Islanders rally past Golden Knights for gritty overtime victory

LAS VEGAS — This rookie season rightfully could have been titled, “The Education of Matthew Schaefer.”

Certainly there are lots of lessons for him to learn in the months ahead, but for now, the curriculum has changed.

The Islanders’ 18-year-old defenseman has been the one doing the schooling — throughout the East and now in the West.

Schaefer’s power-play snap shot from 51 feet out eluded Vegas goalie Akira Schmid with 2:01 to go in the first period to give the Islanders a two-goal lead en route to their 4-3 victory overtime over the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

He later assisted on Mathew Barzal’s one-timer shot with 2:37 to go in the third period to tie the game at 3 after Vegas had rallied for three goals in less than 12 minutes to take a 3-2 lead.

The Islanders notched the winner on JG Pageau’s shorthanded goal in overtime.

Schaefer leapfrogged the Canadiens’  Ivan Demidov for the NHL rookie scoring with 14 points, and he drew even with reigning Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar of the Avalanche for most goals by a defenseman with six.

He also tied Bryan Trottier as the lone Islander to score four power-play goals in his first 17 NHL games.

Islanders coach Patrick Roy issued his first challenge of the season, claiming Kyle Palmieri had been pushed into Ilya Sorokin before the puck ended on the opposite side of the net on the stick of Reilly Smith, who flicked it into an empty cage.

The challenge was unsuccessful.

The Islanders killed the ensuing penalty and Barzal scored on a 6-on-5 situation with Sorokin pulled.

Despite getting into Las Vegas a day early and skating twice on the ice at the Fortress, the Islanders started slowly, giving up the first five shots on goal before Kyle Palmieri hit the goalie with 10:42 on the clock.

The Isles got on the board on a strange sequence.

With some traffic around him, Ilya Sorokin lost the butt end of his goalie stick, about a foot and a half’s worth.

On Vegas’ next rush, Mitch Marner hit the left post on a 2-on-1.

Down the other end, Tony DeAngelo’s backhand pass from the boards at the blue line sent Emil Heineman in for a shot that deflected off a defender and past Schmid, the former Devil.

The first half of the game was another tour de force for Sorokin against the Golden Knights.

The Islanders won both meetings vs. Vegas with Sorokin stopping 63 of 64 shots.

Things got dicey midway through the second period when the Islanders took a too-many-men on the ice minor.

Sorokin held firm stopping four shots in the two minutes, including two rapid-fire chances by Jack Eichel, and benefiting again from a Tomas Hertl tip that hit iron.

The Islanders earned a power play when Casey Cizikas convinced the referees that Jeremy Lauzon’s clearing attempt behind the Vegas net went cleanly over the glass for a delay-of-game call. 

After that penalty was killed, the teams traded trips and on the 4-on-4, Schaefer stickhandled through three Golden Knights only to be turned away by Schmidt.

The Islanders’ joyride hit a speed bump when Shea Theodore deked his way around or near all five white shirts and got to the goal mouth, the puck finding its way past Sorokin with 1:04 to go in the second period.

Schaefer could have taken some notes on that one.

Near the end of the play, Theodore’s stick appeared to push Sorokin’s pad as the puck was crossing the goal line.

Roy declined to challenge this good-goal ruling, likely not wanting to risk the penalty if denied.