"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 48
Calgary 4, Isles 2
Dustin Wolf made 29 saves, and the Calgary Flames had four different goal scorers as they built a 4-0 lead and defeated the Isles 4-2, before a crowd of 17,358 at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Trailing 4-1, the Isles played most of the last eight minutes with a sixth attacker but managed only one goal – the milestone 300th career goal for Captain Anders Lee.
The Isles are 13-7-2 in their last 22 games and 22-12-4 in their last 38 games as they fall to 4-2-1 in their last seven games; they are 2-2-1 on this seven-game road trip, which continues on Monday night in Vancouver.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Yegor Sharangovich (10) Rasmus Andersson (20), Kevin Bahl (6) 11:51 NYI 0,CGY 1
2nd Period
Adam Klapka (5) Kevin Bahl (7), Morgan Frost (14) 03:04 NYI 0,CGY 2
Justin Kirkland (1) Ryan Lomberg (4), Adam Klapka (6) 09:50 NYI 0,CGY 3
Yan Kuznetsov (4) Nazem Kadri (25), Connor Zary (11) 11:49 NYI 0,CGY 4
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (8) Matthew Schaefer (18), Simon Holmstrom (12) 12:21 NYI 1,CGY 4
3rd Period
Anders Lee (11) Calum Ritchie (6), Matthew Schaefer (19) 17:04 NYI 2,CGY 4
The Skinny
The Isles are 24-14-5 since they opened 0-3-0 …The Isles went 0-2 on the power play and killed all three Flames power plays; the Isles are 1-10 on the power play in the last seven games and have killed 31-38 over the last fourteen games… The Isles are 3-14-1 when trailing after two periods … Calgary has won thirteen home games, which was tied for 2nd among Western Conference teams entering Saturday night's play…Matthew Schaefer, who finished with two assists, became the first Islander defenseman to record a speed burst of over 23 mph (23:09) since EDGE data began in 2021-22…Schaefer finished with three shots on goal, matching Bo Horvat's total of 122 for the team lead; Schaefer is the only rookie in the NHL with more than 100 shots...Anders Lee's goal was the Isles' 8th with an extra attacker, one shy of the club record set in 2017-18 (records exist since 2009-10)…Isles are 4-2-1 since losing Bo Horvat to injury on New Year's Day.
The Standings
The Isles remain in 2nd place in the Metropolitan Division, five points of Carolina; they are three points ahead of both Pittsburgh and Washington, who each have games Saturday night.
Milestone Men
• Anders Lee became the fifth player to score 300 goals as an Islander.
• David Rittich played his 250th NHL game.
• Ilya Sorokin remains at 281 Isles games, just one behind Chico Resch for 3rd place on club's all-time goaltender list.
. Matthew Schaefer is now one goal, one assist and two points behind Tim Connolly's club records for an 18-year-old.
• Ryan Pulock remains tied with Noah Dobson for 5th on the club's defenseman assist list with 180 assists.
• Barzal remains tied with Mariusz Czerkawski for 19th in club history with 145 goals and remains four assists behind Clark Gillies (349) for 5th in assists.
• Adam Pelech still has 139 assists, tied with Mark Streit for 10th on the club's defenseman assist list.
First Times in a Long Time
• Anders Lee is the first player to score his 300th goal as an Islander since Miroslav Satan did so in 2006; the last player to score his first 300 goals for the Islanders was Denis Potvin, who did so on January 14, 1988, vs. Quebec.
Better After Dark
The Isles fall to 2-5-2 in matinees this season; they are 24-12-3 at night. There are only three matinees remaining, and all are at home.
Road Warriors
This is the second seven-game road trip for the Isles this season; they are 2-2-1 so far:
8-Jan-26 @ NASH 1-2 Lso
10-Jan-26 @ MINN 4-3 Wot
13-Jan-26 @ WINN 4-5 L
15-Jan-26 @ EDM 1-0 W
17-Jan-26 @ CGY 2-4 L
19-Jan-26 @ VAN 10pm
21-Jan-26 @ SEA 9:30pm
(All times Eastern)
Return to Form
Ilya Sorokin was 2-4-1 (.868 and 3.75) in his first seven games this season; he is 13-7-1 (.930 and 2.05) since October 31st with five shutouts.
