Deadspin | Matthew Schaefer, Islanders bombard Maple Leafs to secure crucial win 
Apr 9, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) stands in the goal crease during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images The New York Islanders secured a sorely needed two points with a 5-3 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs in their first game with Peter DeBoer as head coach.
Matthew Schaefer put the Islanders (43-31-5, 91 points) back in the lead after Toronto came back from 2-0 to tie it in the second period, tying the NHL record for most goals by a rookie defenseman in the process. Calum Ritchie had a multi-point game, as did Tony DeAngelo, who was back from a six-game injury-induced hiatus.
With three games left, New York is one point back of the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division and three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Islanders play host to Ottawa on Saturday.
Artur Akhtyamov came under fire in his first NHL start, turning away 39 of 44 shots for the Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points). Ilya Sorokin stopped just 13 of 16 at the other end.
DeBoer’s tenure got off to a spirited start. Ritchie capitalized on a Maple Leafs defensive breakdown on a delayed penalty, feeding the puck through the slot to Brayden Schenn, who batted it past a helpless Akhtyamov 2:08 in. Jean-Gabriel Pageau made it 2-0 less than three minutes later, beating a backtracking Max Domi to stuff in his own rebound.
Steven Lorentz responded 16 seconds later for the visitors, with Islanders defenseman Carson Soucy inadvertently colliding with Sorokin as Lorentz released a powerful wrist shot to make it 2-1.
After managing just 16 shots in their last outing against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Islanders recorded 24 shots in the first period alone.
Easton Cowan made no mistake when the Islanders ceded him a little too much space in the high slot on the power play, ripping it past Sorokin to make it 2-2 just 1:57 into the second period. The Leafs’ Luke Haymes, playing in his first NHL game, proceeded to hit the post seconds later.
Schaefer tied the NHL record for most goals by a rookie defenseman with his 23rd of the season, striding into the faceoff circle and firing under Akhtyamov to retake the lead for the home team later in the period.
Emil Heineman extended the Islanders’ lead back to two with a one-timer on their second power play of the game. Ritchie made it 5-2 in the third period on a two-man advantage.
Morgan Rielly nabbed a consolation goal with six minutes remaining. Haymes tallied his first career point on the play.
The result snapped the Islanders’ four-game losing streak. New York has now won eight of its past 10 against the Maple Leafs.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Matthew #Schaefer #Islanders #bombard #Maple #Leafs #secure #crucial #win
Apr 9, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (30) stands in the goal crease during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images The New York Islanders secured a sorely needed two points with a 5-3 win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs in their first game with Peter DeBoer as head coach.
Matthew Schaefer put the Islanders (43-31-5, 91 points) back in the lead after Toronto came back from 2-0 to tie it in the second period, tying the NHL record for most goals by a rookie defenseman in the process. Calum Ritchie had a multi-point game, as did Tony DeAngelo, who was back from a six-game injury-induced hiatus.
With three games left, New York is one point back of the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division and three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Islanders play host to Ottawa on Saturday.
Artur Akhtyamov came under fire in his first NHL start, turning away 39 of 44 shots for the Maple Leafs (32-33-14, 78 points). Ilya Sorokin stopped just 13 of 16 at the other end.
DeBoer’s tenure got off to a spirited start. Ritchie capitalized on a Maple Leafs defensive breakdown on a delayed penalty, feeding the puck through the slot to Brayden Schenn, who batted it past a helpless Akhtyamov 2:08 in. Jean-Gabriel Pageau made it 2-0 less than three minutes later, beating a backtracking Max Domi to stuff in his own rebound.
Steven Lorentz responded 16 seconds later for the visitors, with Islanders defenseman Carson Soucy inadvertently colliding with Sorokin as Lorentz released a powerful wrist shot to make it 2-1.
After managing just 16 shots in their last outing against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Islanders recorded 24 shots in the first period alone.
Easton Cowan made no mistake when the Islanders ceded him a little too much space in the high slot on the power play, ripping it past Sorokin to make it 2-2 just 1:57 into the second period. The Leafs’ Luke Haymes, playing in his first NHL game, proceeded to hit the post seconds later.
Schaefer tied the NHL record for most goals by a rookie defenseman with his 23rd of the season, striding into the faceoff circle and firing under Akhtyamov to retake the lead for the home team later in the period.
Emil Heineman extended the Islanders’ lead back to two with a one-timer on their second power play of the game. Ritchie made it 5-2 in the third period on a two-man advantage.
Morgan Rielly nabbed a consolation goal with six minutes remaining. Haymes tallied his first career point on the play.
The result snapped the Islanders’ four-game losing streak. New York has now won eight of its past 10 against the Maple Leafs.
