For nearly two periods Thursday night at Bell Centre, it felt like the spotlight belonged to Noah Dobson — the former New York Islanders first-round pick returning to face his old team in Montreal. Dobson was active, poised, and impactful, the kind of high-scoring defenseman Islanders fans once envisioned anchoring their blue line for years.
Then Matthew Schaefer took over the night — and the narrative.
Late in the second period, with the Islanders searching for momentum, the 18-year-old defenseman scored twice in 55 seconds, stunning the Montreal Canadiens and flipping the game on its head.