“The Skinny”
By Eric Hornick
Game 8
Isles 4, Toronto 1
The Islanders lost two forwards to first period injuries, but they still earned their first road win of the season as they defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1, before a sellout crowd of 18,915 at Scotiabank Arena. Anthony Duclair scored in the first period and Bo Horvat scored on a rebound in the second session to build a 2-0 lead; Simon Holmstrom added a pair of third period goals, the latter into an empty net, after Colton Sissons scored on a deflection early in the period.
Both Cal Ritchie (on his first shift of the game) and Matias Maccelli left the game with lower-body injuries.
Ilya Sorokin earned his 158th win, passing Chico Resch for 2nd place on the club’s all-time list, lowering his season GAA to 1.68.
The Isles head home to host Anaheim on Tuesday and Los Angeles on Thursday.
The Scoring:
1st Period
Anthony Duclair (2) Jean-Gabriel Pageau (3) 08:18 NYI 1,TOR 0
2nd Period
Bo Horvat (5) Kyle Palmieri (1) 18:33 NYI 2,TOR 0
3rd Period
Colton Sissons (2) Troy Stecher (1), Easton Cowan (4) 03:54 NYI 2,TOR 1
Simon Holmstrom (2) Bo Horvat (4), Matthew Schaefer (7) 14:08 NYI 3,TOR 1
Simon Holmstrom (3)EN 17:55 NYI 4,TOR 1
The Skinny
The Isles went 0-2 on the power play, but killed all three Leaf power plays… Mattias Maccelli’s injury ended his point streak at five games (2-4-6)… The Isles have scored four first period goals over the last three games after only scoring one first period goal in the first five games… The Isles, who have won every other game this season, now have a three-game point streak (2-0-1)…Both Islander goaltenders continue to have goals against averages under 2.00 (Sorokin 1.68 and Varlamov 1.94)… 22 of Bo Horvat’s 104 goals as an Islander have been game-winners; he has scored at least one game-winner in all 13 seasons of his NHL career…Both of Colton Sissons’ goals this season have come against the Isles; Easton Cowan has a point on all three Leaf goals this season vs. New York…The Isles stopped six-game point streaks for both Auston Matthews and Kirill Marchenko as the Leafs were held to one goal for the first time this season…Simon Holmstrom earned his 7th career multi-goal game…Ondrej Palat was on-ice for eighteen shot attempts (5-on-5) by the Isles and only one by Toronto…Matthew Schaefer, who entered the game leading all defensemen in shots on goal with 26, added five more to his total…Kyle Palmieri’s assist on Bo Horvat’s goal was his first helper since the play he suffered his season-ending injury last November.
The Injuries
Cal Ritchie and Matias Maccelli left the game with lower body injuries in the first period and did not return.
First Times in a Long Time
• It is the first time since 10/10/1975 that Billy Smith and Chico Resch are not 1-2 in either order in career Isles wins. Resch tied Gerry Desjardins on 10/11, and they have been 1-2 for the last 51 years!
• Excluding the shootout game deciding goal in Ottawa, the Isles have allowed only 17 goals in eight games (including three empty-netters). It is the fewest goals the Isles have allowed in their first eight games since 2001, when they also allowed 17 goals.
Milestone Men
• Ilya Sorokin recorded his 158th win for the Islanders, passing Chico Resch for second place in club history.
• Semyon Varlamov has played 175 games for the Isles, one fewer than Glenn Healy and two fewer than Jaroslav Halak, who sits 8th in club history.
• Bo Horvat scored his 104th goal, leaving him one behind Benoit Hogue and Ed Westfall for 31st in club history.
· Matthew Schaefer became the 2nd-youngest defenseman in NHL history to reach 250 career shots on goal, just behind Bobby Orr.
Fewest Goals Allowed by Isles in First Eight Games (excluding shootout)
• 16 in 1974-75 and 1976-77
• 17 in 1975-76, 1977-78, 2001-02 and 2025-26
Most Goals by an NHL Teenage Defenseman
1. Phil Housley 46
2. Bobby Orr 24
3. Matthew Schaefer and Ray Bourque 23
Most Goals by an Islander Teenager
1. Bryan Trottier 32
2. Pat LaFontaine 26
3. John Tavares and Tim Connolly 24
5. Brent Sutter and Matthew Schaefer 23
Schaefer has scored the most goals by any Islander teenage defenseman.
