Schaefer scored two goals Saturday, including the game winner, in a 4-3 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs.
Schaefer became the first defenseman in NHL history to record two multigoal games as an 18-year-old. Yes, that means he’s done something that the great Bobby Orr, who debuted at 18 and won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year, never did. Schaefer scored the OT winner exactly like Auston Matthews scored earlier in the game to set a franchise record for goals. He blew down the right side and went wide around the defender before waiting out Joseph Woll and sliding the puck past him. The teenager is on a three-game, four-point streak (three goals, one assist), and he sits in a three-way tie for 16th overall in scoring from the blue line with 28 points. Remarkably, Schaefer sits in a tie for third overall among defenders in goals (12). There simply aren’t enough superlatives for this kid’s performance.