The New York Islanders extended their surge toward playoff positioning in dramatic fashion Sunday night, edging the Florida Panthers 5-4 on a last-minute goal from captain Anders Lee.
Lee delivered the decisive moment with just 32 seconds remaining, finishing a slick backhand-to-forehand move for his third consecutive game with a goal. The late strike capped a back-and-forth thriller and secured the Islanders’ fifth straight win and eighth in their last 10 games.
Rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer continued his remarkable season, scoring twice and adding an assist. The 18-year-old defenseman now has 20 goals, putting him within striking distance of Brian Leetch’s long-standing record for most goals by a rookie defenseman in NHL history. Schaefer’s second goal gave New York a 4-3 lead midway through the third period when he walked in from the blue line and snapped a wrist shot past goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Also contributing for the Islanders were Carson Soucy and Bo Horvat, the latter scoring his team-leading 25th goal late in the second period to tie the game at 3-3. In net, David Rittich turned aside 28 shots to help preserve the win.
Florida came out strong, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the first period behind goals from Sandis Vilmanis and Sam Bennett, who later added his second goal of the night. The Panthers regained a 3-2 edge in the second before Horvat’s equalizer.
The defending Stanley Cup champions kept battling late, and Sam Reinhart tied the game at 4-4 with just 1:58 remaining after head coach Paul Maurice pulled Bobrovsky for the extra attacker. However, Lee’s heroics moments later sealed Florida’s second straight loss.
Bobrovsky finished with 21 saves for the Panthers, who now sit eight points outside of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot, adding urgency to their playoff push.
New York played without forward Jonathan Drouin, who missed the game due to a lower-body injury.
Florida heads to face the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, while the Islanders travel west to take on the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday to begin a four-game road trip.