Most Assists by an Islander Teenager
1. Bryan Trottier 63
2. Tim Connolly 51
3. Matthew Schaefer 43
Schaefer has the most assists by any Islander teenage defenseman.
Most Points by an Islander Teenager
1. Bryan Trottier 95
2. Tim Connolly 75
3. Matthew Schaefer 66
Schaefer has the most points by any Islander teenage defenseman.
Most Game-Winning Goals by an Islander Teenager
1. Bryan Trottier 5
2. Matthew Schaefer 4
Most Shots on Goal by an Islander Teenager
1. Tim Connolly 285
2. Matthew Schaefer 253
Schaefer will play this entire season as a teenager.
Most Ice Time by an Islander Teenager, Game
1. Matthew Schaefer 31:59 3/24/2026 vs CHI
2. Matthew Schaefer 29:40 3/31/2026 at BUF
3. Matthew Schaefer 29:29 10/15/2026 at OTT (SO)
3. Matthew Schaefer 29:24 3/13/2026 vs LA
4. Matthew Schaefer 29:01 3/7/2026 at SJ (OT)
The last Islander to play more than 31:59 was Mark Streit, who played 32:27 on March 27, 2010, vs. CBJ. Since ice-time became official, no Islander has played more than 31:59 in a game that ended in regulation.
Most Ice Time by a Teenager, Game
1. Matthew Schaefer 31:59 3/24/2026 vs CHI
2. Jay Bouwmeester 30:57 1/30/2003 for FLA vs. DET (OT)
There are five recorded instances of a teenager playing 30 minutes in a game. Schaefer is the first teenager with five games of at least 29 minutes.
Schaefer has played at least 20:00 in 78 straight games; it is the longest streak in NHL history by a teenager in a single season since ice-time became official and the longest by an Islander since Mark Streit set the record (since 1997-98) by doing so in 141 consecutive games from 2009-2011.
Did Somebody Say Comeback?
The Isles have zero come-from behind wins this season, including no times when they trailed in the third period. The opponents have come-from-behind to win one time this season, including zero times in the third period.
The Isles have zero multi-goal comeback wins (zero in the third period); opponents have zero (none in the third period).
Overtime Is Our Time
The Isles are 0-0 in games decided by an overtime goal; they are 0-1 in shootouts.
Last season the Isles established an NHL record by winning all ten games decided by an overtime goal.
The Sixth Attacker
The Isles have not scored with the sixth attacker and allowed three empty net goals.
Opponents have scored one goal with the sixth attacker and allowed two empty-netters to the Isles.
Last Year vs. This Year
• 2026-27: 4-3-1 for 9 points in 8 games
• 2025-26: 4-3-1 for 9 points in 8 games
Offense from Defense
• Today: 0-1-1
• Season: 1-15-16
• Last Season (Final) 40-126-166
The 40 goals are the most for the Islander defense since they had 41 in 2022-23.
Home and Road
The Isles are 4-3-1 overall; they are 3-1-0 at home and 1-2-1 on the road.
Toronto is 3-4-2 overall; they are 2-3-1 at home and 1-1-1 on the road.
East and West
The Isles are 2-3-1 against the East (1-1-0 vs. Metropolitan and 1-2-1 vs. Atlantic) and 2-0-0 against the West (1-0-0 vs. Central and 1-0-0 vs. Pacific).
First Things First
The Isles are 4-0-1 when scoring first and 0-3-0 when allowing the opening goal.
The Shots
Isles 11-6-3=20
Toronto 10-6-13=29
The Isles are 1-1-1 when they outshoot their opponents, 0-0-0 when the shots are even and 3-2-0 when the opposition has more shots.
In the Nets
Ilya Sorokin made 28 saves; he is 4-2-0 this season and 9-6-0 vs. Toronto.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves; he is 1-3-2 this season and 20-13-0 vs. the Isles.
Special Teams
The Isles were 0-2 (3:50, including a :10 5-on3); Toronto was 0-3 (6:00).
The Isles are 2-2-0 when they score at least one power play goal and 2-1-1 when they do not. The Isles are 1-3-0 when they allow at least one power play goal and 3-0-1 when they do not.
The Isles are 2-0-0 when they outscore the opposition on special teams, 1-0-0 when they are outscored, and 2-2-1 when special team goals are equal.
