PITTSBURGH, PA -- The New York Islanders fell 4-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins to open up their regular season.
Deadlocked at 3-3, Justin Brazeau scored the game-winner at 5:39 of the third period to win the game for Pittsburgh.
Matthew Schaefer and Maxim Shabanov both found the scoresheet in their NHL debuts, with the No. 1 overall pick finding Jonathan Drouin in the high slot to tie the game at 1-1 at 12:02 of the first:
With the assist, Sschaefer became the youngest player in NHL history to record a point in his NHL debut. Here's our story on that:
Islanders No. 1 Pick Matthew Schaefer Becomes Youngest Player To Record Point In NHL Debut
<b>PITTSBURGH, PA -- </b>During the <a href="http://thn.com/isles">New York Islanders</a>’ season opener on Thursday, 2025 first-overall pick <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/rosner-macias-bold-predictions-for-the-2025-26-new-york-islanders-season">Matthew Schaefer</a> scored his first NHL point, marking an early milestone for the young defenseman.
Kyle Palmieri added a snipe at 4:04 of the second, with Shabanov's goal coming at 19:19 of the second off a glorious feed from Simon Holmstrom:
The power play went 0-for-3 while the penalty kill improved as the game went on, but ultimately finished 3-for-5.
Here's my thoughts: