Islanders rookie phenom defenseman good for pro hockey

When the NHL Draft Lottery rolled around last May, the Flyers had a slim mathematical chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick.
Alas, that top choice ended up with their division rival New York Islanders, who went on to pick defense phenom Matthew Schaefer.
No one, not even the Islanders, really knew what they were getting their hands on.
All the 18-year-old has done so far is register six goals/14 points in his first 17 games.
The Hamilton, Ontario native has been a force all over the ice. He’s a big reason why the Islanders woke up Friday morning sitting in a playoff spot, defying most prognosticators who had them off fishing or playing golf when next April rolled around.
Meanwhile, the Flyers get a chance to see what might have been when they visit the Islanders on Black Friday, Nov. 28 at UBS Arena in New York.
While it might be a little early to call Schaefer a generational star, he’s already won a Rookie of the Month/NHL award and he’s kept his plus-minus number in the black.
All that said, a kid like Schaefer is good for the sport of hockey. It brings eyes to TV sets and fans to buildings.
What normally might be a ho-hum Monday night game on Jan. 26 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia could become a rousing full house when the Islanders make their first appearance in Philadelphia.
Everyone wants to get an up-close look at a new star and this one shows a lot of promise. He could become the best Islander defenseman since Hall of Famer Denis Potvin led New York to four straight Stanley Cups in the early ‘80s and that’s saying something.>Good measuring stick

The Flyers had a good test on Wednesday night when they played the two-time Stanley Cup Finalist Oilers to a 60-minute standoff in Philadelphia.
Many players thought they had the game won when Travis Konecny scored with about 24 seconds left in regulation time. But the goal was disallowed after Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch (a former Flyer assistant) challenged the play for being offside and won the verdict.
Still, the Flyers had to be encouraged by holding the Oilers’ high-powered offense to just one goal in regulation time and getting out of there with at least an overtime point in the 2-1 loss.
In general, the Flyers passed this test but there were still some ongoing issues that need to be corrected.
“Obviously they’re a very good team,” said Noah Cates, who had the demanding job of keeping an eye on superstar Connor McDavid. “They’ve been to the playoffs, they’ve been tested. We had good stretches when we were in the offensive zone, holding onto pucks and doing the right things.
“So it just has to be consistent, puck possession, play in the neutral zone, especially in the D-zone with good habits. But there were too many stretches when we didn’t do that.”

>Limiting odd-man rushes

One of the keys to the Flyers’ early success has been their ability to limit odd-man rushes. Not only do those create scoring chances but they keep a team back on its heels.
Coach Rick Tocchet was pleased with his team’s standing in the league as far as holding that number down, at least until the Edmonton game.
“We’re one of the top teams in limiting odd-man rushes,” Tocchet said on Thursday. “I think we’re fifth in the league. That’s a positive. But we gave up 10 (to the Oilers). Is that an outlier? We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
The coach seemed to imply that puck possession can eliminate some of those Grade-A scoring chances. The old “get the puck deep” has been around as long as hockey but it always bears repeating. When in doubt, clear it out.