–Field Level Media
![CSK vs DC, IPL 2026: ‘Criticism is fair when you’re not doing well,’ says Chennai Super Kings coach Fleming Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming acknowledged that the criticism directed towards him following the side’s dismal start to the IPL 2026 season was ‘fair’.CSK has been winless in its last three encounters and is currently rooted to the bottom of the table, the same position where the side finished last term. It is not a situation fans of the five-time champion have been familiar with. A section of them have questioned if the Kiwi coach, who has been in charge since 2009, deserves to continue in the hot seat.The coach, however, was quick to respond to suggestions that he hadn’t been up to speed with the exponential changes in the shortest format over the last half-decade.“Criticism is fair when you’re not doing well; that’s part of the position, and the results dictate that. I’m coaching through the year in two other competitions, so it’s not that I just turn off and then come to the IPL without an idea of where the game is going. I have probably not spent more time studying T20 cricket and players around the world [as much as now],” the head coach said on the eve of the encounter against the Delhi Capitals.“Yes, we were off the pace last year. [Mine will be] the first hand up. We pivoted quickly. Now, we’ve got some younger players, and I’m very confident about this group. We haven’t shown that as yet [this season]. One of the challenges is the number of players we have changed [from last year]. That means there is a bit of a settling-in process which we are trying to accelerate,” he added.MATCH PREVIEW | Wounded Delhi Capitals faces floundering Chennai Super Kings in search of momentumFleming cheekily attributed his long-term association with the team, an aspect that has been dwindling across both franchise and national teams in this era, to the five IPL and two Champions League titles won under his reign.“It is unusual, and I’m very grateful. But we have been able to operate at a consistent level that I guess has allowed the franchise to put faith in the coaching group. We’re proud of what we achieved, but not satisfied. There is a desire to keep adding,” the 53-year-old said.The head coach swayed away from the suggestion that he has not been given his due credit despite winning countless championships. “It’s purely the players for me. The coaching off the field is important, but it’s the performances that win titles and eventually what coaches are judged by. I’ve worked with one of the greatest captains of all time, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to do that as a coach,” he said, paying an ode to former skipper M.S. Dhoni, who continues to miss out on action through a calf injury.Fleming added that Dhoni was ‘working hard to get back’ from a calf strain without giving a timeline for his return.Published on Apr 10, 2026 #CSK #IPL #Criticism #fair #youre #Chennai #Super #Kings #coach #Fleming](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/3y76q5/article70848039.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/STEPHEN%20FLEMING%20CSK%20VS%20RCB%20IPL%20MATCH_01.jpg?ssl=1 "CSK vs DC, IPL 2026: ‘Criticism is fair when you’re not doing well,’ says Chennai Super Kings coach Fleming Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming acknowledged that the criticism directed towards him following the side’s dismal start to the IPL 2026 season was ‘fair’.CSK has been winless in its last three encounters and is currently rooted to the bottom of the table, the same position where the side finished last term. It is not a situation fans of the five-time champion have been familiar with. A section of them have questioned if the Kiwi coach, who has been in charge since 2009, deserves to continue in the hot seat.The coach, however, was quick to respond to suggestions that he hadn’t been up to speed with the exponential changes in the shortest format over the last half-decade.“Criticism is fair when you’re not doing well; that’s part of the position, and the results dictate that. I’m coaching through the year in two other competitions, so it’s not that I just turn off and then come to the IPL without an idea of where the game is going. I have probably not spent more time studying T20 cricket and players around the world [as much as now],” the head coach said on the eve of the encounter against the Delhi Capitals.“Yes, we were off the pace last year. [Mine will be] the first hand up. We pivoted quickly. Now, we’ve got some younger players, and I’m very confident about this group. We haven’t shown that as yet [this season]. One of the challenges is the number of players we have changed [from last year]. That means there is a bit of a settling-in process which we are trying to accelerate,” he added.MATCH PREVIEW | Wounded Delhi Capitals faces floundering Chennai Super Kings in search of momentumFleming cheekily attributed his long-term association with the team, an aspect that has been dwindling across both franchise and national teams in this era, to the five IPL and two Champions League titles won under his reign.“It is unusual, and I’m very grateful. But we have been able to operate at a consistent level that I guess has allowed the franchise to put faith in the coaching group. We’re proud of what we achieved, but not satisfied. There is a desire to keep adding,” the 53-year-old said.The head coach swayed away from the suggestion that he has not been given his due credit despite winning countless championships. “It’s purely the players for me. The coaching off the field is important, but it’s the performances that win titles and eventually what coaches are judged by. I’ve worked with one of the greatest captains of all time, and I’ve been incredibly lucky to do that as a coach,” he said, paying an ode to former skipper M.S. Dhoni, who continues to miss out on action through a calf injury.Fleming added that Dhoni was ‘working hard to get back’ from a calf strain without giving a timeline for his return.Published on Apr 10, 2026 #CSK #IPL #Criticism #fair #youre #Chennai #Super #Kings #coach #Fleming")
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