ELMONT, NY — Matthew Schaefer is going through the usual rite of passage that any young, developing star in the NHL has to hurdle, and he got another full taste of it on Tuesday night.
Midway through the second period, while pinching down under the goal line to supplement his New York Islanders’ attack in the Boston Bruins’ zone, Schaefer got mixed up with veteran defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who did not hide his displeasure with sharing the ice with the impressive rookie blue liner.
Zadorov first sent a high cross-check near the face of Schaefer, toppling the 18-year-old to the ice. When Schaefer proceeded to hold onto the stick of the Bruins’ defenseman, Zadorov delivered another blow to the face, throwing the young Islander backward into the boards.
“There’s going to be guys that come after you,” Schaefer told amNewYork following New York’s 4-3 shootout loss. “There’s gonna be game plans, there’s gonna be a lot of things. Every night is going to be a battle, no matter what.”
Just another bit of adversity that Schaefer appears to be taking in stride, though his teammates are understandably taking exception.
Winger Anthony Duclair, who by no means is an agitator, instigator, or physical presence, jumped Zadorov. Literally.
The 6-foot, 198-pound speedster leapt onto the back of Zadorov and put him in a headlock before Islanders captain Anders Lee joined in, sparking a melee that resulted in four separate penalties.
“I think teams are starting to see how good he really is,” Duclair told amNewYork. “Obviously, you want to be hard on good players. We try to do the same with their star players, so he definitely is going to have a target on his back all year. We’re here to protect him.”
“It’s just one of those situations where you go in there and have [Schaefer’s] back,” Lee added.
Head coach Patrick Roy said that he “loved how the guys jumped in” to protect Schaefer, who has five goals and six assists (11 points) through his first 13 career NHL games.
“I knew from Day 1 that our team has each other’s backs no matter what,” Schaefer said. “They stuck up for me there. But if that happened to any one of the guys in this room, we’re all jumping in there.”
The more Schaefer asserts himself as a legitimate star, the more likely he will begin to receive help from on-ice officials. It is no secret that the league’s top players receive a bit more protection to prevent opposing teams from taking unnecessary runs at them.
“Eventually, he’s going to have the same protection that the star players get,” Roy said. “I hope [the wait for that is] not too long.”
