Matthew Schaefer's Overtime Endurance: A Test of Training, Not Novelty

New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer downplayed his recent accomplishment of playing all five minutes of an overtime period, a feat not seen in the NHL since the league began tracking such statistics. Schaefer, who played the entirety of the extra frame in the Islanders' 4-3 shootout victory over the Nashville Predators on Oct. 27, 2026, stated that the situation was not entirely new to him, crediting his consistent summer training regimen.

Schaefer's trainer, Bryan Marshall, who was recently hired by the Islanders as director of player performance, even texted him after the game, noting that their summer practice sessions had paid off. These sessions include a Friday tournament where players engage in five-minute, three-on-three games, decided by draft, followed by round-robin play and a final. Schaefer described these training games as competitive and intense, often involving players like Nazem Kadri and Sean Monahan.

"You'll take a break [after], but every game's five minutes," Schaefer said. "It's pretty funny; those are the best days 'cause you always look up to playing it, and everyone takes it so competitively."

Despite the attention on his ice time, Schaefer remained largely nonchalant. He explained that the specific game circumstances, including a lengthy delayed penalty, a timeout, and an Islanders power play, allowed for the possibility of him staying on the ice for the entire overtime.

"We're in zone for a lot of it, and then they send it down for a guy coming out of the box, and I backchecked there," Schaefer said. "There was no whistles ever since. It was broken up nicely where I wasn't super gassed or really that gassed."

Coach Pete DeBoer corroborated Schaefer's condition, stating he did not need to check on the defenseman during the timeout because his physical state was apparent. "You can tell if a guy's doubled over and bent over, huffing and puffing. He wasn't," DeBoer said. "That whole delayed penalty sequence was all in one. So it wasn't a situation where I needed to check with him. I could tell he was fine."

In other team news, Kyle MacLean returned to the Islanders' lineup on Thursday, skating on the fourth line with Casey Cizikas and Mitchell Chaffee. Matt Kessel was removed from the lineup, and Scott Mayfield remained, as the team opted to play with 12 forwards and six defensemen.