Sorokin is 12-0-0 when facing at least 30 shots; this is a club record for consecutive wins when facing at least 30 shots.
Big Save Dave
David Rittich is 11-6-3 on the season. In his last fifteen games (8-4-3), he has stopped 348 of 381 shots for a 2.19 GAA and a .913 save percentage. He had started nine of the last thirteen games (4-3-2, 2.36, .907).
Islander goalies other than Sorokin won only five games last season (tying a franchise record for fewest by the non-winningest goalies on the team).
Schaefer and Penalties
Matthew Schaefer has drawn 26 penalties this season, more than any other NHL defenseman, and tied for third in the NHL. He is a net +14 (having taken only 12 penalties), which is also tied-3rd in the NHL.
Since penalties drawn was tracked in 2009-10, no Isle defenseman has finished a season higher than +11 (Noah Dobson 2021-22), John Tavares holds the club record for a season at +29 in 2011-12, while Mathew Barzal +26 in 2017-18 is the only other Islander to finish higher than +15. Cale Makar is the only NHL defenseman to finish higher than +16 (Makar was +19 in 2024-25 and +17 in 2023-24).
Most Penalties Drawn by an Islander Defenseman (Season, Since 2009-10)
1. Matthew Schaefer 2025-26 26
2. Matt Carkner 2013-14 23
3. Thomas Hickey 2016-17 22
Most Penalties Drawn by an Islander Rookie (Season, Since 2009-10)
1. Mathew Barzal 2017-18 40
2. Matthew Schaefer 2025-26 26
3. Matt Martin 2010-11 25
[Travis Hamonic (17 in 2010-11) is the only other Islander rookie defenseman to draw more than 10.)
Most Ice Time by an Islander Teenager, Game
1. Matthew Schaefer 28:53 11/28/2025 vs PHI (SO)
Matthew Schaefer 28:53 1/8/2026 vs NAS (SO)
3. Matthew Schaefer 28:12 12/9/2025 vs VEG
4. Matthew Schaefer 27:41 1/10/2026 vs NAS (OT)
5. Matthew Schaefer 27:40 10/25/2025 at PHI (SO)
6. Matthew Schaefer 27:30 11/22/2025 vs. STL
7. Matthew Schaefer 27:23 11/23/2025 vs. SEA (SO)
8. Matthew Schaefer 27:03 12/27/2025 vs. NYR
A 20-year-old Islander has played more than 28:53 only twice (Bryan Berard -31:30; Travis Hamonic -28:54). The younger of these was Hamonic (vs PIT) on April 8, 2011, when he was 20 years, 235 days old; Schaefer will not hit that age until April 27, 2028.
Most Ice Time by an 18-Year-Old, Game
1. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 29:15 12/4/2018 vs TOR (OT)
2. Drew Doughty (LA) 29:04 11/22/2008 vs COL (SO)
3. Matthew Schaefer 28:53 11/28/2025 vs PHI (SO)
Matthew Schaefer 28:53 1/8/2026 vs NAS (SO)
Schaefer has played at least 27 minutes eight times and at least 26 minutes thirteen times. He is the first 18-year-old to do either of these things since ice time became official.
Schaefer has played at least 20:00 in 36 straight games; it is the longest streak in NHL history by an 18-year-old, and the fourth-longest by a teenager (Tyler Myers -47) since ice-time became official.
Most Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman
1. Phil Housley (BUF) 17 (1982-83)
2. Bobby Orr (BOS) 13 (1966-67) and Matthew Schaefer 13 (2025-26)
(Housley had 19 goals as a rookie, but the final two occurred after his 19th birthday)
Most Points by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman
1. Phil Housley (BUF) (17-40—57 in 66 GP) 1982-83
2. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) (9-35—44 in 82 GP) 2018-19
3. Bobby Orr (BOS) (13-25—38 in 56 GP) 1966-67
4. Matthew Schaefer (13-19-32 in 48 GP),
5. Doug Bodger (PIT) (5-26—31 in 65 GP) and Jim Benning (TOR) (7-24—31 in 74 GP)
Most Power Play Goals by an 18-Year-Old Defenseman
1. Phil Housley (BUF) 10 (1982-83)
2. Matthew Schaefer 6 (2025-26)
3. Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) 5 (2018-19)
Most Goals by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Matthew Schaefer 13
2. Bryan Berard 7
Only seven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have scored at least ten goals, led by Bryan Trottier's 32 and Pat LaFontaine's 26. David Chyzowski (13) is now tied with Schaefer.
