"Auston Matthews and John Tavares have spent the better part of the last decade setting the standard in the NHL. Between them are scoring titles, All-Star appearances, and Hall of Fame-level careers. On Saturday night at UBS Arena, the two Maple Leafs stars got their first extended look at Matthew Schaefer - and came away with the same conclusion New York Islanders fans have already reached: the kid is special."
"The 18-year-old rookie defenseman delivered a coming-of-age performance in the Islanders' 4-3 overtime win over Toronto, scoring twice and authoring two signature, highlight-reel moments. Schaefer tied the game in the third with a dazzling move, skating around the Toronto defense, cutting in, and stuffing the puck past Joseph Woll to tie the game. Then, the rookie ended the night in overtime when twisted and turning Mathew Barzal found him open in the slot, where he fired a shot that beat Woll to send UBS Arena into a frenzy."
"It was the kind of performance that doesn't just win a game - it announces a player. One that was broadcast on Hockey Night in Canada just days after Schaefer was passed over for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics. There were many more questions about that decision after Saturday night."
Auston Matthews and John Tavares have spent the better part of the last decade setting the standard in the NHL, with scoring titles, All-Star appearances and Hall of Fame-level careers. Rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer produced a coming-of-age performance in the Islanders' 4-3 overtime win over Toronto, scoring twice including a third-period game-tying goal and the overtime winner. Schaefer used a dazzling skate-around move to tie the game and finished from the slot after Mathew Barzal created space. The performance aired on Hockey Night in Canada days after Schaefer was passed over for Team Canada at the Winter Olympics, prompting renewed questions about that omission. Auston Matthews called Schaefer "obviously the real deal" and predicted a long-term impact in the league.
Read at Eyes On Isles
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