NY Islanders win third straight OT game behind more Matthew Schaefer magic

At some point, the words youngest ever might start to lose their punch when talking about Matthew Schaefer, but not yet — not after Friday night. The 18-year-old phenom became the youngest player in NHL history to score an overtime goal, capping a 3–2 win for the New York Islanders over the Utah Mammoth in Salt Lake City.

It was another chapter in what’s fast becoming a remarkable rookie story. Skating 3-on-3 with Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal, Schaefer slipped into open ice, took a perfect feed, and hammered a one-timer past Karel Vejmelka for his seventh goal of the season — a number that not only leads all NHL defensemen, but would be impressive for anyone, let alone a teenager who’s supposed to still be learning.

The goal sealed the Islanders’ third straight overtime win, the first time that’s ever happened in franchise history. It was fitting, too, on a night that saw all four NHL games reach overtime — a banner evening for drama across the league.

Emil Heineman scored for the second straight night, his eighth of the year, and Jonathan Drouin tied the game 2–2 in the third when a chaotic play saw the puck glance off his skate, hit the post, then bounce off Nate Schmidt and in. Initially waved off, the goal was later confirmed after review.

David Rittich made 27 saves in the win, steadying the Isles after first-period goals from JJ Peterka and Dylan Guenther put Utah ahead.

It ended, though, the way so many Isles games seem to end lately - with Schaefer in the spotlight, stick raised, rewriting another line of history. Eighteen years old, seven goals, and already the kind of player who looks born for these moments.