Most Assists by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 32
2. Matthew Schaefer 19
Only seven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 19 assists, led by Bryan Trottier's 63 and Tim Connolly's 51. Brent Sutter (24) is the one now above Schaefer.
Most Points by an Islander Teenage Defenseman
1. Bryan Berard 39
2. Matthew Schaefer 32
Only seven Islander teenagers, regardless of position, have recorded at least 32 points, led by Bryan Trottier's 95 and Tim Connolly's 75. Bryan Berard (39) is the one now above Schaefer.
Schaefer will still be a Teenager for the next 118 Isles games.
Most Games, Goals, Assists and Points as an 18-Year-Old (Isles history)
1. Tim Connolly 81 (14-20-34)
2. Mathew Schaefer 48 (13-19-32)
Most Goals by an Islander Rookie Defenseman
1. Denis Potvin 17 (1973-74)
2. Vladimir Malakhov 14 (1992-93)
3. Matthew Schafer 13 (2025-26)
Most Goals by an NHL Rookie Defenseman (Last 30 seasons)
1. Dion Phaneuf – CGY 20 (2005-06)
2. Shayne Gostisbehere - PHI 17 (2015-16)
3. PK Subban -MTL 14 (2010-11) and Torey Krug-BOS 14 (2013-14)
5. Matthew Schafer 13 (2025-26) and Tom Gilbert- EDM (2007-08)
The NHL record is 23, held by Brian Leetch-NYR (1988-89)
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have twelve come-from behind wins this season, including five when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win nine times this season, including four times in the third period.
Overtime Is Our Time
The Isles are 5-0 in games decided by an overtime goal, and they are 4-5 in shootouts.
The Sixth Attacker
The Isles have scored eight goals with the 6th attacker (most in NHL) and allowed eight empty net goals.
Opponents have scored five goals with 6th attacker and allowed six empty-netters to the Isles.
Most Extra Attacker Goals, Isles (since 2009-10)
1. 2017-18 9
2. 2025-26 8
Most Career Empty Net Goals
1. Bryan Trottier 27
2. John Tavares 20
3. Mike Bossy 15
4. Brock Nelson 13
5. Jason Blake and Casey Cizikas 11
Building on a Lead
The Islanders have had a two-goal lead 22 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 9 times
• Allowed the next goal: 9 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 4 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2025-26 26-17-5 for 57 points in 48 games
• 2024-25 21-20-7 for 49 points in 48 games; they reached 57 points in their 53rd game.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-2-2
• Season: 21-70-91
• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161
Rookie Scoring
• Today: 0-3-3
• Season: 25-39-64
• Last Season (Final) 19-30-49
• This season's totals are the most since 2017-18 (38-101-139)
The 25 rookie goals trail only Montreal (28) for the most in the NHL while the 64 points are 3rd. Islander rookies have scored 18.2% of the team's goals, which is the most in the NHL.
Home and Road
The Isles are 26-17-5 overall; they are 14-8-2 at home and 12-9-3 on the road.
Calgary is 21-23-4 overall; they are 13-7-2 at home and 8-16-2 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 14-9-4 against the East (7-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-4-2 vs. Atlantic) and 12-8-1 against the West (5-6-1 vs. Central and 7-2-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 19-4-3 when scoring first and 7-13-2 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 10-9-11=30
Calgary 4-7-8=19
The Isles are 6-12-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-0-1 when the shots are even and 19-5-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
David Rittich made 15 saves; he is 11-6-3 this season and 0-4-2 vs. Calgary.
Dustin Wolf made 28 saves; he is 15-19-2 this season and 2-0-0 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-2 (3:49); Calgary was 0-3 (6:00).
The Isles are 13-4-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-13-3 when they do not. The Isles are 8-8-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 18-9-1 when they do not.
The Isles are 12-1-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 3-8-2 when they are outscored, and 11-8-3 when special team goals are equal. (Their only loss when outscoring the opposition on special teams was in the home opener against Washington.)
