Florida Panthers at New York Islanders
· National Hockey LeagueLee scores in final minute, Schaefer has 2 more goals as the Islanders beat the Panthers 5-4
Carson Soucy and Bo Horvat also scored and David Rittich made 28 saves as the Islanders won their fifth straight game and eighth in their last 10.
The 18-year-old Schaeffer has 20 goals, three behind Hall of Famer Brian Leetch for the most by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
Sam Bennett scored twice and Sandis Vilmanis and Sam Reinhart each had a goal for Florida, which lost its second in a row. Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, who are eight points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Lee finished a backhand-to-forehand move for his third straight game with a goal to put the Islanders ahead for good with 32 seconds left.
Schaefer had given the Islanders a 4-3 lead with his second goal of the game midway through the third period when he walked in from the blue line and beat Bobrovsky with a wrist shot.
Reinhart tied it at 4 with 1:58 remaining after coach Paul Maurice pulled Bobrovsky for an extra attacker.
Florida took a 2-0 lead with two goals in the first period. Vilmanis slid a backhander through Rittich’s legs at 3:44 and Bennett scored on the power play later in the period.
The Islanders pulled within 2-1 late in the first when Schaefer’s slap shot deflected several times and bounced over Bobrovsky.
Soucy tied it at 2 with less than eight minutes left in the second.
Bennett restored Florida’s lead at 3-2 with his second goal, slipping a backhand under Rittich’s blocker. But Horvat scored his team-leading 25th goal to make it 3-3 with less than three minutes remaining in the second.
Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin didn't play because of a lower-body injury.
Islanders: Visit Anaheim on Wednesday to begin a four-game road trip.
—
Regular Season SeriesSeries tied 1-1
Scoring Summary
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Goal | 1st Period 3:44 | Sandis Vilmanis Goal (3) Backhand, assists: A.J. Greer (11), Sergei Bobrovsky (2) |
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Goal | 1st Period 14:54 | Sam Bennett Goal (21) Snap Shot, assists: Aaron Ekblad (19), Matthew Tkachuk (6) |
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Goal | 1st Period 18:01 | Matthew Schaefer Goal (19) Slap Shot, assists: Ryan Pulock (21), Mathew Barzal (38) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 7:28 | Carson Soucy Goal (5) Snap Shot, assists: Simon Holmstrom (19), Tony DeAngelo (23) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 12:04 | Sam Bennett Goal (22) Backhand, assists: Matthew Tkachuk (7) |
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Goal | 2nd Period 17:14 | Bo Horvat Goal (25) Snap Shot, assists: Matthew Schaefer (24) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 10:29 | Matthew Schaefer Goal (20) Snap Shot, assists: Ondrej Palat (9) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 18:02 | Sam Reinhart Goal (28) Snap Shot, assists: Aaron Ekblad (20), Matthew Tkachuk (8) |
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Goal | 3rd Period 19:28 | Anders Lee Goal (14) Wrist Shot, assists: Tony DeAngelo (24), Adam Pelech (8) |
Statistics
FLA |
NYI |
|
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Blocked Shots | 17 |
| 23 | Hits | 25 |
| 5 | Takeaways | 6 |
| 33 | Shots | 26 |
| 1 | Power Play Goals | 0 |
| 3 | Power Play Opportunities | 1 |
| 33.3 | Power Play Percentage | 0.0 |
| 0 | Short Handed Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Shootout Goals | 0 |
| 33 | Faceoffs Won | 32 |
| 50.8 | Faceoff Win Percent | 49.2 |
| 12 | Giveaways | 15 |
| 1 | Total Penalties | 3 |
| 2 | Penalty Minutes | 6 |
New York Islanders Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Drouin, LW | Day-To-Day | Mar 2 |
| Kyle Palmieri, C | Injured Reserve | Nov 30 |
Florida Panthers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Cole Schwindt, RW | Injured Reserve | Mar 1 |
| Seth Jones, D | Injured Reserve | Jan 19 |
| Jonah Gadjovich, LW | Injured Reserve | Jan 5 |
Game Information
UBS Arena
Location: Elmont, NY
Attendance: 17,255 | Capacity:
Location: Elmont, NY
Attendance: 17,255 | Capacity:
2025-26 Atlantic Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tampa Bay |
38 | 16 | 80 | 4 |
Buffalo |
35 | 19 | 76 | 6 |
Detroit |
35 | 20 | 76 | 6 |
Montreal |
33 | 17 | 75 | 9 |
Boston |
33 | 21 | 71 | 5 |
Ottawa |
29 | 22 | 66 | 8 |
Toronto |
27 | 24 | 64 | 10 |
Florida |
30 | 27 | 63 | 3 |
2025-26 Metropolitan Division Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PTS | OTL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina |
38 | 16 | 82 | 6 |
Pittsburgh |
31 | 15 | 75 | 13 |
NY Islanders |
35 | 21 | 75 | 5 |
Washington |
31 | 24 | 69 | 7 |
Columbus |
30 | 21 | 68 | 8 |
Philadelphia |
28 | 21 | 67 | 11 |
New Jersey |
29 | 29 | 60 | 2 |
NY Rangers |
23 | 29 | 54 | 8 |




FLA
NYI
Tampa Bay
Buffalo
Detroit
Montreal
Boston
Ottawa
Toronto
Florida
Carolina
Pittsburgh
NY Islanders
Washington
Columbus
Philadelphia
New Jersey
NY Rangers