Overview
- Pete DeBoer’s first game behind the Islanders bench on Thursday ended in a 5-3 win that stopped a four-game skid.
- New York jumped in the standings, passing Columbus and closing to one point behind Philadelphia for the division’s No. 3 spot after losses by the Flyers and Blue Jackets.
- The Islanders overwhelmed Toronto on the shot clock, finishing 44-16 overall and 24-3 in the first period, their most first-period shots in 18 years.
- Rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer scored the go-ahead goal for his 23rd of the season, tying Brian Leetch’s NHL mark for goals by a rookie blueliner.
- The result came against a short-handed Toronto team starting rookie Artur Akhtyamov with Auston Matthews out, and New York’s recent defensive lapses and Ilya Sorokin’s 13-save night keep structure and goaltending under watch in the final games.