WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Islanders were relieved to see Matthew Schaefer return to Tuesday’s game not once but twice after injury scares, but the 18-year-old defenseman is not completely out of the woods.
Schaefer needed to be examined by team doctors after the 5-4 loss to the Jets in relation to the shot he took off his right leg in the second period, despite finishing the game.
It was for that reason he wasn’t made available to reporters postgame.
The 18-year-old didn’t go to the dressing room after eating Luke Schenn’s slap shot at 15:41 of the second, but could barely move for the remainder of the shift.
Play was ultimately blown dead because he was struggling, which left the Jets none too happy as they were buzzing around the offensive zone with the Islanders effectively down to 4 ½ men.
Schaefer limped to the bench, tested his leg during the next stoppage in play then took his next shift during the penalty kill.
He finished the night with 22:39 of ice time despite missing 12:22 of action in the first period after being taken off by the concussion spotter and cleared, but would hardly be the first player to finish a game off adrenaline.
“He was fine,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I think he just lost his wind on that [first] play. I guess they thought that was an incidental contact with [Josh] Morrissey into the head. I think that’s the protocol from the league, but he was 100 percent fine.”
Morrissey, who went into Schaefer’s chest prompting the spotter to take him off, went over to ask if he was OK after he returned.
The Islanders are already without Alexander Romanov on their blue line, and Schaefer is probably the player they could least afford to lose.
That is both for hockey reasons — they don’t have any other player who can do what Schaefer does — and psychological reasons, given the impact the 18-year-old has had on the team.
The Islanders next play Thursday in Edmonton.
Adam Boqvist stayed in the lineup for a second straight game, the first time since November that he’s played consecutive games.
Ryan Pulock’s secondary assist tied him with Noah Dobson for the fifth-most points in history by an Islanders defenseman.
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