Schaefer’s Overtime Winner Lifts Islanders Past Wild
On October 29 in St. Paul, Matthew Schaefer scored twice, including the overtime winner, as the Islanders beat the Wild 4-3.
The New York Islanders edged the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in overtime on October 29 in St. Paul, with Matthew Schaefer scoring the winning goal 33 seconds into the extra period. He fired past Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt from the right faceoff dot on a breakaway, completing a two-goal, three-point night that included an assist.
Minnesota took the lead 27 seconds into the game when Joel Eriksson Ek scored, assisted by Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes. Schaefer tied it late in the first, and Bo Horvat put New York ahead on a power play early in the second. Hughes answered later in the period to make it 2-2.
Adam Pelech gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead 7:14 into the third, scoring for the first time in 32 games. Matt Boldy tied it for Minnesota with 3:53 remaining, sending the game to overtime. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves for New York; Wallstedt also stopped 22 shots.
The Islanders killed all three of Minnesota’s power plays, despite defenseman Ryan Pulock leaving after two shifts with an upper-body injury. New York improved to 7-4-2 with its second straight win. The Wild, who had won three in a row, fell to 9-4-2 and took their first home loss of the season. The Islanders are scheduled to host Edmonton on October 31; Minnesota is set to visit Washington on November 1.