Matthew Schaefer gifts Islanders morale-boosting win with overtime winner

ST.PAUL, Minn.

— This was the sort of win to make believers of the Islanders. More because of how the schedule broke than any other reason, the road trip that ended here Thursday night was the first time all season they had the chance to test themselves as a visiting team against bona fide Stanley Cup contenders. While Sunday’s game in Dallas didn’t go according to plan, they matched the Wild blow-for-blow.The 4-3 overtime victory that came from it is easily the best the Islanders have had during the season’s first month, even if Matt Boldy’s tying goal with under four minutes to go had them sweating before Matthew Schaefer won it. They were never overwhelmed by Minnesota’s speed.

They protected the middle of the ice in their own zone and played smart, physical hockey for 60 minutes.It didn’t quite keep the Wild’s cadre of superstars quiet, but certainly it kept them from taking over the game.

Handing Minnesota its first loss of the season on home ice, plus earning their first win after giving up the first goal, are two achievements on which the Islanders can hang their hats. So, too, is that this game was played mostly on the Islanders’ terms.There wasn’t much space to work with for either team, and rush chances were few and far between.

That’s exactly the environment Pete DeBoer’s squad has thrived in so far, and it wasn’t too different here. They entered the third period tied 2-2 but with a huge 8-3 edge on high-danger chances at five-on-five — an indication of how well the Islanders defended even with Ryan Pulock done for the night with an upper-body injury after playing just two shifts and 51 seconds. The chance to retake the lead came after the Islanders killed off their third penalty of the night.After Victor Eklund won a puck battle along the boards, it floated to Adam Pelech in space, and the defenseman’s shot hit Michael McCarron in the leg before getting past Jesper Wallstedt, the change in direction seemingly catc...