Caught in the Moment

Isles lose 7 of 8 to end once magical season

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

It’s hard — maybe harder than it should be — to put aside how it ended and remember how much fun it was along the way.

Because right now, the disappointment is loud. It lingers. It stings. You think about the missed chances, the games that slipped away, the slow unraveling over the final month that turned something promising into something frustrating. That’s the part that sticks first. But if you give it time, if you let the sting fade just a little, you’ll remember something else.

You’ll remember the moments this season gave you.

It will always be the year of Matthew Schaefer — the year an 18-year-old didn’t just arrive, but took over. The year he became the face of the Islanders and hinted, loudly, that he might be one of the next faces of the NHL. From ping pong lottery luck to the no-doubt Calder Trophy winner, it was a ride nobody saw coming, and nobody will forget. It was that good.

There were moments. Plenty of them.

Undefeated in OT. The brilliance of Ilya Sorokin. The sellouts. A dominating sweep of the Rangers and Devils. Nights where UBS Arena buzzed with something real, something building. For a while, it felt like anything was possible.

And then came the turn.

The losses. The collapse. The firing of Patrick Roy. The bold moves by Mathieu Darche that didn’t land the way they were meant to. The arrival of a new voice behind the bench, and questions that will carry into the summer.

That’s part of the story, too. But it’s not the whole thing.

Because seasons, even the ones that fall short, are built on moments. And this one had plenty that made you smile, that pulled you in, that reminded you why you care in the first place.

In time, that’s what you’ll remember most about a season that gave us a lot, but had more to give.

Let’s dive in.

Game Recap

The New York Islanders closed out their season with a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, dropping their seventh game in the last eight.

Mark Jankowski scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, while Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring early in the first for Carolina, which finished atop the Eastern Conference after winning four of its final five games.

Bo Horvat provided the lone goal for New York, tying the game late in the second period off a pass from Mathew Barzal. Rookie Victor Eklund recorded an assist in his NHL debut. David Rittich made 19 saves in the loss, while Carolina’s Brandon Bussi stopped 28 shots. Ehlers finished his first season with Carolina with a career-high 71 points. The Hurricanes also saw Felix Unger Sorum pick up an assist in his NHL debut.

For the Islanders, it marked a quiet end to a difficult stretch to close the season.

GameScore Impact Card

⏭ NEXT UP: The Off-Season

📊 STANDINGS

Is This The End of Anders Lee?

Anders Lee was asked if he expects clarity soon from first-year GM Mathieu Darche. Islanders captain Anders Lee kept the focus on the present.

“That’s a good question,” Lee said. “I don’t know. I know we’ll have our closing meetings and have a chance to revisit some of this conversation and go from there. My focus, as a player and the captain of the team, has been on the team and what I can do to help it.”

Before the game, Andrew Gross of Newsday presented Lee with the Sid Payne Good Guy Award, named for the late Long Island Press sports reporter who covered the team from its birth in 1972 to his untimely passing in 1976.

Lee, who will turn 36 on July 3, just completed the eighth season of his seven-year, $49 million deal and has long maintained his desire to remain with the only NHL organization he’s known. Contract discussions were expected to wait until the offseason, and that approach held throughout the year.

Lee continued to provide consistency and durability, entering the finale with 19 goals and 23 assists, while appearing in all 82 games — the third time in the last four seasons he’s done so, and the fifth time in his career. Over that span, he has missed just one game, reinforcing his role as a steady presence for the Islanders.

News & Notes

Wearing No. 73, one of the team’s top prospects, Victor Eklund, made his NHL debut Tuesday night, skating alongside Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat. “When I found out last night, I called my mom, my dad, my brother,” Eklund said. “I’m super excited… it’s a dream come true.”

His parents traveled to Long Island while his brother, William Eklund, watched from afar. Head coach Peter DeBoer offered encouragement ahead of the debut. “He told me to enjoy it… and that I deserve it,” Eklund said. DeBoer praised the 19-year-old’s “speed, skill, and tenacity,” traits that earned him the opportunity.

Liam Foudy made his season debut after a strong AHL campaign with 25 goals and 46 points, skated with Casey Cizikas and Marc Gatcomb. Ryan Pulock missed the season finale; the team cited several injuries he was battling, per the team. Pulock has 27 points (3G, 24A) through 76 games this season.

Performance Bonus

Matthew Schaefer’s historic rookie season delivered more than highlights — it also triggered a standard salary cap outcome tied to his performance bonuses.

As an entry-level player, Schaefer is eligible for performance bonuses based on individual achievements. He reached all Level A thresholds for defensemen, including goals, assists, points, and top-tier ice time. His elite production also puts him in position to earn Level B bonuses, which are awarded for finishing among the NHL’s top 10 defensemen in categories like scoring or ice time.

Those bonuses are not counted against the salary cap during the season, but are applied afterward. If they push the Islanders over the cap, the excess becomes a carryover charge for next season. It’s a common scenario for teams with standout young players — and in this case, a reflection of just how impactful Schaefer’s rookie year has been for the Islanders.

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📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Bo Horvat joined Anders Lee as Islanders who scored their 300th career goal this season; prior to that, only three other non-Dynasty players had done so – all between 2004 -2006 (Cliff Ronning, Alexei Yashin, Miroslav Satan). Horvat (31 years, 9 days) is the youngest Islander since Clark Gillies (30-364 on 4/6/1985) to score his 300th goal as an Islander; Gillies also did it in a season finale. Mike Bossy was 25, and Bryan Trottier was 26 when they hit 300 NHL goals. Victor Eklund earned the secondary assist on the goal for his first career NHL point.

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Apr. 16, 1985, the New York Islanders became the first team in NHL history to overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series, eliminating the Washington Capitals three games to two. The Isles beat the Caps 2-1 in DC for the deciding Game 5 victory. Anders Kallur and Brent Sutter scored for the Isles in the second period, and Billy Smith stopped 39 of 40 shots in the road win.

📺 Up The Turnpike: Postgame Recap, Reaction, Highlights

🔗 Islanders’ flameout leaves Anders Lee’s future unclear by Ethan Sears, New York Post “The first, obviously, is the way the Islanders finished the season. Crashing out in spectacular fashion and failing to make the playoffs changed this from a feel-good, fun year to one that will prompt general manager Mathieu Darche to reexamine the roster, even if the franchise is still undoubtedly on an upward trajectory. Lee, as a 35-year-old whose contract is expiring, is a convenient lever for change.”

🔗 Islanders playoff miss likely cost Sorokin Vezina Trophy by Nestor Quixtran, Eyes on Isles “One of the narratives surrounding the New York Islanders throughout this season was Ilya Sorokin’s brilliant season. For a while, the chatter focused on Sorokin following in Connor Hellebuyck’s Vezina/Hart Trophy season last year. Hellebuyck earned the rare feat by posting otherworldly numbers en route to the Winnipeg Jets winning the Presidents’ Trophy.”

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And we leave you with this…the team leaders for the 2025-26 season

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