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles are 20-2-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 6-15-2 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 16-4-5 in games decided by a single goal including 7-4 in regulation. They are 5-0 in games decided in overtime and are 4-5 in shootouts. The Isles are 4-3 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 3-4-0 on the front end and 4-2-1 on the back end this season. The next back-to-back will be January 28-29 when they face the Rangers in a home-and-home series.
The Isles are 4-3-0 when the opponent is on the back end, including 2-1-0 when the Isles also played the previous day.
Ice-time Leaders
Isles: Matthew Schaefer (25:35); Calgary: Rasmus Andersson (25:40)
Mathew Barzal led Isles forwards (21:46).
Face-offs
Isles 32, Calgary 17 (65%)
Csaey Cizikas won 8 of 9 for the Isles; no Flame won more than he lost.
Hit Count
Isles 25 (Marc Gatcomb -5)
Calgary 9 (Matvei Gridin -3)
Fights
None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, MacLean, Lee, DeAngelo)
Blocked Shots
Isles 16 (Adam Pelech -4)
Calgary 14 (Four with 2)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 75, Calgary 52
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 56, Calgary 41
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Jonathan Drouin +10
Calgary: Morgan Frost +4
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 18, Calgary 8
5-on-5: Isles 13, Calgary 4
Scratches
(Pierre Engvall-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Alex Romanov-IR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), (Bo Horvat -INJ), Cole McWard, Max Tsyplakov
Games Lost to injury: 232. (Last season's total: 304)
The Ironmen
Casey Cizikas is the Islanders' ironman, having played 156 consecutive games. Anders Lee (130) is the only other Isle to have also played every game since the start of last season.
National TV Games
The Isles are 3-1-1 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners. Their next appearance will be on TNT on January 21st in Seattle.
Matinee Isles
Including today, the Isles are 2-5-2 in matinee games this season; the next matinee will be at 1:00pm on January 24th vs. Buffalo. The NHL considers games that start before 5:00 local time to be afternoon contests. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, the Isles are 17-22-14 in matinees.
Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 2 failures (No goalie interference – VEG 11/14), (No goalie interference – WPG 1/13)
Opponents: 1 successful, 4 failures (No hand pass – WAS 10/11), (No interference – DET 10/23), (No offside – WAS 10/31), (No interference – COL 12/4), (Puck not shot out – EDM 1/15)
Hockey Opps: 1 favorable, 1 unfavorable (No missed stoppage- NJ 11/10), (goalie interference -DAL 11/18)
Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)
For (3): DET 10/23, CBJ 11/2, NJ 1/6
Vs (5): BOS 10/28, COL 11/16, PHI 11/28, TB 11/30, WPG 1/13
Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of other team)
Isles responses (4): OTT 10/18, SJS 10/21, BOS 11/4, CGY 1/17
Opponent responses (3): WPG 10/13, CAR 10/30, COL 12/4
Multi-Goal 3rd Period Comeback Wins
For (0):
Vs (0):
Last Minute Heroes (Tying or go-ahead goals in the final three minutes of the third period):
For (8): Anders Lee, GWG(18:57)10/18 OTT, Matthew Schaefer, GTG (18:53) and Simon Holmstrom GWG (19:22) 11/2 CBJ, Kyle Palmieri GAG (17:07 11/10 NJ)- Isles won in OT, Mathew Barzal GTG (17:23 11/13 VEG)- Isles won in OT; Emil Heineman GTG (19:31 12/20 BUF)- Isles lost in OT; Adam Pelech GWG (18:45 12/23 NJD); Emil Heineman GTG (17:45 1/3 TOR) – Isles won in OT
Vs (3): Simon Nemec GTG (19:55 11/10 NJ) but NYI won in OT, Pavel Dorfeyev (19:46, 12/9 VEG) but NYI won in SO; Alex DeBrincat GWG (17:43 12/16 DET)
OT Winners
For (5): Mathew Barzal 11/10 @ NJ, JG Pageau 11/13 @ VEG, Matthew Schaefer 11/14 @ UTA and 1/3 Vs TOR, Simon Holmstrom 1/10 @ MIN
Vs (0):
Shootout Winners
For (4): SEA 11/23, VEG 12/9, TBL 12/13, CHI 12/30
Vs (5): PHI 10/25, BOS 11/4, PHL 11/28, BUF 12/20, NAS 1/8
All-time Islander Leader Boards:
Games Played (skaters)
1. Bryan Trottier 1,123 *** 2. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 3. Josh Bailey 1,057 ***
4. Casey Cizikas 945 *** 5. Brock Nelson 901 *** 6. Bobby Nystrom 900 *** 7. Anders Lee 889…
