"Schaefer faced Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby in the team's 4-3 season-opening loss on Thursday. Now, he's poised to take on Alex Ovechkin when the Islanders play the Washington Capitals on Saturday. The matchup will make Schaefer just the eighth player in NHL history to face the league's active points leader (Crosby) and all-time goals leader (Ovechkin) in consecutive contests to begin a career, per Newsday's Andrew Gross."
"Schaefer, the first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, notched an assist against the Penguins on a Jonathan Drouin first-period goal, becoming the youngest defenseman in NHL history to record a point in his debut at 18 years and 34 days old. Hockey Hall of Famer and star New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks rearguard, Scott Niedermayer (18y, 46d), had previously held the distinction."
Matthew Schaefer began his NHL career facing Sidney Crosby and is scheduled to face Alex Ovechkin next, creating a rare back-to-back challenge against two all-time leaders. Schaefer, the first overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, assisted on Jonathan Drouin's first-period goal in the season opener. The assist made him the youngest defenseman to record a point in his debut at 18 years and 34 days. Scott Niedermayer previously held the youngest-defenseman debut point mark at 18 years, 46 days. Family and friends attended the game, and relatives expressed pride and emotion over his start.
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