Three is a Magic Number
The Isles 4-1-0 when they score at least three goals (including shootout winners) and are 0-2-1 when they do not.
One-Goal Games
The Isles are 1-1-1 in games decided by a single goal including 1-1 in regulation. They are 0-0 in games decided in overtime and are 0-1 in shootouts. The Isles are 0-2 in games in which an empty-net goal turns a 1-goal game into a 2-goal game.
Back-to-Backs
The Isles are 0-0-0 on the front end and 0-0-0 on the back end this season. The first back-to-back will be on November 27th vs. Winnipeg and November 28th at Philadelphia.
The Isles are 0-1-0 when the opponent is on the back end, including 0-0-0 when the Isles also played the previous day.
Ice-time Leaders (and yes – they are all 24:21!)
Isles: Matthew Schaefer and Bo Horvat (24:21); Toronto: Darren Raddysh (24:21)
Bo Horvat led Isles forwards (24:21).
Shots on Goal
Isles 20 (Matthew Schaefer – 5)
Toronto 29 (Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic – 5)
Shot Attempts
Isles 53 (Matthew Schaefer – 10)
Toronto 45 (Kirill Marchenko and Gavin McKenna – 6)
Face-offs
Isles 22, Toronto 23 (48.9%)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau won 11 of 17 for the Isles; Colton Sissons won 9 of 12 for Toronto.
Hit Count
Isles 29 (Emil Heineman – 6)
Toronto 18 (Zack MacEwen – 5)
Blocked Shots
Isles 4 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau – 2)
Toronto 18 (Auston Matthews – 4)
Fights
None. Season total: 3 (Schenn, Pelech, Stanley)
For the Analytics Crowd
Corsi: All situations: Isles 53, Toronto 45
Corsi: 5-on-5: Isles 49, Toronto 30
5-on-5 leaders:
Isles: Ondrej Palat +17
Toronto: Brandon Duhaime +3
High Danger Scoring Chances (per Natural Stat Trick)
All situations: Isles 7, Toronto 14
5-on-5: Isles 4, Toronto 7
Scratches
Mathew Barzal (NonRoster IR), Alex Romanov (IR), Scott Mayfield, Kyle MacLean
Games Lost to injury: 13. (Last season’s total: 399)
The Ironmen
Brayden Schenn played his 334th consecutive game (the first 307 for the Blues). Adam Pelech, Matthew Schaefer, and Emil Heineman have also played in every Islander game since the start of last season.
National TV Games
The Isles are 0-1-0 in games that air on one of the NHL’s US national broadcast partners. The next nationally televised game will be on October 22nd against the Kings.
Matinee Isles
The Isles are 0-0-0 in matinee games. 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 18-24-14 in matinees.
The first matinee will be on Halloween, when the Isles host the Oilers at 2:00pm.
Challenges
Isles: 1 successful, 0 failures. OTT (Offside) 10/15.
Opponents: 0 successful, 0 failures
Hockey Opps: 0 favorable, 0 unfavorable
Quickies (Two goals in under a minute)
For (2): Vs NJD 10/3, vs VAN 10/13
Vs (2): @ NYR 10/6, vs TB 10/10
Quick Responses (One team scoring within a minute of the other team)
Isles responses (0):
Opponent responses (0):
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 (0):
Vs (1): Brandon Hagel (GWG) 18:16 – 10/10 vs. TB
OT Winners
For (0):
Vs (0):
Shootout Winners
For (0):
Vs (1): Shane Pinto (OTT) 10/15
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 986…
15. Brent Sutter 694 *** 16. Adam Pelech 650 *** 17. Ryan Pulock 644 *** 18. Derek King 638 *** 19. Billy Harris 623 *** 20. Stefan Persson 622 *** 21. Scott Mayfield 617 *** 22. Mathew Barzal 611
Goals
1. Mike Bossy 573 *** 2. Bryan Trottier 500 *** 3. Denis Potvin 310 ***
17. Patrick Flatley 160 *** 18. Mathew Barzal 153…
22. Jason Blake 127 *** 23. Casey Cizikas 125…