17. Billy Harris 623 *** 18. Stefan Persson 622 *** 19. Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock 608 *** 21. Frans Nielsen 606 *** 22. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 23. Garry Howatt 596 *** 24. John Tonelli 594 *** 25. Scott Mayfield 581 *** 26. Mathew Barzal 577
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 ***
4. Clark Gillies 304 *** 5. Anders Lee 300 …
17. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 18. Pierre Tugeon 147 ***19. Mariusz Czerkawski and Mathew Barzal 145…
22. Jason Blake 127 *** 23. Duane Sutter 121 *** 24. Casey Cizikas 120
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 ***
4. Josh Bailey 396 *** 5. Clark Gillies 359 *** 6. Mathew Barzal 355…
18. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 19. Anders Lee 234…
23. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 24. Ed Westfall 181 *** 25 Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock 180…
32. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 33. Casey Cizikas 155
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
9. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 910. John Tonelli 544 *** 11. Bob Bourne 542 *** 12. Anders Lee 534 ***
13. Bob Nystrom 513 *** 14. Mathew Barzal 500…
27. Ed Westfall 286 *** 28. Casey Cizikas 275
+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 ***2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380
15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +87 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76 *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 *** 19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +66 *** 21. Jude Drouin +58 *** 23. Patrick Flatley +57 *** 24. Greg Gilbert +54
Defense Goals
1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***
4. Ryan Pulock 54…
12. Adrian Aucoin 33 *** 13. Bryan Berard 31 *** 14. Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech 29
Defense Assists
1. Denis Potvin 742*** 2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249 ***
4. Nick Leddy 198 *** 5. Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock 180 …
9. Jeff Norton 166 ***10. Mark Streit and Adam Pelech 139…
15. Tom Kurvers and Gerry Hart 108 *** 17. Scott Mayfield 103
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333 ***
4. Nick Leddy 243 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 234…
10. Mark Streit 179 *** 11. Adam Pelech 167…
14. Dave Lewis 141 *** 15. Tom Kurvers 134 *** 16. Scott Mayfield 132
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Glenn Resch 282 ***
4. Ilya Sorokin 281 …
8. Jaroslav Halak 177*** 9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 140 …
7. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Ilya Sorokin 27 *** 2. Glenn Resch 25 *** 3. Billy Smith 22 ***
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
Liam Foudy scored a goal and added an assist, and Marcus Hogberg made 33 saves as Bridgeport improved to 15-17-2-1 on the season with a 3-1 victory Friday in Lehigh Valley.
Bridgeport hosted Springfield on Saturday night.
Leaders: Goals: Joey Larson- 12 (one of six AHL rookies with at least 12); Assists: Alex Jefferies 17; Points: Jefferies 24.
Goalies: Marcus Hogberg 7-9-2, 2.90, .893; Henrik Tikkanen 6-3-1, 2.56, .903
Season Series Stats
Calgary leads the season series, 1 game to 0 (and 2 points to 0). The teams will meet at UBS Arena on March 14th to conclude the season series.
The Isles are 2-3-2 in their last seven games with Calgary, including 0-1-2 in the last three meetings.
UP NEXT
MONDAY, JANUARY 19th —ISLANDERS AT VANCOUVER 10:00PM
[MSGSN2 (Pre-game at 9:30); WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The penultimate game of this seven-game road trip will be in Vancouver as the Isles look to earn a split of the season series with the Vancouver Canucks.
Vancouver won 4-1 at UBS on December 19th but now the Isles get to play on the road. In this series, that has been a huge advantage.
The Isles are 6-0-3 in their last nine trips to British Columbia, where they have not lost in regulation in eleven years (January 6, 2015). On the other hand, the Canucks have won all five games at UBS Arena, and all have been decided in regulation.
Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since January 21, 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Follow Eric @ehornick on Twitter & on his blog www.nyiskinny.com
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
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