Islanders Fall in Heartbreaker Despite Rookie Fireworks

The New York Islanders fought hard, but ultimately fell short in a season-opening 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

Justin Brazeau broke a 3-3 tie at 14:21 of the third period to spoil a night of several milestones for the Islanders. Matthew Schaefer recorded his first NHL point with a primary assist on Jonathan Drouin's first goal as an Islander, while Max Shabanov found the back of the net in his NHL debut. Kyle Palmieri rounded out the scoresheet for the Isles. Harrison Brunicke scored in his NHL debut for the Penguins, while Evgeni Malkin (PPG) and Sidney Crosby (PPG) found the back of the net.

“I thought we played a good game, well enough to win,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “But we're not here for moral victories. We want to win games, and we're certainly not satisfied.”

Ilya Sorokin stopped 24-of-28 shots in the loss, while Tristan Jarry stopped 34-of-37 shots in the win for the Penguins, who improved to 2-0-0 on the season.

TAKEAWAYS

- Thursday was going to be a special night for Schaefer regardless, but the defenseman made it extra memorable with a few early-career milestones. The 18-year-old recorded his first career point – becoming the youngest player in league history to do so in his NHL debut - with a primary assist on Drouin’s first goal as an Islander. Schaefer carried the puck up ice to start the play and eventually helped finish it, as he circled off the left half wall to feed Drouin, who had a quick release to tie the score. Schaefer played 17:15 in his first regular-season game, with one shot and six total shot attempts. He was on the ice for all five even-strength goals (three for the Isles, two for the Penguins) and finished the night with a plus-one rating. He out on the ice with the Islanders looking to tie the score late.

“It felt good, the first couple shifts you get the jitters out and you roll from there,” Schaefer said. “It was a good first game for sure.”

- Schaefer, who said before the game that he viewed his NHL debut as just another hockey game, looked calm and confident in his first game, as did Shabanov. In their rookie laps, the 18-year-old defenseman and 25-year-old winger took them together and opted to go no-helmets.

- Shabanov scored in his NHL debut with a beauty of a shot, finishing off a one-timer on a pass from Simon Holmstrom that was slightly behind the Russian winger. Shabanov looked steady in his first regular-season NHL game and gelled with JG Pageau and Holmstrom. Shabanov finished the game with 9:45 TOI, which was a team-low.

- Mathew Barzal looked solid at center in his first regular season game since Feb. 1. He deked two defenders in the high slot and sent a pass to Palmieri, who buried the second goal of the game for the Islanders. Barzal had a solid night in the dot, winning 70% of his draws (7-for-10). Palmieri had a game-high eight shots on goal.

- Sorokin had a solid first outing and while he allowed an early goal, he settled in as the game wore on. He made several key saves, including an attempt from Anthony Mantha late in the second period and stopping a Tommy Novak shot midway through the third to keep the Isles in the game. The Penguins were credited with seven high-danger chances at five-on-five in the third period (per Natural Stat Trick), so Sorokin was sharp enough to keep the Isles in it tied late.

- The Islanders’ penalty kill went 2-for-4 and their power play went 0-for-3 on the night. The Islanders allowed a power-play goal early into the contest and Crosby was able to take advantage of a four-on-three situation with a deflection in front of the crease. After allowing goals on their first two penalty kills, the Isles killed the next two, including a Holmstrom hooking penalty in the third period to keep the game tied at three. Although the Isles didn’t convert on the man advantage, the power play looked more connected and sustained time in the zone.

- The Islanders looked faster and more and connected in the first game of the season, and although there are areas to work on, Roy was pleased with his group’s first game. Roy highlighted the positives - the pace, the way his group played at five-on-five and the structure of the PK - but he said better play around the net is an area for improvement. Roy said that Jarry’s save on Pageau’s breakaway was a key moment of the game where the Islanders could have taken a 3-1 lead.