Islanders stun Sharks 4-3. Is this the turning point for their season?
Gil Martin breaks down New York’s clutch victory, highlighting Matthew Schaefer’s breakout performance and the team’s evolving strategy. The discussion covers Anders Lee’s contributions, Ilya Sorokin’s crucial saves, and how recent roster moves are reshaping the Islanders’ playoff chances. Key topics include New York’s defensive improvements, Mathew Barzal’s chemistry with Schaefer, and some more issues on defense.
Don’t miss this in-depth analysis of the New York Islanders’ path to success, including a special birthday tribute to former winger Miro Satan and exciting updates on the team’s top prospects.
All this and more on today’s Locked On Islanders Podcast with Gil Martin.
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26 Comments
Lucky to get the win tonight, really sloppy play constant turnovers bad defense but the biggest bright spot has been Matthew Schafer this kid looks damn good
fun game to watch but Sorokin man another 3 goals….if we use rittich again and it is 2 goals or less…there is something up
I couldn't be happier with Schaefer..I was leaning more towards Misa during the draft, but im so happy with our pick! Loved Schaefer on the Mic after the game!
im feeling like we got a bedard 😀
Schaefer, Horvat, Heineman, Drouin, and occasionally Lee and Duclair that's it for players showing up to play hockey…I can most likely name 5 teams in the entire league who would allow Casey Cizikas to dress, he has been HORRENDOUS, still trying to figure out why he didn't pickup Celebrini. This comment will not go over well, but it needs to be made, Matthew Barzal is 100% responsible for San Jose's first goal, that is the kind of play that used to drive Barry Trotz up the wall. He picks up the puck, skates into a box and then telegraphs the pass to Pageau, an absolute gift. I know in Islander country it is absolutely Verboten to criticize Barzal, but sometimes he really does some stupid things with the puck.
I think this was Sorokin's best game of the season. With that said the Isles will not beat too many good teams playing the way they played last night. I really liked the effort from Holmstrom, and Lee. Tsypycup was invisible except for one nice rush. He's been pretty bad so far this season, hopefully his funk ends sooner rather than later
Rather than say Mathew Schaefer showed you how good he can be, it's more like how Matthew Schaefer showed you how good he is.
Schaefer has clearly shown his Ability and hockey 🏒 IQ! Amazing young man! There is a lot to feel good about and there is a lot to feel bad about! We as fans will take 500 at this point. Darche has his work cut out for himself on revamping the Defense . How does Darche rid of horrible old defenders Pulock, Mayfield 5 more years Pelech 4 years with NTC and partial NTC. Darche will have to be a magician to pull off a deal to undo Lou’s horrible mess ! What team on these players lists of who they would waive these horrible PNTC take these players? Pelech has a Partial NTC and Darche will have to retain and sweeten for a team to take Pelech. The defense is a major concern for this team! Having one D who is shaky is an issue but to have 3 or 4 is a major problem. At this point Pelech, Pulock, and Mayfield are all 3 rd string D men if not scratches. How will Darche do the impossible? Warren has shown he is better than Pulock ,Pelech , and Mayfield or at least playing steady and making contributions. Top teams will give us Headaches and The Wings are playing very well! Boqvist didn’t seem to make any glaring mistakes like Pelech, Pulock , or Mayfield. Go Islanders!
Schaefer could be better than Dennis Potvin 🏒
The streak is alive for both Schaefer and Isles. Once again leave too many shots for opposition, but in the 3 matches we have been outshot, we have won, while the opposite was true when we were outshooting teams. Feels like something of the past. Still hope for Ritchie getting a chance, even though Casey scored. Ourside Horvat and Schaefer, we are at large keeping the points spread across most of the team.
I was in favour of Schaefer ahead of Misa, even that 160+ points was alluring. Had Hagens above at one point, but eventually Schaefer and hoping we got Hagens. That said, so happy with Kashawn Aitcheson and Viktor Eklund. Those were super picks all things considered. Schaefer and Aitcheson will be so top in the future. At this point we should look at making trades with Sharks for some of their prospects, since they are most likely to get Gavin McKenna, and swarmed with prospects.
Good point about Barzal and Schaefer out there in OT. That will be must-watch hockey.
Did Sorokin get the memo to stay on his feet? After all he's got 9 million dollar skates😂
😢 Good 🌅, Gil. How are you? The Islanders won, but it wasn't pretty. Ilya Sorokin made some nice saves. Barzy and Schafer set up a nice goal. Hear from you later, Gil. Before I go I'm comparing the Islanders to Yellowstone Characters this time. Trots was a lot like John Dutton because he grew up just above the MT line, he loves the ranch. Gillies was Rip Wheeler for his loyalty. Mike Bossy was Kacey for his point blank shot. All of them have soft spots for the people they love. Now, LET'S GO ISLANDERS.
When you compare Schaefer’s vs Dobson’s numbers so far, NYI 1, MTL 0, when you add Heineman’s production, NYI 2, MTL 0, WINNING!!!!