31. Benoit Hogue and Ed Westfall 105 *** 33. Bo Horvat 104
Assists
1. Bryan Trottier 853 *** 2. Denis Potvin 742 *** 3. Mike Bossy 553 ***
4. Josh Bailey 396 *** 5. Mathew Barzal 381…
23. Pierre Turgeon 193 *** 24. Ryan Pulock 185…
32. Ziggy Palffy 163 *** 33. Casey Cizikas 157 *** 34. David Volek 154 *** 35. Mariusz Czerkawski 150 *** 36. Adam Pelech 149
Points
1. Bryan Trottier 1,353 *** 2. Mike Bossy 1,126 *** 3. Denis Potvin 1,052…
9. Pat LaFontaine 566 *** 10. Anders Lee 549 *** 11. John Tonelli 544 *** 12. Bob Bourne 542 *** 13. Mathew Barzal 533…
27. Ed Westfall 286 *** 28. Casey Cizikas 282 …
32. Nick Leddy 243 *** 33. Ryan Pulock 241
+/-
1. Bryan Trottier +467 ***2. Denis Potvin +456 *** 3. Mike Bossy +380…
15. Bob Lorimer +105 *** 16. Adam Pelech +85 *** 17. Tomas Jonsson +76 *** 18. Garry Howatt +75 *** 19. Pat Price +70 *** 20. JP Parise +67 *** 21. Ryan Pulock +67 *** 22. Jude Drouin +58
Defense Games
1. Denis Potvin 1,060 *** 2. Adam Pelech 650 *** 3. Ryan Pulock 644 ***
4. Stefan Persson 622 *** 5. Scott Mayfield 617
Defense Goals
1. Denis Potvin 310 *** 2. Tomas Jonsson 84 *** 3. Kenny Jonsson 57 ***
4. Ryan Pulock 56…
12. Adrian Aucoin 33 *** 13. Bryan Berard 31 *** 14. Scott Mayfield and Adam Pelech 30
Defense Assists
1. Denis Potvin 742*** 2. Stefan Persson 317 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 249 ***
4. Nick Leddy 198 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 185 …
9. Jeff Norton 166 *** 10. Adam Pelech 149…
13. Dave Lewis 117 *** 14. Roman Hamrlik and Scott Mayfield 110
Defense Points
1. Denis Potvin 1,052 *** 2. Stefan Persson 369 *** 3. Tomas Jonsson 333 ***
4. Nick Leddy 243 *** 5. Ryan Pulock 241…
9. Jeff Norton 188 *** 10. Mark Streit and Adam Pelech 179…
14. Dave Lewis 141 *** 15. Scott Mayfield 140
Goalie Games
1. Billy Smith 674 *** 2. Rick DiPietro 318 *** 3. Ilya Sorokin 314…
8. Jaroslav Halak 177*** 9. Glenn Healy 176 *** 10. Semyon Varlamov 175
Wins
1. Billy Smith 304 *** 2. Ilya Sorokin 158 …
7. Jaroslav Halak 88 *** 8. Roland Melanson 77 *** 9. Semyon Varlamov 76
Shutouts
1. Ilya Sorokin 30 *** 2. Glenn Resch 25 *** 3. Billy Smith 22 ***
4. Rick DiPietro and Semyon Varlamov 16
On the Farm
The Hamilton Hammers are 1-3-0-1 this season following a 4-1 loss to Rochester on Friday. Hamilton will host Syracuse on Sunday afternoon.
Team leaders:
Goals: Mitchell Chaffee (4); Assists: Liam Foudy (4); Points: Foudy (6)
Goalies: Vitek Vanecek (1-1-1), Josh Kotai (0-2-0)
Season Series Stats
The season series is tied, 1 game to 1 (and 2 points to 2). The teams will conclude the season series on November 23rd on Long Island.
The Isles are 9-3-0 in their last twelve meetings with Toronto.
UP NEXT
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20th –ANAHEIM AT ISLANDERS 7:00pm
[MSGSN (pre-game at 6:30), WRHU 88.7 FM, WRCN 103.9FM, Isles + UBS Arena App]
The Isles return home for a pair of games, beginning on Tuesday with Anaheim. Matthew Schaefer will be looking to become the youngest player in NHL history to start the season with a five-game home assist steak; he is already the youngest defenseman in league history to start a season with a four-game home assist streak.
It will be the first game the Isles play this season against a team that won a playoff series last spring.
The Isles are 4-1-0 at UBS Arena against the Ducks and are 7-3-0 over the last five seasons against Anaheim.
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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