Schaefer has 2 points, Islanders get back on track with win against Stars

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Matthew Schaefer had two assists for the New York Islanders, who got back on track with a 2-1 win against the Dallas Stars at UBS Arena on Thursday.

Bo Horvat scored his 30th goal of the season, and Calum Ritchie also scored for the Islanders (41-27-5), who had lost three of four, including 4-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks at home on Tuesday. Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves.

New York moved back into the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Ottawa Senators, who lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It was a solid team effort from the start to the end,” New York coach Patrick Roy said. “It was a beautiful goal by Bo, a pass from (Emil) Heineman, and it was a big goal going to the net on that second one. I think the puck hit the skate of Ritchie and went in. But it was a solid team effort. Of course, Ilya was again really good. Of course, our penalty killing did a really nice job (2-for-2), because this power play, I mean, come on, it’s second in the NHL and they move the puck really fast. So, I felt like we did a really nice job.”

Matt Duchene scored the lone goal for the Stars (43-18-11), who have lost four in a row (0-3-1). Jake Oettinger made 23 saves.

Dallas is three points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for second place in the Central Division.

“We're far away from the game we were playing eight or nine games ago, but we’re moving in the right direction,” Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said. "I thought that was a good goalie performance by both goalies. I thought their goalie, Sorokin, was really, really good. So, you get that, and you have a team fighting for their lives, and I thought we battled and competed. It was very even, and we just couldn't get a second one by him.”

Horvat gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead at 4:48 of the first period. He took a pass from Heineman as he was streaking down the left wing and roofed a shot over Oettinger's blocker from the circle.

“It came off the rush, and Heineman made a great play to get that over to me with speed,” Horvat said. "It was a great play by him to try to get the middle and get it to me wide. I just had to try to put it in from there. And, thankfully, I picked my spot.”

Sorokin kept the Islanders in front when he got his right pad on Sam Steel’s breakaway attempt at 10:25 of the first. He then slid over to deny Jason Robertson after the Stars forward was left all alone at the post on a power play at 10:07 of the second period.

Ritchie doubled the Islanders' lead to 2-0 at 2:19 of the third period when Schaefer’s shot from the left point deflected in off his skate while he was battling for position in front with Tyler Myers.

“I could say that (I was trying to bank it off Ritchie), but I was honestly just throwing it to the net there,” Schaefer said. “So, I mean, it’s a lucky bounce. I mean, no one hates a lucky bounce. I love it.”

Duchene cut it to 2-1 at 17:01 of the third, beating Sorokin high to the glove side with a one-timer off a feed from Jamie Benn with Oettinger on the bench for the extra attacker.

"I feel it's the basic highs and lows, and it's just little lows right now for us,” Stars defenseman Esa Lindell said. “We’re just trying to stay neutral either way. You're going to just keep working and creating chances, playing good defensively, the basic stuff that will for sure help us turn things around.”

NOTES: Schaefer has 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 73 games this season, tying Denis Potvin (54 points in 77 games in 1973-74) for the second-most in a season by a rookie defenseman in Islanders history. Stefan Persson is first with 56 points in 66 games in 1977-78. ... Horvat (59 games) became the second-fastest Islanders player to reach the 30-goal mark in a season since the turn of the millennium, trailing only Brock Nelson (54 games in 2021-22). ... The Islanders recorded their 27th win decided by one goal, which is the most in the NHL this season as well as the most in the franchise's history.