Matthew Schaefer’s 1st NHL goal not enough, Islanders fall to Capitals in home opener | amNewYork

Oct 11, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; Washington Capitals center Aliaksei Protas (21) celebrates his goal against the New York Islanders with teammates during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

ELMONT, NY — There will be better nights at UBS Arena for the New York Islanders, frankly, because there is no place else to go but up after a stinker of a home opener. 

 Aliaksei Protas scored twice, and the Capitals ran roughshod over the Islanders, who are now 0-2 to start the season. 

It spoiled the home opener of No. 1 draft pick Matthew Schaefer, who scored his first career goal 4:28 into the third period to halve the Islanders’ deficit at 4-2. 

On the power play, a play started by Schaefer at the point found Anthony Duclair at the left post, who went cross crease to Kyle Palmieri on the doorstep. The shot hit the post and deflected into a scrum of bodies in front of Logan Thompson’s goal. Schaefer bombed in and popped a lunging backhander

Martin Fehervary was gifted Washington’s opener 1:50 into the game when Alex Ovechkin’s point shot was blocked in front by Islanders defenseman Alex Romanov. The puck caromed right to the Capitals defender down low, who was standing at Ilya Sorokin’s right post, to finish into an open net.

With 6:08 to go in the first, Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s pass to Simon Holmstrom at the Islanders’ blue line resulted in a turnover that gave Aliaksei Protas possession all alone between the circles in front of Sorokin. He snapped a wrister home stick side.

The Capitals’ two goals matched the number of shots the Islanders could muster on goal through the opening 20 minutes, but the hosts would find their attacking skates in the second, outshooting the Capitals 9-3 in the first eight minutes of the middle frame.

Their momentum was stymied by a questionable Palmieri tripping penalty on Protas. On the right boards of the Islanders’ zone, Palmieri’s stick grazed Protas’ calf, to which the Capital made a meal of a dramatic dive that caught the attention of the officiating crew. 

As time expired on the infraction, Ryan Leonard made it 3-0 when his wrister deflected off New York defenseman Scott Mayfield and past the outstretched glove of Sorokin.

Protas picked up his second goal of the night thanks to a Tony DeAngelo whiff at the Islanders’ blue line, sending the left-winger on a breakaway against Sorokin, roofing a wrister to turn New York’s home opener into a rout.

Duclair opened the scoring for the Islanders with 1:09 left in the second period, just eight seconds into their first power play of the night, when he snapped a wrister through traffic past Thompson, who made 32 saves on the night. 

Schaefer got the Islanders within two after his first-career NHL goal was confirmed following a lengthy review ushered by the Capitals, who believed forward Bo Horvat played the puck along in front of Thompson’s goal with a hand pass. 

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