"The Skinny"
By Eric Hornick
Game 51
Buffalo 5, Isles 0
Jason Zucker scored goals in the opening minute of both the second and third period, and Alex Lyon made 27 saves for his sixth career shutout as the Buffalo Sabres blanked the Isles, 5-0, before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena.
It was the first shutout defeat for the Isles this season; they won a shootout following a scoreless game with Seattle in November.
The Isles are 14-9-2 in their last 25 games but lost their second consecutive game in regulation for only the second time since the end of October (December 16-19 vs Detroit and Vancouver).
The Scoring:
1st Period
No Goals
2nd Period
Jason Zucker (12) Jack Quinn (19), Ryan McLeod (22) 00:33 BUF 1,NYI 0
Tage Thompson (27) Zach Benson (18), Mattias Samuelsson (19) 19:47 BUF 2,NYI 0
3rd Period
Jason Zucker (13) Ryan McLeod (23) 0:25 BUF 3,NYI 0
Rasmus Dahlin (8)EN Peyton Krebs (15) 14:02 BUF 4,NYI 0
Alex Tuch (18) Mattias Samuelsson (20), Michael Kesselring (1) 14:38 BUF 5,NYI 0
The Skinny
The Isles went 0-3 on the power play and killed both Buffalo power plays; there were no shots on goal by either team on the power play, while the Isles did have three while shorthanded… the Isles are 3-20 on the power play in the last ten games and have killed 39-46 over the last seventeen games, including 12-13 over the last five…Bo Horvat returned; the Isles went 5-3-1 after losing Horvat to injury on New Year's Day… Anthony Duclair has eight goals in his last nine games…Duclair, Anders Lee, and Mathew Barzal were all held of the game in the third period…The Isles allowed two goals in the opening minute of periods after allowing only three of them in the first 50 games….The Isles are 2-6-2 in matinees this season….The Isles have allowed nine unanswered goals since scoring 2:38 into the first period in Seattle on Wednesday.
First Time in a Long Time
• Jason Zucker is the first opponent to score in the opening minute of multiple periods in a game since Ryan Malone did so in all three periods for Pittsburgh on February 19, 2007; Zucker is the first opponent to do so in the first 33 seconds of each period.
• Alex Lyon is the first Sabre with a nine-game winning streak since Gerry Desjardins set the club record of nine in 1976; Desjardins was an original Islander.
• Ryan Pulock's injury ended a 50-game streak of Pulock and Adam Pelech both playing for the Isles; it was the 3rd-longest such streak.
• Isaiah George returned to the Islanders and played his first NHL game since January 30, 2025.
One for the Record Books
The Isles won 37 of 50 draws (74%); it is their best faceoff percentage since the statistics have been kept officially. The previous mark was also set against the Sabres; on December 14, 2019, the Isles won 33 of 45 draws (73.3%).
Beware of the Lyon
Since the start of last season, Alex Lyon is 5-0-0 against the Isles, with a .965 save percentage and a 0.98 goals-against average. He is the only goaltender with five wins, and the only goaltender with two shutouts against the Isles in that span.
Lyon and Tristan Jarry are the only opposing goaltenders with two shutouts at UBS Arena.
The Standings
The Isles remain in 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind Pittsburgh and having played one more game. five points behind Carolina; they are two points ahead of Philadelphia and three points ahead of both New Jersey and Washington.
Milestone Men
• Matthew Schaefer remains tied with Tim Connolly's for points by an 18-year-old (34).
• Mathew Barzal remains at 348 assists, just one behind Clark Gillies for 5th place in club history.
• 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.
• Adam Pelech still has 139 assists, tied with Mark Streit for 10th on the club's defenseman assist list.
Return to Form
Ilya Sorokin was 2-4-1 (.868 and 3.75) in his first seven games this season; he is 14-8-1 (NHL-best .927 save percentage, and a 2.14 goals-against average).
Sorokin is 13-0-0 when facing at least 30 shots; he holds the 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 sixteen games (8-5-3), he has stopped 364 of 401 shots for a 2.30 GAA and a .908 save percentage.
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 fourth in the NHL. He is a net +13 (having taken only 13 penalties).
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 39 straight games; it is the longest streak in NHL history by an 18-year-old, and the third-longest by a teenager (Tyler Myers -47, Justin Fault -40) 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 (13-21-34 in 49 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 21
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 34
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 115 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 51 (13-21-34)
Most Goals by an Islander Rookie Defenseman
1. Denis Potvin 17 (1973-74)
2. Vladimir Malakhov 14 (1992-93)
3. Matthew Schaefer 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 Schaefer 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 thirteen come-from behind wins this season, including five when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win ten times this season, including four times in the third period.
The Isles have two multi-goal comeback wins (none in the third period); opponents also have two (none 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 nine empty net goals.
Opponents have scored six 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 23 times this season:
• Score the next goal: 9 times
• Allowed the next goal: 10 times
• Game ended with 2-goal difference: 4 times
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2025-26 27-19-5 for 59 points in 51 games
• 2024-25 24-20-7 for 55 points in 51 games; they reached 59 points in their 58th game.
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-0-0
• Season: 23-73-96
• Last Season (Final) 32-129-161
Rookie Scoring
• Today: 0-0-0
• Season: 25-43-68
• 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 67 points are 3rd. Islander rookies have scored 17.6% of the team's goals, which is the highest percentage in the NHL.