Also worth nothing, Schaefer is picking up points with an average to below average offense on paper. Once the team and organization “finalizes” the roster and the offensive talent comes through, I could easily see him breaking at least 60-70 points every year. Still hoping Darche doesn’t deviate from the plan for the future and we end up getting assets back for JGP and at a good draft pick this season, but the rebuild could definitely expedite itself
I was at the game last night, and I have some thoughts. Negative & Positive.
1) Sorokin gave up 3 goals, but played a very good game. I went to the game with my brother in law (a Ranger’s fan), and even he said, Sorokin faced a lot of tough shots coming from the danger area.
2) Shabanov, had some serious chances. Despite his size, he really competes hard.
3) Pulock & Pelech, you can see that they are past their prime, at one time they were one of the best defensive pairings in the NHL, now they are one of the worst, just brutal, DeAngelo is atrocious in his own zone, as is Mayfield. San Jose, maybe the worst team in hockey, spent an eternity in the Isle’s zone, tough to watch.
4) Schaefer, ok, now we come to the main positive. He looked really good. And I’m not just talking offensively, which is just obvious how good he is offensively. But defensively, I was so impressed, he made so many smart plays defensively with his stick to stop threats. Then, I think he’s getting really confident in his play, I actually saw some physical play last night, some hard hits. Which I saw more last night than in any of his other games. Just played a really good game last night, one or two mistakes, but you have to expect that, he just turned 18, which makes what he’s doing even more amazing. Leads ALL rookies in scoring.
5) Barzal, such an odd player, beautiful pass on the Horvat goal, but for every great pass he makes, he makes 9 BAD passes. It’s so frustrating. His speed is elite, undeniable, but he passes when he should shoot, and is the best penalty killer of his own power play. Should be a top 20 NHL player with his skills, but his hockey sense is very questionable.
6) Heineman, I like him, good size & speed, gets involved physically.
7) Misa, I have to say, I was impressed, got his first NHL point last night (and assist), but he’s going to get many more, he has all the skills needed to be a good NHL player. But the team doesn’t seem to have complete confidence in him just yet.
Overall though, a very sloppy (but entertaining) game between two bad teams. I know the Isles are 3-3, and I’m very happy they won 3 in a row, but they have several issues both defensively & offensively.
Schaefer is amazing, having seamlessly transitioned from junior hockey to the big leagues, showcasing a veteran-like presence on both ends of the ice. Also, he does little things like clearing out the zone 2 consecutive times with a delicate touch, not to create icings at the end of the game to preserve the win last night. I thought the interview with Shannon Hogan revealed a confident yet humble young man, focused on team success and earning the trust of his teammates. So far, I am thrilled with the acquisition of Heinneman. I always liked him when he was up here with the Habs. We are going to need to play a tighter game on Thursday! Great Podcast Gil! LGI
Hard to believe this kid is 18! Also love his charisma too!
Gm Gil. Barely scraping past the worst team in the league is not a cause for celebration. Bottom 10 teams don't have 'great' pairings . They are at the bottom for a reason.
3 w's in a row on a night when 30 was better at .910. pp was good scoring 2 pp g's and giving up a sh g as isles held the lead and won over an 0-4-2 sj team still scraping the bottom of nhl. and isles are only team in metro – gf ga.
misa gets his first nhl pt. vs. isles so my prediction misa gets first two pts. – the g was right. kid showed great vision finding the open gaudette right in close for the g.
next up-hot wings 5-1 and winners of 5 in a row.
Barzy found a skater that could keep up and even surpass his speed. I remember people argued against picking Schaefer because we had Dobson. That line of thought is dead.
Yeah that open ice with shaefer and barzal can be amazing, I’ve wanted to see another player to match Barzal skating on this team, very exciting, we need a few more of these guys haha
Considering Shaefer did not even play a full calender season in Jr,,quite remarkable what he`s been able to do!
Piero Greco was fired today. Replaced by the Russian goalie coach hired to lead Bridgeport's goalies. Let's hope Sorokin feels more comfortable with his new coach and we can stay on a roll (Kaiser, no seeds). Many have said wait until opposing teams figure out Schaefer and make adjustments. Then how well will he perform. I say, wait until Schaefer really turns on his jets, and demonstrates what an elite hockey player he is capable of becoming. The great's are always 10 steps ahead of their competition. That's what separates the elite from the average. I know, we defeated a poor Sharks team. But you have to rack up as many points as possible, and defeating the lesser teams builds confidence. Just protect Schaefer from getting attacked by trash like Wilson.
I’ve been wondering what shook Sorokin’s confidence? If that’s what has happened? He was so consistent and strong 💪 last season. Just makes me wonder if something happened over the summer? I’ll support him jk matter what. He’s my favorite goalie, lol I’d buy any Jersey with his name in it.”that I can afford”. Thanks for the shows Gil everyday👍👍
I was a naysayer and have to admit they surprised me. Credit to Roy for using what he has as well as possible.