The New York Islanders finally got in the win column for the first time in 2025-26 on Thursday night — and Bo Horvat was the catalyst. The star forward scored a hat trick, including the game-winning goal late in regulation, in a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at UBS Arena.

The standout performance earned the veteran the Islanders' first Iron Man helmet of the new campaign:

“My last [hat trick] was, like, six years ago,” Horvat said afterwards, per NHL.com's Stefen Rosner. “It definitely felt good to put that hat trick together finally. A lot of two-goal games, but it definitely felt good to get my first as an Islander.”

Horvat's first goal came on a short-handed breakaway to tie the game 2-2 late in the second period. He put the Islanders ahead with less than five minutes left in the third, taking a slick pass from Mathew Barzal on a man advantage and beating Stuart Skinner.

He finished the standout night with an empty-net goal with nine seconds left in regulation to seal the 4-2 final.

Horvat's last three-goal game came back in October of 2019, when he was still a member of the Vancouver Canucks. His latest offensive outburst couldn't have come at a better time for a New York team that had failed to secure a single point over the first three games of the season.

Islanders back on right track, but still need to be better

It's been a rough start on Long Island; New York had suffered back-to-back-to-back regulation defeats before Thursday's triumph. Over that span, the team had only scored seven goals, while conceding 13.

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That's not a recipe for any kind of success, and nearly the entire roster needs to be better after a forgettable first week. A victory over the defending Western Conference champions is a good way to snap out of the funk, though.

One bright spot has been rookie Matthew Schaefer, who hasn't taken any time at all to adjust to the NHL level after being selected No. 1 overall back in June.

He's up to four points in four games, sitting behind only Horvat in team scoring. He added another assist to his impressive early-season total on Thursday.

“I give the puck to my teammates and they put it in the back of the net,” Schaefer admitted, per Rosner. “It really doesn't matter at the end of the day what points you have or whatever. I just want to win and I just want to be there for the group of guys we have. I want them to trust me. I want them to rely on me in situations, too.”

Schaefer is already being relied upon in a big way; he's usurped Tony DeAngelo on the top power play unit, and is seeing more ice time than any other defenseman at just under 22 minutes per game. NY will continue to rely on both him and Horvat as the campaign goes on.

With the first win under their belts, the Islanders will look to make it back-to-back victories on Saturday afternoon against the Senators in Ottawa.