completely ridiculous.”
On the ice from Long Island
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Insider Frank Seravalli said on his “Frankly Hockey” podcast that he’d heard the sentiment from Islanders players.
“There’s so much talk about his Stanley Cups and the Stanley Cups he won,” Seravalli said Wednesday. “Players are really tired about hearing that. It’s a great relic to hang onto, and it’s a nice flex to have on your résumé, but you haven’t won as a coach. And you’re not a goaltender anymore, even though you’re in the Hall of Fame. You’re just a head coach and you have to be able to park that. Players told me they were tired of hearing that from Patrick Roy.”
Tony DeAngelo returned from a lower-body injury that had kept him out six games, skating 20:33 and recording two assists.
“It was a good game to come back for,” DeAngelo said.
Isaiah George came out of the lineup as a healthy scratch to accommodate DeAngelo, with the defense pairs resetting to the same configuration that had been constant prior to the injury.