At PPG Paints Arena, Matthew Schaefer, along with his New York Islanders teammate, Maxim Shabanov, did the traditional solo lap before his NHL debut.
Despite the 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, 18-year-old Schaefer showed confidence and composure from the start. The first pick of the June draft didn’t take long to show why the Islanders wanted him.
In just 12 minutes, Schaefer got the first point of his career, assisting Jonathan Drouin. Drouin’s shot tied the score.
The Islanders’ coach, Patrick Roy, did not hesitate to give Schaefer minutes, who played more than seven minutes in the first period alone. Schaefer finished with 17:15 minutes of total playing time.“Our team is very easy to make plays, everyone is in the right place,” Schaefer commented. “I found Drouin there, and it was an easy pass for him and, of course, he put it in the net.”
Matthew Schaefer
Schaefer admitted nervousness in his first shifts, but his focus was on the game. Although he doesn’t have the same expectations as Crosby two decades ago, Schaefer understands the importance of his development for a team that hasn’t won the Stanley Cup in over 40 years.Schaefer, who joined the team a month after turning 18, is here to help the Islanders advance in the competitive Metropolitan Division.Despite controlling the game for long periods and taking 38 shots on goal, the Islanders lamented some misses that allowed Malkin and Crosby to stand out. The team showed speed and purpose, with Schaefer as a key part.“I think he was very good,” Roy said about Schaefer. “He was good at the end. Throwing pucks at the net. I thought he felt very comfortable, very confident. So I’m very happy with him.”
Patrick Roy
“I think we gave it our all tonight,” Schaefer said. “I wish we had won. I hate losing. Now we know and we will learn from it and focus on our next game. But I think it was a great first game for us. I just wish we had won.”
Matthew Schaefer
