Matthew Schaefer steals the spotlight from Noah Dobson in NY Islanders comeback win

For nearly two periods Thursday night at Bell Centre, it felt like the spotlight belonged to Noah Dobson — the former New York Islanders first-round pick returning to face his old team in Montreal. Dobson was active, poised, and impactful, the kind of high-scoring defenseman Islanders fans once envisioned anchoring their blue line for years.

Then Matthew Schaefer took over the night — and the narrative.

Late in the second period, with the Islanders searching for momentum, the 18-year-old defenseman scored twice in 55 seconds, stunning the Montreal Canadiens and flipping the game on its head. The burst not only erased the deficit — it shattered records.

Schaefer’s two goals gave him 18 on the season, the most ever by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history. He also reached 40 and 41 points (18-23—41 in 59 GP), becoming just the third 18-year-old blueliner to hit the 40-point mark, joining Phil Housley and Rasmus Dahlin.

His 0:55 scoring spree placed him among elite company. Only six other 18-year-olds in league history have scored twice in under a minute — including Sidney Crosby — and Schaefer is the only defenseman on that list. Franchise history shifted, too. Schaefer became the third Islanders defenseman to score two goals in under 60 seconds, joining Denis Potvin and Jean Potvin. The performance marked his third career multi-goal game, making him just the second teenage defenseman ever to record at least three, again alongside Housley.

By night’s end, the Islanders had completed a 4-3 overtime comeback. What once looked like Dobson’s showcase became Schaefer’s statement — and the Islanders stole a game that briefly seemed destined for someone else’s script.