Hockey

Top-5: Matthew Schaefer scores his first (and very strange) NHL goal
Mathis Therrien
Top-5: Matthew Schaefer scores his first (and very strange) NHL goal
Credit: Twitter screenshot

After suffering a day without any games on Friday, the National Hockey League had 16 games on the schedule yesterday, so all 32 teams were in action, after all having a day off. It's a pretty weird schedule, but at least it gave us plenty of action yesterday, so here's what caught our eye.1. A goofy first NHL goal for Matthew SchaeferAfter facing Sidney Crosby and getting an assist in his first NHL game, Matthew Schaefer faced Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals last night. And this time, the first overall pick of the last auction scored his first NHL goal. However, let's just say it was a pretty weird goal for Schaefer, especially for a career first, as the Islanders defenseman really went for it.

Note that the Caps challenged the goal, but in the end, the goal was deemed good.

Schaefer became the second-youngest (18 years and 36 days) defenseman in history to score an NHL goal, and the youngest player to do so on the powerplay.

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Unfortunately, the Islanders lost this game 4-2, but what will be remembered is the incredible performance of #48.

Schaefer was sparkling, as he was the Islanders' most-used player, with 26:04 of ice time. In short, a smashing NHL debut for Schaefer, but also at home last night, when he was simply dominant

2. Five other players score their first NHLgoal Just like Schaefer, there were five other players who scored their first career NHL goal yesterday. Here they are

  • Ben Kindel – Center – age 18 – Penguins 11th overall pick in 2025

  • Sam Rinzel – right-handed defenseman – age 21 – Blackhawks' 25th overall pick in 2022

  • Gavin Brindley – Center – 21 years old – 34th overall pick by the Blue Jackets in 2023

  • Zeev Buium – Left-handed defenseman – age 19 – Wild's 12th overall pick in 2024

  • Noah Philp – Center – 27 years old – Never drafted

3. Leafs suffer a Red Wings comebackThe Montreal Canadiens made short work of the Red Wings on Thursday night in Detroit. Last night, it was the Toronto Maple Leafs' turn to visit Detroit, and we thought we'd see the same kind of result as for the Canadiens.

But in the end, after taking a 2-0 lead, the Leafs collapsed, losing 6-3.

The Wings completed the scoring with two goals in an empty net, giving them a nice first win this season after Thursday's horrible performance

4. Ryan Reaves scores and throws down the gloves in a crazy gameThe San Jose Sharks hosted the Anaheim Ducks last night, as we were treated to the most entertaining game of the night. 13 goals were scored in total in this 7-6 overtime win for the Ducks, as they came from behind by two goals to force overtime.

But the main thing to remember is that new Sharks forward Ryan Reaves not only threw down the gloves, but also scored a beautiful goal.

In short, a solid game with his new team for the 38-year-old tough guy

5. Pavel Dorofeyev scores his 5th goal of the seasonThe 24-year-old Russian forward was a revelation in the NHL last season, scoring 35 goals and 52 points in 82 games with the Vegas Golden Knights.

And at the start of this season, Dorofeyev looks set to do even better, as last night, in a 2-1 Knights overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Russian scored his 5th goal of the season already.

He now has five goals in three games, and if you didn't already know, now you're aware of how talented this young Russian is.

'Prolongation'

– Here are all the results from yesterday.

– Here are yesterday's top scorers.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Today's NHL schedule: a single game.

(Credit: Google/NHL)
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