Islanders rally from a multigoal deficit to beat the Panthers 5-2
Brayden Schenn had a goal and two assists, Matthew Schaefer tied the rookie defenseman franchise scoring record and the New York Islanders rallied to beat the two-time defending champion Florida Panthers 5-2 and keep pace in a competitive Eastern Conference playoff race
Schenn, acquired at the trade deadline, scored the tying goal in the second period after U.S. Olympic gold medal-winner Matthew Tkachuk put Florida up 2-0 through 14 minutes. Fourth-liner Marc Gatcomb started the comeback and later assisted on Casey Cizikas’ goal that made it 5-2.
Schaefer with a pair of assists matched Stefan Persson from 1977-78 at 56 points. His next goal will tie Schaefer with Brian Leetch for the most by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
Ilya Sorokin allowed only the two goals from Tkachuk and stopped the other 17 shots he faced. Swedes Simon Holmstrom and Emil Heineman also scored for the Islanders, who have won two in a row since losing three of their previous four.
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