Matthew Schaefer D NYI Sun 3/29/26 9:42 AM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer notched two assists, one on the power play, in Saturday's 5-2 win over Florida.
EDGE Analysis
The teenage phenom helped set up tallies by Brayden Schenn and Simon Holmstrom as part of a five-goal second period for the Islanders. Schaefer has piled up four goals and 15 points in 14 March contests, and his 56 points (22 goals, 34 assists) through 74 games on the season has tied the franchise scoring mark for a rookie defenseman, set by Stefan Persson in 1977-78.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Fri 3/27/26 10:39 AM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer notched two assists in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Stars.
EDGE Analysis
The rookie phenom had a hand in tallies by Bo Horvat in the first period and Calum Ritchie in the third. Schaefer is doing his best to push the Islanders across the finish line in the regular season and into the playoffs, and through 13 games in March he's delivered four goals and 13 points with 49 shots on net, 19 blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-8 rating.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Sun 3/22/26 1:50 AM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer scored a power-play goal on three shots, blocked two shots and went minus-2 in Saturday's 7-3 loss to the Canadiens.
EDGE Analysis
Schaefer is now one goal away from tying Brian Leetch's record of 23 for the most goals by a rookie defenseman. The 18-year-old Schaefer briefly tied this contest at 3-3 in the third period before the Canadiens took over. The Olympic break appears to have refreshed the phenom, who has six goals and six helpers over 12 contests since the NHL schedule resumed. He's at 22 goals, 51 points, 176 shots on net, 96 blocked shots and a plus-14 rating over 70 appearances. Schaefer's 22 goals put him just one behind Jakob Chychrun for the lead in goals among NHL blueliners this season.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Fri 3/20/26 11:27 AM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer scored his 21st goal of the season in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Senators.
EDGE Analysis
The phenom opened the scoring early in the second period as he launched a rocket into the top corner past James Reimer from the top of the faceoff circle. The goal was Schaefer's 21st of the season as he closes in on Brian Leetch's all-time record of 23 for a rookie defenseman, while the point was his 50th of the season -- making him just the second 18-year-old blueliner in NHL history to hit that plateau after Phil Housley in 1982-83. Both Leetch and Housley are in the Hall of Fame.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Tue 3/17/26 10:54 PM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer put up a power-play assist in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs.
EDGE Analysis
Schaefer has 10 points (two goals, eight assists), 29 shots and one power-play point in his last 10 games. Overall, the rookie defender continues to impress with 20 goals and 29 assists in 68 games. That puts Schaefer in a tie with Erik Karlsson for 11th in the NHL from the blue line. Perhaps more impressively, he's flirting with a 60-point pace. If he achieves that, Schaefer would be the 11th rookie defender in NHL history to achieve that mark. That would get him into Nicklas Lidstrom territory.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Mon 3/2/26 12:19 AM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer scored twice on five shots, added an assist, blocked four shots, went plus-4 and logged two PIM in Sunday's 5-4 win over the Panthers.
EDGE Analysis
This was the first three-point game of Schaefer's career, and he also reached the 20-goal mark with the effort. Hitting 20 goals as a defenseman is already an impressive feat, and it's even more remarkable that he was able to do so as an 18-year-old rookie. He's now at 44 points, 146 shots, 84 blocks, 30 PIM and a plus-14 rating over 61 appearances. Schaefer's already a borderline No. 1 defenseman in standard fantasy formats, and he's only getting started.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Fri 2/27/26 11:41 AM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer scored two goals, one on the power play, in Thursday's 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens.
EDGE Analysis
With the Islanders down 2-0 midway through the second period, Schaefer took matters into his own hands to tie it up, scoring twice in 55 seconds before the second intermission. The teenage blueliner has lit the lamp five times in the last six games, and on the season the overwhelming Calder Trophy favorite has 18 goals and 41 points in his first 59 NHL contests -- setting a new Islanders record for goals in a season by a rookie defenseman in the process, and breaking the mark established in 1973-74 by Hall of Famer Denis Potvin.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Tue 2/3/26 11:38 PM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and blocked three shots in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime win over the Penguins.
EDGE Analysis
Schaefer has three goals and two assists over the last five contests. He tallied late in the first period and helped out on a Bo Horvat goal in overtime in this effort, which was Schaefer's first multi-point outing since Jan. 19 versus the Canucks. The 18-year-old blueliner is up to 16 goals and 39 points through 57 appearances, with both of those scoring marks ranking third among all rookies. He's added 137 shots on net, 76 blocks, 28 PIM, 26 hits and a plus-7 rating. At this pace, he could take a run at Brian Leetch's record for goals by a rookie defenseman (23 in 1988-89).
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Sun 2/1/26 3:23 PM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer scored a goal on three shots in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Predators.
EDGE Analysis
Schaefer has scored in consecutive contests and has seven points over his last eight games. The 18-year-old defenseman continues to do his job well, and he's up to 15 goals and 37 points over 55 outings. He could take a run at the 20-goal and 50-point marks if he stays healthy for the rest of the season, which are incredible totals for a rookie blueliner. Schaefer has added 134 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating so far.
Matthew Schaefer D NYI Fri 1/30/26 1:57 PM
Matthew Schaefer
D NYI
Schaefer scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Rangers.
EDGE Analysis
Schaefer has a goal and an assist over the last two games, which followed a three-game slump. The 18-year-old defenseman has done an excellent job of limiting his quiet stretches as a rookie, and he's been steady defensively even if he doesn't chip in on offense. For the season, Schaefer is up to 14 goals, 36 points, 131 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating across 54 outings.