Home and Road
The Isles are 27-19-5 overall; they are 14-9-2 at home and 13-10-3 on the road.
Buffalo is 29-17-5 overall; they are 16-6-3 at home and 13-11-2 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 14-10-4 against the East (7-5-2 vs. Metropolitan and 7-5-2 vs. Atlantic) and 13-9-1 against the West (5-6-1 vs. Central and 8-3-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 19-5-3 when scoring first and 8-14-2 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 13-7-6=26
Buffalo 6-7-8=21
The Isles are 7-13-4 when they outshoot their opponents, 1-1-1 when the shots are even and 19-5-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
David Rittich made 16 saves; he is 11-7-3 this season and 4-3-2 vs. Buffalo.
Alex Lyon made 26 saves; he is 12-6-3 this season and 5-1-0 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-3 (6:00); Buffalo was 0-2 (4:00).
The Isles are 14-5-2 when they score at least one power play goal and 13-14-3 when they do not. The Isles are 8-9-4 when they allow at least one power play goal and 19-10-1 when they do not.
The Isles are 13-1-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 3-8-2 when they are outscored, and 11-10-3 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 21-2-3 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 6-17-2 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 17-4-5 in games decided by a single goal including 8-4 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 (23:14); Buffalo: Rasmus Dahlin (24:44)
Simon Holmstrom led Isles forwards (19:58).
Face-offs
Isles 37, Buffalo 13 (74%)
Casey Cizikas won 8 of 10 and Bo Horvat won 14 of 18 for the Isles; no Sabre who took multiple draws won more than he lost.
Hit Count
Isles 24 (Four with 3)
Buffalo 16 (EIGHT with 2)
Fights
None. Season total: 4 (Mayfield, MacLean, Lee, DeAngelo)
Blocked Shots
Isles 13 (Anthony Duclair -4)
Buffalo 11 (Michael Kesselring -3)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 54, Buffalo 46
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 41, Buffalo 43
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Matthew Schaefer +9
Buffalo: Zach Benson +7
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 10, Buffalo 11
5-on-5: Isles 9, Buffalo 11
Scratches
(Pierre Engvall-LTIR), (Semyon Varlamov-IR), (Alex Romanov-IR), (Kyle Palmieri-IR), (Ryan Pulock -INJ), Max Tsyplakov, Marc Gatcomb
Games Lost to injury: 247. (Last season's total: 304)
The Ironmen
Casey Cizikas is the Islanders' ironman, having played 158 consecutive games. Anders Lee (133) is the only other Isle to have also played every game since the start of last season.
National TV Games
The Isles are 3-2-1 in games that air on one of the NHL's US national broadcast partners. Their next appearance will be on TNT on February 3rd vs Pittsburgh.
Matinee Isles
Including today, the Isles are 2-6-2 in matinee games this season; the remaining matinees are on March 28th vs Florida and April 11th vs Ottawa, both at 1:00pm. 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 17-23-14 in matinees.
Challenges
Isles: 0 successful, 2 failures (No goalie interference – VEG 11/14), (No goalie interference – WPG 1/13)
Opponents: 2 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), (Offside – VAN 1/19)
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 (6): BOS 10/28, COL 11/16, PHI 11/28, TB 11/30, WPG 1/13, BUF 1/24
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 948 *** 5. Brock Nelson 901 *** 6. Bobby Nystrom 900 *** 7. Anders Lee 892…
17. Billy Harris 623 *** 18. Stefan Persson 622 *** 19. Adam Pelech 611 *** 20. Ryan Pulock 610 *** 21. Frans Nielsen 606 *** 22. Kenny Jonsson 597 *** 23. Garry Howatt 596 *** 24. John Tonelli 594 *** 25. Scott Mayfield 584 *** 26. Mathew Barzal 580
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 358…
18. Tomas Jonsson 249 *** 19. Anders Lee 235…
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 535 ***
13. Bob Nystrom 513 *** 14. Mathew Barzal 503…
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 +82 *** 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 55…
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 235…
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. Ilya Sorokin 282…
8. Jaroslav Halak 177*** 9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 173
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Glenn Resch 157 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 141 …
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
Bridgeport dropped a 3-2 decision in Hartford on Friday to fall to 17-18-2-1 on the season); they now hold a two-point lead for the final playoff spot.
Bridgeport hosted Providence on Saturday night.
Leaders: Goals: Adam Beckman 15; Assists: Alex Jefferies 17; Points: Beckman 25.
Goalies: Marcus Hogberg 8-9-2, 2.86, .895; Henrik Tikkanen 7-4-1, 2.39, .906
Season Series Stats
Buffalo leads the season series, 2 games to 0 (and 4 points to 1). The final meeting of the season will be in Buffalo on March 31st.
The Isles are 2-3-0 in their last five home games with Buffalo after winning the previous 11 meetings.
UP NEXT
MONDAY, JANUARY 24th —ISLANDERS AT PHILADELPHIA 7:00PM
[MSGSN (Pre-game at 6:30); WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The Isles head to Philadelphia to meet the Flyers on Monday.
It is the third meeting of the season, and the Flyers have earned shootout wins in each of the first two meetings, both by 4-3 scores. Going back to last season, the last three meetings have all ended with 4-3 Flyer shootout victories.
Over the past eight seasons, the Isles are 9-2-4 in Philadelphia, with the Isles going 5-4 in games that have gone past sixth minutes.
The teams will meet on April 3rd at UBS Arena to conclude the season series.
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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